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Category: Health

UW Health rolls out next-day home delivery for prescriptions for patients in Dane County

Posted on
NBC 15

UW Health has delivered prescriptions to their patients’ homes since 2012, but now those deliveries will come much faster.

For patients in Dane County, UW Health can now deliver prescriptions to the patient’s home the day after the order is placed – for free, Aaron Webb, the director of ambulatory care pharmacy services at UW Health said Tuesday.

“We are trying to make this as convenient as possible for patients, by meeting them where they are,” Webb explained.

Prescription home delivery through UW Health used to take several days, using outside vendors such as USPS and UPS.

UW Health’s Dr. Shilagh Mirgain shares budget friendly summer activities

Posted on
NBC 15

Summer is here and with children already or about to be on summer break, many parents are looking for productive ways for their children to spend their break.

UW Health Dr. Shilagh Mirgain shares some budget friendly summer activities for children.

While students may be done with homework for the summer, that doesn’t mean they have to stop reading.

Dr. Mirgain suggests visiting a library for books and fun.

UW Health Kids: Neenah teen recovers from near-crippling injury to become a pro motorcycle racer

Posted on
WisPolitics

It took something as small as the width of a motorcycle tire to change Jack Brucks’ life forever.

Brucks, then 10 years old, was riding a single-piston motorcycle in a flat-track training session — his specialty — in Texas when his front wheel struck a tire that was on the track as a marker, sending him flying in the air. When he landed, his right hip was virtually shattered.

“I hit a tire, did a front flip, landed, screamed, and I don’t remember much after that,” he said.

Wisconsin groups demand UW Health restart gender-affirming care for transgender youth

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

A group of more than 65 Wisconsin organizations that advocate for gender-affirming care is demanding that the state’s two largest hospitals, including Madison’s UW Health, reestablish the medical treatments for transgender youth.

In January, Wisconsin’s two largest pediatric hospitals, Madison-based UW Health and Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee, confirmed they paused gender-affirming care for patients younger than 18.

 

UnityPoint Health – Meriter, UW Health given 5-star rating from federal group

Posted on
Channel 3000

UnityPoint Health Meriter and UW Health were recently found to be among the highest-quality healthcare providers in the nation by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The agency gave the hospital and healthcare system a five-star rating for its quality of care including patient experience, safety and clinical outcomes.

UW Health launches WorkForward to bolster the nation’s health care workforce

Posted on
Madison365

UW Health has announced the creation of WorkForward, a new non-profit organization that is designed to bolster the national health care workforce.

“Building on the health system’s nationally recognized leadership in developing innovative career pathways in health care, WorkForward is the first employer-based intermediary in health care, aligning employers, educators, governing bodies and other organizations around shared workforce development goals and outcomes,” UW Health said in a news release.

UW researchers identify revolutionary biomarkers for early detection of Huntington’s disease

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

University of Wisconsin-Madison professors, Jane Paulsen and Michael Newton  discovered that two proteins decline in the human brain as Huntington disease develops, furthering improvements for treatments of the disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare, genetic disease that causes neurons in the brain to degenerate over time, affecting a person’s movement, cognition and overall quality of life.

Wisconsin hospitals receive delayed reimbursement for COVID-19 response

Posted on
WPR

A federal disaster recovery program is reimbursing some Wisconsin hospitals for costs related to COVID-19 response, years after the start of the pandemic.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently announced $5.4 billion in funding awarded from its Public Assistance program to states, local governments and health care systems across the country.

UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs: New UW-Madison study shows drinking water filtration systems may add months to lifespan

Posted on
WisPolitics

As more than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water, new research from the La Follette School of Public Affairs investigates the effects of early-life exposure to citywide water filtration on longevity in the early 20th-century.

Neurodegeneration in Down Syndrome Begins at Birth

Posted on
Technology Networks

Signs of neurodegeneration in individuals with Down syndrome may start as early as birth, a critical stage of brain development, a new study shows. The research, from investigators at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides an atlas of early brain development in Down syndrome that could inform potential targeted treatments to address the developmental and degenerative aspects of the condition.

