Health officials are collaborating with the a state university after learning that a Wisconsin woman contracted the Zika virus.
Health officials work with UW to track Zika-prone mosquitoes
WISN-TV, Milwaukee
Category: Health
Practical exercise
Isthmus
Working as an emergency nurse, Kim Gretebeck often saw older patients admitted for problems that would have been entirely preventable, had the patient stayed more physically active. That experience, along with watching her father lose the ability to walk after triple bypass surgery, spurred her to develop the PALS (Physical Activity for Life for Seniors) program.
Report: 12 of top 20 drunkest cities are in Wisconsin; Madison ranks 4th
Channel3000.com
Metro level data was aggregated from county level data provided by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program.
Increased number of ticks becomes bigger problem in Madison area
Channel3000.com
Noted: Researchers at UW-Madison have seen a spike in the ticks in the UW arboretum, increasing from around 40 in 2014 to 600 found last year.
“It’s a new risk for people to worry about for both themselves and for their families and for their animals,” said Susan Paskewitz, a UW-Madison entomologist.
Paskewitz is leading a group of students to find ways to reduce the risk of Lyme disease from ticks.
Regeneration pioneer to join UW faculty, Morgridge Institute
Wisconsin State Journal
A scientist who is a pioneer in studying how the body regenerates damaged tissue will be joining the UW-Madison faculty this fall.
What it means to be mindful and how it can help your kids
Channel3000.com
Noted: According to Lisa Thomas Prince, there’s even research going on in Madison on the topic of mindfulness and children. She said prior research proves kids who can tap into their thoughts and feelings and “check in” can better focus their attention, lower their anxiety and maintain good physical health. In addition, adolescents who have participated in the Center for Healthy Minds courses have had an easier time sleeping and navigating social situations.
Insulete raises $300,000 of equity funding
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Insulete was founded and is headed by Hans Solinger, a well-known transplant surgeon and University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who has helped bring pharmaceutical drugs to market. Sollinger and Tausif Alam, Insulete’s chief financial officer, discovered and patented a DNA sequence that is glucose responsive and promotes the activation of the human insulin gene.
UW professor picked to lead world’s largest biomedical library
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Patricia Flatley Brennan, a professor of nursing and industrial engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the new director of the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest biomedical library.
Soccer concussion concerns
WKOW TV
Quoted: “It’s interesting that parents are upset about their kids playing football but won’t be upset or worried about their daughter playing soccer,” says University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health senior scientist Tim McGuine. “We should be concerned about everything.”
That concern prompted McGuine and his colleagues to launch a new study into the effectiveness of soccer headgear.
UW Med Flight now in Iowa County
WKOW
UW Health’s medical helicopter is now flying out of its new base in Iowa County.
The satellite location is at the Iowa County Airport in Mineral Point.
State officials to monitor for mosquitoes carrying Zika virus
Channel3000.com
Noted: The two species known to carry Zika do not currently live in Wisconsin because they can’t handle the cold, University of Wisconsin-Madison entomology professor Susan Paskewitz said.
But the species have been found in neighboring states, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently released a map of their potential range, which includes parts of lower Wisconsin.
Med Flight opens satellite base in Mineral Point
Wisconsin State Journal
UW Health announced on Monday that the satellite base in Mineral Point at the Iowa County Airport has opened, bringing the state-of-the-art emergency medical service to a much larger and growing area, as well as cutting response times for critical needs patients.
New fitness tracker made by UW-Madison students, adopted by local trainers
WKOW-TV 27
MADISON (WKOW) — Two UW-Madison students have created a new fitness tracker that’s quickly being adopted by local football coaches.
A Miracle for Mother’s Day
WKOW TV
Quoted: “We know living kidney transplant donation has the best outcome in terms of functioning immediately, less complication,” Dr. Maha Mohamed said. “As well as long term kidney transplant function,” she added. Dr. Mohamed says in the years to come, simpler chains and universal donors will be a real thing. “I don’t see a reason why not, honestly, it’s called desensitization where we can transplant patients across immunotechnology barriers to give them an opportunity at life,” she said.
Hail Mary procedure saves baby’s life
Channel3000.com
Noted: They met with Dr. Kara Hoppe, a UW Health specialist at the Center for Perinatal Care, a collaborative program between UW Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter.
UW and Medical College win $5.5 million grant to study Alzheimer’s
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Medical College of Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin-Madison have joined forces to win a $5.5 million federal grant to study Alzheimer’s disease.
UW Doctor Among Those Focusing On Physician Training To Combat Opioid Epidemic
Wisconsin Public Radio
A Dane County doctor is using a federal grant to educate colleagues about the appropriate use of strong painkillers in an attempt to help combat a national epidemic of death and addiction related to opioids. But an increasing push to focus on — and potentially change — how physicians practice has some pushing back.
