“If you are constantly consuming this content and you are isolated and women are responsible for the bad things that are happening to you, it’s very dehumanizing, right?” said University of Wisconsin-Madison public affairs professor Mariel Barnes, whose research focuses on backlash to gender equality and the manosphere. “You don’t see women as humans anymore, or as peers or as friends, and that dehumanization gives you permission to treat them as less than human.”
Category: Health
Everything we believe about kids and phones might be wrong, study finds
Dr. Megan Moreno, the principal investigator of the social media and adolescent health research team at the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics, called the USF survey a “groundbreaking” addition to ongoing research, because too many studies do not include the possibility of there being positive outcomes to kids having phones. “It is just so rare for studies to consider both benefits and risks,” she said.
Can two ancient practices unlock our mental health crisis?
Co-authored by Cortland Dahl, Ph.D., a scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the author of A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism; Otto Simonsson, Ph.D., is with the Karolinska Institutet, and Simon Goldberg, Ph.D., is with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Survey: An end to child care stabilization funds could mean fewer child care providers and higher costs to parents
The survey was conducted by DCF and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty. They collected answers from over 3,600 providers who received CCC stabilization funds in November 2024.
The best dog GPS trackers in 2025
Even if your dog wears a GPS tracker, Dr. Jessica Pritchard, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, says microchipping is still essential. Your dog’s collar could become detached, or they may wander into an area without a signal. Pritchard, who previously used a tracker with her dogs, says that microchipping and GPS trackers work together like locking your doors and installing a home security system.
More than $12M in UW-Madison research funding cut by Trump administration
More than $12 million in research grants destined for the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been cut by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a lawsuit filed by Wisconsin and 15 other states. Democratic state Attorney General Josh Kaul says the administration is “sabotaging medical and public health research.”
Bipartisan bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage deserves vote in Assembly
Co-authored by Kateri Klingele Pinell is a clinical mental health professional and co-founder of the Wisconsin Student Parents Organization at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
AI’s next role? Screening for opioid use disorder
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health used artificial intelligence to screen the electronic health records of patients admitted to the UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, between March and October 2023, for any sign that they were at risk of or had an opioid use disorder.
Trump HHS eliminates office that sets poverty levels tied to benefits for 80 million people
The poverty guidelines are “needed by many people and programs,” said Timothy Smeeding, a professor emeritus of economics at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. “If you’re thinking of someone you fired who should be rehired, Swenson would be a no-brainer,” he added.
Study: AI tool helps flag patients at risk of opioid misuse, reduce hospital readmissions
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have shown a new AI tool was successful at flagging patients at risk of opioid addiction and at reducing hospital readmissions.
‘Challenging times here’: UW-Madison lobbies for research funding in Washington, D.C.
Members of the UW-Madison community gathered Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. ahead of their lobbying day on Capitol Hill.
“The reality is we’re certainly facing some interesting, challenging times here at the federal level,” said Craig Thompson, vice chancellor of university relations at UW-Madison. “There’s obviously potential cuts to research and other programs, and there’s just a great deal of uncertainty on campus.”
UW researchers look at how AI can combat opioid abuse
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health have developed an artificial intelligence-driven tool to identify hospital patients at risk of opioid use disorder.
New study says you can ease chronic back pain using mindfulness techniques
The study, led by researchers from Penn State’s College of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted a clinical trial to see if improved thinking can treat physical pain over time—and the benefits lasted up to a year.
Trump administration has cut $12.6 million in research grants to UW-Madison, provoking a lawsuit
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has lost at least $12.6 million in anticipated research dollars after President Donald Trump’s administration recently canceled four of its research grants, part of a national crackdown on funding for transgender issues, COVID-19 and diversity.
Health: Treating Parkinson’s disease and shingles
April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. Dr. Laura Buyan-Dent, a UW Health neurologist, talks about this neurodegenerative disorder.
Wisconsin Book of the Month: ‘Saving Hearts and Killing Rats,’ on scientist behind warfarin
In his new biography “Saving Hearts and Killing Rats: Karl Paul Link and the Discovery of Warfarin” (HenschelHAUS Publishing), veteran Madison journalist and author Doug Moe recounts the steps from hay to medicine while also building up a portrait of Link, a University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemist with a propensity for battling authority.
AI screening tool can streamline care for opioid use disorder, reduce hospital readmissions
Doctors and researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have developed an artificial intelligence tool to ensure some of our most vulnerable patients, those battling opioid use disorder, don’t fall through the cracks.
“The medical chart is full of information and it’s overwhelming, and our human brains just can’t process everything,” Dr. Majid Afshar said.