Are pollen allergies worse this spring? UW Health doctor explains why you’re sniffling

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin and Dane County are in bloom — and so is allergy season, which experts say is trending longer and becoming more severe for sufferers.

Tree pollen levels are high across Wisconsin this week, affecting many with seasonal allergies. While this spring’s pollen allergies may have arrived at a normal time, toward the end of March, trends in recent years point to earlier seasons that last longer, UW Health allergist Dr. Mark Moss said.

UW MedFlight to conduct training landing at Iowa County Sheriff’s Office

Posted on
Channel 3000

UW MedFlight is scheduled to land at the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday evening as part of a training event.

The sheriff’s office said the training will occur at approximately 7 p.m.

Iowa County Emergency Services will be training with the UW MedFlight team on landing zone safety.

“For everyone’s safety, anyone wishing to watch should not park in our parking lot or along the roadway. Please use adjacent parking lots and remain a safe distance away,” Sheriff Michael Peterson said in a statement.

Groundbreaking advancements in pancreatic cancer treatment excite UW Health doctor

Posted on
ABC 27

In recent weeks, researchers have announced several breakthroughs in treatment for pancreatic cancer. Researchers in New York shared results of a small study with promising signs for mRNA vaccines, and scientists shared research on ways to target and block the KRAS protein.

“For the first time, we have a phase two trial that has told us that we can help patients live longer when we block this protein,” UW Health medical oncologist Dr. Jeremy Kratz told 27 News anchor Caroline Dade.

‘An enormous privilege and opportunity’: UW Carbone Cancer Center’s new director talks goals for statewide cancer care

Posted on
NBC 15

Pediatric oncologist and researcher Dr. Christian Capitini was named the new director of the UW Carbone Cancer Center.

Capitini said the new role is both a personal milestone and a statewide promise.

“This was the biggest honor of my career… to be able to serve everyone in the state through this leadership role is just an enormous privilege and opportunity,” Capitini said.

Her island has no hospital. So she chose to go to medical school.

Posted on
The Cap Times

Yihana Melendez Alejandro decided at age 7 she wanted to be a doctor.

Alejandro, now a first-year medical student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is from Vieques, an island eight miles off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Vieques has no hospital and had only one small primary care clinic that was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and has yet to reopen. For Alejandro, this served as inspiration to pursue medical school.

16-year-old UW student organizing fundraiser to fight celiac disease, which she’s lived with her whole life

Posted on
Madison365

Kimaya Soin was diagnosed with celiac disease at age 4, but it took some pushing from her mother.

“My doctors actually weren’t really going to check me for it, so it wasn’t on their radars,” Soin said. “My mom had to research my symptoms. She looked them up, and based on the symptoms I had, it was either likely celiac disease or leukemia, and she had never heard of celiac disease, like most people haven’t.”

After 4,000 patients and 34 years, UW Health Med Flight doctor calls it a career

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Mike Abernethy had an unexpected meeting with a former patient in 2020 — one he’ll never forget.

It was after a shift in the emergency department. He was checking out with groceries at Walmart when a man approached him and asked, “Are you Dr. Abernethy?”

Abernethy had no recollection of the man until he unzipped his jacket and revealed a large scar.

Longer postpartum Medicaid coverage will save lives, doctors say

Posted on
The Cap Times

Wisconsin mothers on Medicaid will soon have access to a full year of postpartum health coverage after Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation extending benefits from 60 days to 12 months after giving birth.

The policy change addresses what doctors consider a dangerous and long-standing gap in care, when many pregnancy-related complications and mental health challenges emerge.

UW Health becomes official health care partner of Green Bay Packers

Posted on
ABC 27

UW Health has become the Official Health Care Partner of the Green Bay Packers through a new multi-year agreement.

The partnership, announced at a Thursday press conference, includes joint community initiatives, fan-focused events throughout the year and a visible presence at Lambeau Field. UW Health will have permanent signage at the north entry gate of Lambeau Field and logo patches on Packers practice jerseys.