A mother’s love and one family’s journey toward a rare diagnosis, 14 years in the making
Doctors theorized Treyson could have cerebral palsy or Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic syndrome that causes intellectual disabilities, difficulty walking and talking and seizures, many of the symptoms he possessed. Genetic testing was done. Nothing matched.
That changed in 2021 when the UW-Madison’s Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine began the Undiagnosed Disease Program, making it the second of its kind in the state. Part of the University’s School of Medicine and Public Health, it is often the last stop for patients who are looking for answers.
UW–Madison researchers warn potential funding cuts could hinder breast cancer breakthroughs
At the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Carbone Cancer Center, dedicated researchers are expressing deep concerns over proposed federal funding cuts that they say could significantly impede advancements in breast cancer research.
Everything you need to know about bird flu
A dangerous bird flu, in other words, was suddenly circulating in mammals — mammals with which people have ongoing, extensive contact. “Holy cow,” says Thomas Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “This is how pandemics start.”
Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?
“Parents and kids are very aware of the narrative and very worried,” says Megan Moreno, an adolescent-medicine physician at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. That sparks family battles over screens — and leaves parents unsure what to do.
Wisconsin’s public water utilities get graded
Manny Teodoro, a professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the project’s founder and lead researcher. He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that this kind of comprehensive report is only possible in Wisconsin because of the “depth and quality of data we have on water system performance.”
“You could not do this in any other state,” he said.
After school shooting, Madison event seeks to get past typical us-vs.-them gun stalemate
A few years ago, D’Orazio spoke with Madison family medicine physician, Dr. James Bigham, about a program to train doctors and medical students at University of Wisconsin-Madison about how to talk to patients about firearms.
D’Orazio’s first question to Bigham: How many of these doctors know anything about a gun? “How are they going to answer questions from their patients if they have never touched a gun, shot a gun, know what a bullet is?” he said. “That’s where I come in.”
The Amish farmer who ignited outrage over raw milk and rose to MAGA fame along the way
No dairy is pathogen-free, even with the best precautions, said John Lucey, a food science professor who has studied raw milk extensively. Harmful bacteria are in the soil, in the digestive tracts of cows and in the poop they deposit, Lucey said.
UW Health encouraging Wisconsinites to leave appreciation notes for National Doctors’ Day
March 30 honors physicians who care for the health and wellness of their patients. UW Health is looking to celebrate their 1,800 physicians with notes of gratitude.
Madison hospitals are ignoring medical debt problem, advocate says
UW Hospital spent $20.1 million, or 0.8% or revenue, on charity care — free or discounted care — in 2023, while St. Mary’s, spent $2.1 million, or 0.5%. Meriter spent $4 million, or 0.7%, and Stoughton Hospital spent $200,000 last year, or 0.4% both years. The state average was 0.7%.
Delivering career wellness education for student thriving
To help students engage in career wellness, a group of students from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona—supported by advisers from Cal Poly Pomona—created Tune In to Strive Out, which encourages students to channel their inner potential for future success and collective well-being.
Measles vaccination rates may be lower than thought, risking U.S.’ ‘elimination status’
“This temporal boundary, however, was nearly breached in 2019,” said Dr. Jonathan Temte, professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Temte was part of the team who declared measles eliminated in 2000.
Social Security cuts halt research at UW-Madison
The Social Security Administration axed the Retirement and Disability Research Consortium (RDRC), a federally funded research program studying demographic trends and social security policy impact.
Leave the hurt behind! How to let go of a grudge
Robert Enright, professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a pioneer of forgiveness research, says short-term anger is “probably a good thing because it shows: ‘I am a person of worth – people should treat me that way.’” Your anger may be justified and if it does turn into a grudge, that probably comes with enjoyable feelings such as a sense of empowerment or self-protection. “But then there’s this tendency, if we’re not careful, for grudges to turn on us. Grudges are rather deceptive little things. Once they take hold in the heart, they become the unwelcome guest that doesn’t know how to leave.” They can transform into anxiety or blanket mistrust.
Even as French Island makes progress on safe drinking water, effects of PFAS contamination remain
“I like to always say that we know less than what we don’t know,” said Gavin Dehnert from Wisconsin Sea Grant and University of Wisconsin-Madison. “That’s partially due to the fact that the PFAS have really hit the scientific radar in the last seven [or so] years.”
Wisconsin epilepsy research stalls without federal funds
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison said they are struggling to advance study of a potential new epilepsy treatment after the Trump administration’s pause on grant review meetings by the National Institutes of Health.
Wisconsin family battles Social Security Administration to secure son’s funds before he dies from cancer
Karen Holden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who researches social security and pensions, said that in most cases, if an individual dies before their payment distribution date, there is no workaround.
“When people apply for compassion allowances, their doctors clarify when the individual was first impacted by their illness; however, even if that date falls before the date of application, the person is subject to a five-month waiting period,” Holden said.
We’ve entered a forever war with bird flu
“We thought this was a one-off: one bird to one cow, and we wouldn’t see that again,” says Peter Halfmann, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Influenza Research Institute.
Yet the more severe human cases are concurrent with the spread of a recently mutated, potentially more dangerous version of the virus called the D1.1 genotype. D1.1. is now circulating among wild birds and poultry, and it has spilled over into dairy cows at least twice in 2025, according milk testing data from the Agriculture Department. With D1.1, Halfmann explains that the threshold for cross-species transfer is “much lower than we previously thought.”
Bird flu virus can survive in raw milk cheese for months, study finds
The vast majority of raw milk cheese should be safe after the 60-day aging window, according to Keith Poulsen, DVM, PhD, a clinical associate professor of medical sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
“We have a lot of history and data to back that up,” Poulsen told Verywell in an email. “Unfortunately, the data from Cornell suggests that if raw milk cheeses were made on an affected farm, they would not be recommended for consumption.”
‘I’m just so incredibly excited’: UW Med students placed in residencies on Match Day
Match Day — the long-awaited moment when medical students nationwide learn where they’ll begin their residencies — arrived Friday at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
For Samantha Bush, it wasn’t just about where she’d spend the next few years of her training, it was about continuing a mission she started years ago.
A cure for her daughter’s epilepsy was getting close. Then Trump froze health spending.
Anne Morgan Giroux is pretty sure the cure for epilepsy ‒ or at least a long-term solution for millions ‒ is sitting in a university lab in Madison, Wisconsin. She and a team of researchers need just $3.3 million to push it across the finish line.
The problem: That $3.3 million solution is on indefinite hold as President Donald Trump and his administration slashes government spending. The money would have been awarded as grants from the National Institutes of Health to launch human trials. Epilepsy affects about 1% of U.S. adults, or around 3 million people.
Federal protections help students with disabilities succeed. They may be under threat
Kimber Wilkerson, a professor of special education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said 504 Plans tend to be less formal than an IEP. They usually represent a collaboration between parents and school leaders to figure out what the student needs to be successful at school. For a student with ADHD, that might be extra time to take tests. For a student with Type 1 diabetes, it could be access to snacks during the day.
In reality, Wilkerson said, many teachers would be willing to extend those kinds of accommodations to students who needed them, even without documentation. But the advantage of a 504 Plan is that families don’t have to re-explain their situation to a new teacher every time the student advances to a new grade, she said. That’s especially important when students reach middle and high school, where they have several teachers throughout the day instead of just one.
UW Health expands AI use during patient visits
UW Health describes the AI technology as “an ambient listening tool that can record, transcribe and analyze the discussion a health care provider and patient have during an appointment.” The health system says the AI creates a draft note that the provider reviews and uses as part of the documentation of the patient’s visit.
UW Health plans to expand AI use to help doctors focus on patient care
UW Health plans to expand its use of artificial intelligence to improve patient visits.
Starting this year, UW Health will quadruple the number of providers using an ambient listening tool designed to record, transcribe and summarize patient-provider conversations.
UHS warns students as measles cases rise nationally
Executive Director of University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin Jake Baggott says UHS is aware this is a worrisome development, especially with spring break travels soon approaching, and is something they are paying close attention to.
UW Health adjusts masking policy
UW Health is adjusting its policy on wearing masks in its facilities. Mask-wearing in low-risk clinics is now considered optional. It had been strongly recommended.
UW Health doctor speaks on reality of beef tallow
UW Health’s Dr. Jeff Pothof joined News 3 Now Live at Four Tuesday to answer if beef tallow is actually good for you.
Tom Still: Research funding has produced real human benefits, with the promise of more
UW-Madison Professor Sterling Johnson leads one of the world’s largest and longest-running studies of people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. His team aims to diagnose the disease years before people develop symptoms and then identify ways to slow its progression.
“A key problem we are trying to solve is how we can diagnose the disease earlier, before people even develop symptoms,” Johnson said during a campus news conference. “Early diagnosis allows time for individuals and their families to take control of their situation, maintain good quality of life, take steps to protect brain health and learn about treatments.”
‘Farmer’s Ozepmic’: UW researchers work to reduce certain amino acids in soybean, corn plants to create weight loss strategy
A three-year grant funded by Wisconsin Partnership Program, a grantmaking program within the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is backing research into how the reduction of certain proteins could be actualized through gene editing of soybean and corn, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Biomedical Research in the Department of Medicine Dudley Lamming said.