Ukrainian surgeons learn limb-saving microsurgery at UW-Madison to treat war injuries

Posted on
NBC 15

Ukrainian surgeons are in Madison this week, training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to learn specialized techniques they can take back home to treat patients injured in the war.

Six surgeons are taking part in a two-week intensive training at UW’s Microsurgery Regenerative Medicine Lab, working under microscopes to practice reconnecting tiny blood vessels and nerves.

As ALS takes its toll, a patient leans on a top-rated Madison clinic

Posted on
The Cap Times

It began with a fall. Then another, and another. 

LuAnn Guffey had watched over the years as her brother suffered with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that gradually disrupts a person’s basic muscle functions. When she began losing strength in her own legs, falling without tripping, suddenly losing the ability to stand, she feared she was following the family footsteps. 

UW Health acquires University Podiatry Associates of Madison

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

UW Health said Wednesday it has acquired University Podiatry Associates of Madison.

The podiatry clinic, which opened in 1981, is located in a roughly 7,600-square-foot facility at 450 S. Yellowstone Dr. on the West Side.

The practice provides podiatry care for a wide range of conditions, including diabetic foot ulcers, arthritis, bunions, hammertoes and other deformities or injuries.

Badger women’s sports teams to add UW Health patch to jerseys

Posted on
Channel 3000

UW-Madison’s women’s sports teams will soon have some extra branding on their jerseys.

UW Health on Thursday announced it would become the official jersey patch sponsor for the Badgers women’s squads. The healthcare provider’s logo will appear on basketball, volleyball, hockey and softball uniforms beginning with the 2026-27 season.

UW-Madison: Christian Capitini named director of the UW Carbone Cancer Center

Posted on
WisBusiness

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health are pleased to announce that Dr. Christian Capitini, a national expert in the treatment and research of childhood cancers, has been named the next director of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. Capitini will also hold the title of director of UW Health Cancer Services. He will assume the role of Carbone Cancer Center director on April 19.

UW Health recognizes ‘Donate Life’ Month to promote organ donation

Posted on
Channel 3000

UW Health is joining organizations across the country to recognize April as Donate Life Month, honoring organ, eye, and tissue donors.

Over 108,000 adults and children in the U.S. are awaiting an organ transplant, including 1,500 people in Wisconsin.

UW Health states that most individuals on the waitlist need a kidney, but more than 13 people die each day while waiting for a transplant, according to Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation.

Student-run EMS at UW-Madison? Fire, police leaders not sold yet

Posted on
The Cap Times

Genevieve Simmons grimaced the more Mitch Reuter tightened a tourniquet around her arm.

“Definitely don’t have a pulse,” Simmons chuckled as Reuter checked her wrist.

Reuter was demonstrating how to use a tourniquet as he led a Stop the Bleed training last month at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Students filled a classroom in Birge Hall to learn how to pack a wound and apply pressure in a medical emergency.

The Dogma of Meat

Posted on
The New York Times

We live in a heyday of meat. Americans ate $45 billion of beef in 2025, up more than 10 percent from the previous year, according to Beef Research, an industry marketing group. Ground beef is driving sales — McDonald’s recently released its new half-pounder, the Big Arch — but steak sales remain robust. In a February interview at CattleCon, the beef industry conference, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that his favorite beef cut was strip steak. He eats beef every day — “usually twice a day,” he said, to applause.

Wisconsin’s 28 Most Influential Native American Leaders for 2026, Part 2

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Madison 365

Dr. Lauren W. Yowelunh McLester-Davis is a Research Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and on the advisory council for the Native American Center for Health Professions.

Dr. Jeneile Luebke is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at UW-Madison and an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Her research focuses on gender-based violence in the lives of Indigenous women, using community-engaged and Indigenous-specific research methodologies.