Treating rotator cuff injuries, and the use of AI in healthcare
New research proposes changes to how rotator cuff tendinopathy is diagnosed and addressed. Our physical therapists weigh in. Then we talk about the use of AI in healthcare with the chief information and digital health officer at UW Health.
Study: Long-term use of pain relief medications may lower risk of Dementia for some people
“It wasn’t that they were taking higher or lower doses, but that they were taking it, which does speak to this idea of dampening inflammation,” said Nate Chin, MD, medical director for the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
‘Endless series of contradictions’: Girls open up about complicated relationships with social media
Kate Phelps thinks the way society talks about how young girls use the internet is too simplistic. A big part of that, she says, is because culture spends a lot of time scrutinizing pre-teen girls, but we rarely talk to them about their experiences. Phelps, a University of Wisconsin-Madison women and gender studies researcher, wanted to change that.
Her new book, “Digital Girlhoods,” is based on her conversations with 26 different girls between the ages of 10 and 13 — an age group often referred to as “tweens” — about their feelings about social media.
Two healthcare systems merged, then closed the only birthing center for miles.
Closures are common after mergers, and a particularly sticky problem in more rural communities, which have fewer people and thus make less financial sense for profit-driven organizations, said Peter Carstensen, a professor emeritus in the UW-Madison Law School who focuses on competition policy. When competitors merge, they look for areas to reduce cost.
“It almost always means eliminating some overlapping activities,” he said.
Buzzed into Madison with the UW-Madison School of Nursing
Celebrating 100 years of excellence at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing! With a growing nursing shortage, Badger nurses are stepping up—pursuing advanced degrees to educate, advocate, and transform healthcare for the future.
Doctors see influx of requests for long-acting reversible contraception
Dr. Laura Hanks is an OB-GYN with UW Health and an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin in the department of OB-GYN. She says they have seen an uptick in people requesting both LARC and permanent sterilization since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“We did a study at our hospital to looking at the increase in permanent sterilization rates, and we saw 106% increase in the year following the Dobbs decision,” Hanks says.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield extends in-network coverage of UW Health as negotiations continue
UW Health doctors will continue to be in-network providers for patients with health insurance from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield until July 1.
Study at UW-Madison brings possible placenta treatment closer to clinical trials
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Florida have discovered a treatment for placentas deficient in the growth hormone IGF-1 that may soon be going toward human clinical trials.
Deaths of 2 prisoners at Taycheedah occurred during uptick in flu cases
Prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and other “congregate facilities” can accelerate the spread of respiratory illnesses due to overcrowding, said Ajay Sethi, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“People aren’t always able to control how much space they can have around others, and so that that is one of the ingredients for the spread of a respiratory virus,” Sethi said.
NIH cuts off more research funding, including for vaccine hesitancy. mRNA may be next
“It appears that there are forces intent on destroying our existing vaccine enterprise,” says Dr. Jonathan Temte, a professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin who studies vaccine hesitancy. “Defunding research on vaccine hesitancy is the latest example of this effort.”
Here & Now’ Highlights: Mariel Barnes
UW-Madison professor Mariel Barnes conducted research into how and why the “manosphere” took political hold, and described her findings and its impacts on politics.
Cuts to Medicaid would affect wide range of Wisconsin residents, researcher says
Donna Friedsam is a researcher emerita who has been studying health care policy and reform for decades at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Friedsam told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that changes at the federal level could have significant ripple effects at home.
“Many people who are on Medicare, who are low-income, also duly rely on Medicaid to cover things that Medicare does not cover,” Friedsam said. “So, Medicaid is actually quite a wide-ranging program and reaches over a million Wisconsin residents who rely on it.”
COVID-19’s fifth anniversary: 5 areas where life changed in U.S.
As the Journal Sentinel reported, quoting Sedona Chinn, an assistant professor and researcher in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at University of Wisconsin-Madison, folks who were frustrated started doing their own research, but it also “led to more misinformation and more anti-expert bias, making it all the much harder for solid science to break through.”
Don’t overdo it, but light exercise can help with minor illness
“If you have a mild to moderate illness, you can continue to exercise, but you should do less than you normally do,” said family physician Dr. Bruce Barrett, a professor and vice chair for research in the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “If you normally run 10 miles per week, maybe run 5 if you have a mild cold. Just tamp it down.”
How to fix an overactive bladder
Many fruits and vegetables, for example, are a key part of a healthy diet. They’re also high in fiber, which helps prevent constipation, says Chris Manakas, MD, a urologist at UW Health and an assistant professor of urology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.