Tara Tindall, an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, is the Native American teacher leader for the Madison Metropolitan School District, where she oversees the Native American Education Program and the federal Title VI program serving Native students from pre-K through 12th grade.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from UW-Stevens Point and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UW-Madison.

UW Health resident creates adaptive crayons for children with disabilities

Posted on
Channel 3000

A physical medicine and rehabilitation resident at UW Health is reimagining crayons by creating adaptive crayons for people with developmental disabilities, stemming from her past experiences.

Amber McKenna was in her first residency program back in 2022 at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport when she came up with the idea to use molds to melt wax and make fun-shaped crayons. Her friend suggested she take them to work and hand them out to kids at the hospital where she was doing a pediatrics residency.

Teens are sleeping less. Why schools should be worried

Posted on
EducationWeek

Researchers from several prominent universities examined the self-reported sleep habits of nearly 130,000 teens. They found that the number of teens getting insufficient sleep, defined as seven hours or less a night, rose from 69% in 2007 to 78% in 2023, the most recent year for which data was available.

“We know that sleep plays a really critical role in adolescent brain development,” said Tanner Bommersbach, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one of the authors of the study. “So when large numbers of teens aren’t getting enough sleep, it really raises concerns about the downstream effects that that could be having on their mental health, on their academic performance, on their engagement and risk behaviors.”

Shorewood woman invited strangers to her backyard sauna. The response overwhelmed her

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The importance of relationships cannot be overstated, said Robert McGrath, a University of Wisconsin-Madison psychologist who gives public talks on how to live with vitality and resilience. He pointed to one of the longest-running studies on well-being, where Harvard University scientists followed the same group of men since 1938. The study revealed a simple yet profound conclusion: Good relationships lead to health and happiness.

Share experiences with others, even if it’s a solitary activity, McGrath recommended. He teaches a meditation class, for example, which is not exactly made for sparking conversation. But he sees strangers connect before and after class.

“Any form of connection is going to boost one’s mood,” he said. “Make that effort. Get out and connect.”

Exact Sciences gives UW-Madison foundation $2.5 million for early cancer detection research

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Madison-based biotech leader Exact Sciences has gifted UW-Madison’s foundation $2.5 million to improve early cancer detection discoveries through research.

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association’s new grant will establish the James Dahlberg Fund for Cancer Detection and Clinical Integration, named after UW-Madison professor emeritus James Dahlberg, to support university researchers and clinical trials at UW Health focused on detecting and preventing cancer.

The tiny, hidden world of mighty bacteria

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

They’re tiny organisms, invisible to the human eye, and they’re inside you right now. This isn’t a description of a sci-fi monster but it is one of bacteria — single-celled organisms that can cause illness and death but might also help us to sleep better or find the motivation to exercise.

In short, we depend on bacteria, said Timothy Paustian, a professor in the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“They’re really important for your health. You have a whole group of organisms that live inside you,” Paustian said.

Spaceflight supercharges viruses’ ability to infect bacteria

Posted on
Scientific American

Once the viruses adapted to microgravity by subtly shape-shifting, though, they became even more effective bacteria killers. “A simple microgravity experiment exposes these mutations that have much higher efficacy against pathogens,” says senior study author Srivatsan Raman, a chemical and biological engineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Is Dr. Fred Mohs Wisconsin’s ‘least known famous native’?

Posted on
The Cap Times

A roadside sign that welcomes drivers to Burlington notes that the Wisconsin city was the boyhood home of Tony Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current television commentator.

There is no mention of Frederic Edward Mohs, born there in 1910, the visionary physician who invented a skin-cancer procedure bearing his name that has benefited millions.

UW researchers shine light on indigenous-led research

Posted on
The Badger Herald

After taking community and tribal input, the Manoomin Team aimed to address mixed concerns regarding the state of the restored wild rice — some members of the community feared the rice because of the water it was living in, while others thought that if manoomin was present and growing, it must be healthy, according to Ojibway.

The Hua Lab at UW, led by associate professor within the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology Jessica Hua, has been a key partner in testing samples for heavy metals and PFAS.

“What we know so far … is that wild rice plants, the way that they grow, the way they make seed, is pretty protective of people’s health,” Erickson said. “I think we feel pretty good about people eating rice in the estuary and we can share that with people.”

AI chatbots recommend calorie-starved diets for teens, study warns

Posted on
Gizmodo

“Adolescence is one of the big time periods of growth, next to infants,” said Taiya Bach, a member of the teaching faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Nutritional Sciences told Gizmodo. “They need way more calories than a grown adult does.”

“Even if you are overweight, you still have that growth piece because a bunch of your calories are still going towards hormones and development and bone growth,” Bach said.

Wisconsin Union’s inaugural chef-in-residence brings more vegan, vegetarian options to campus

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Chef Lauren Montelbano has worked as Wisconsin Union’s first chef-in-residence since last April, expanding vegetarian and vegan options across Union restaurants and collaborating with Union chefs to develop recipes and culinary programs for the Madison community.

Over the past year, she designed dishes for the catering menus, Grab ‘N’ Go areas and the Rathskeller and hosted a cooking demo and class through WUD Cuisine to teach more about vegan food preparation.

“I had the opportunity to collaborate and learn from the highly skilled and talented chefs that have made the Union their home,” Montelbano said. “Their attention to detail, passion for teaching and ability to manage multiple high volume businesses at once was inspiring to witness and be a small part of.”

UW scientists genetically editing Badger hemp lines with USDA approval

Posted on
WKOW - Channel 27

Scientists at the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center are pioneering the future of hemp farming. Researchers at UW-Madison have received deregulation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 3 gene-edited hemp lines, allowing field cultivation without special permits.

Senior research scientist Mike Petersen explained they use a tool called CRISPR to gently edit the plant’s DNA, giving it traits like no THC or resistance to disease. Back in November 2025, the first line approved was Badger G, high in CBG, and known to reduce inflammation and other pharmaceutical benefits.

Prescribing improv to improve patient-doctor relationships

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Amy Zelenski, associate professor and director of Education Innovation and Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, teaches an elective class in improvisational theater.

She recently visited WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show” to discuss the relationship between improv and improving health care.

“I started my career working with medical residents, and I realized that they could say the words, but they were struggling with the connection piece,” Zelenski recalled.

Bird flu outbreaks hit Wisconsin egg producer again, millions of hens impacted

Posted on
Wisconsin State Farmer

Ron Kean, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s poultry specialist, told Wisconsin Public Radio that poultry producers are also growing frustrated by a lack of solutions in this new era of avian flu response.

“There’s going to have to be more work on vaccination, which is a big international political issue,” he said. “That I think is one of the big frustrations for the poultry industry.”

Wisconsin family navigates loss of gender-affirming care at UW Health

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

In December, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to bar hospitals from providing “sex-rejecting” services for youth under 18.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that children may experience “irreversible damage” when exposed to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical operations at a young age — for example, infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density and other irreversible physiological effects.

As a result, UW Health and Children’s Wisconsin halted what the health organization calls gender-affirming care in January.  If hospitals didn’t abide by federal rules, they would lose funding for Medicare and Medicaid.

Teen boys are using ChatGPT as their wingman. What could go wrong?

Posted on
Vox

Some young people are using chatbots “to test out being flirty or being romantic or being a little bit sexy and seeing how the chatbot responds to that,” Megan Moreno, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies technology and adolescent health, told me.

That kind of experimentation may be more common among boys, who generally engage in more risky behavior online than girls, Moreno said.

UW requires students to report vaccination records

Posted on
The Badger Herald

As of Thursday, Feb. 12, a new University of Wisconsin policy requires its students to share their vaccination status amidst the recent measles outbreak.

Despite some confusion, according to Jake Baggott, Associate Vice Chancellor & Executive Director of University Health Services, students are not required to be vaccinated but rather obligated to share their status for specific vaccinations, such as Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Varicella (Chicken Pox), Hepatitis B and more, according to the UHS Vaccination Records website.