Doctor talks about losing weight, keeping it off
Channel3000.com
(Video) Dr. Luke Funk, a bariatric surgeon and obesity researcher at UW Health (and assistant professor of surgery), talks about a new study that shows keeping the pounds off after losing weight is harder than actually losing the weight.
Making sure your diet matches your athletic performance
Channel3000.com
(Video) UW Health Sports Performance Specialist Sean Casey talks to News 3 This Morning about hot to make sure your diet isn’t undercutting your athletic performance.
Dance helps all ages build balance, stability
Channel3000.com
Noted: Student volunteers make this an even unique experience. The 11 volunteers are mostly PT and occupational therapy students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison but there are also students from Madison College and other community members. . . Sarah Mattingly, a first-year PT student, will soon hold a class on her own through Madison School & Community Recreation. This will in fact be the first class to branch off from the program.
“I’m interested in taking my skills as a teacher and implementing them in [fall prevention]. In particular I like working with older populations. We’ll have student volunteers, and we need as many as we can,” Mattingly said.
UW scientist receives national award for brain repair work
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Marina E. Emborg, an associate professor of medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has won the 2016 Bernard Sanberg Memorial Award for Brain Repair.
UW-Madison’s Smoke-Free Policy Now Includes E-Cigarettes
Wisconsin Public Radio
E-cigarettes will no longer be allowed in University of Wisconsin-Madison buildings or near entrances as part of a new school policy that says e-cigarettes haven’t been studied enough to determine if there are potential health risks.
The Age of Single-Sport Athletes Endures Despite Detractors’ Suspicions
New York Times
Noted: Research assessing whether sports specialization leads to more injuries is not common, but this year, Timothy McGuine and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation published research suggesting there is a link.
Doctor: Menopause’s bad rap is old school thinking
Channel3000.com
(Video) UW Health obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Makeba Williams talks about the negative perception of menopause and how that thinking is old school. An upcoming talk will focus on menopause.
Zika: Another warning flag of health threats due to climate change?
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Author Jonathan Patz, M.D., M.P.H., is director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Wake-Up Call That Transformed Neuroscientist Richard Davidson’s Life
Huffington Post
Richard Davidson had been studying the brain for more than a decade when he was asked a question that quite literally changed his life.
UW Professor: Opioid Epidemic In Wisconsin Hasn’t Peaked
Wisconsin Public Radio
A former worker at the Department of Health Services predicts Wisconsin’s opioid epidemic will get worse before it gets better.
Depression relapse prevention with mindfulness therapy ‘on par’ with drugs, review shows
CBC News
Noted: “The questions of whether and how they might be helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression and other related psychopathologies are quite new, and the evidence base is in its embryonic stage,” wrote said Richard Davidson, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin researchers land NIH dementia grant
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin- Madison have received a four-year, $5.5 million grant to better understand how communication between parts of the brain changes as the result of normal aging or of dementia.
Aly Wolff’s dream being realized in new clinical trial at Carbone Cancer Center
Channel3000.com
Noted: Currently the treatments for patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer do not offer an encouraging long-term prognosis.
“The goals of that treatment are to help patients live longer and live better but we wouldn’t be curing patients with that cure,” said Dr. Noelle LoConte, and oncologist with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Wolff lost her battle with cancer on April 22, 2013, but three years to the day after her passing UW Health announced a phase I clinical trial of a treatment developed at the Carbone Cancer Center.
Top Docs: Dr. Jeffrey Grossman honored for service to profession
Madison Magazine
The field of pulmonary medicine is an “action-packed” and “traumatic” profession, according to Dr. Jeffrey Grossman—and not one for the faint of heart.
Dealing with epidemics
Isthmus
When the United States took the global lead in combating the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic in 2014, the White House and public and private organizations sent out an all-call for assistance in equipping health care workers on the front lines with better weapons to battle the disease.
UW, Meriter hospitals create new affiliation with hospice provider
Wisconsin State Journal
UW Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter are affiliating with Agrace Hospice and Palliative Care, the organizations said Tuesday.
Top Docs: Dr. Patricia Téllez-Girón awarded for service to community
Madison Magazine
Dr. Patricia Téllez-Girón knows what having your world turned upside down feels like. When she moved to the U.S. after completing medical school in Mexico, she was an immigrant in a place where she couldn’t speak the language and had little money. “I was cleaning houses and caring for people and doing what all of my community has to do initially … I’ve seen discrimination and unfairness,” says Téllez-Girón, associate professor with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “So I decided if I was able to have a position where I would be able to help others, I was going to do it.”
Keegan’s adventure
WKOW TV
Noted: The students are part of nationwide group called Love Your Melon (LYM), an apparel brand run by college students across the country on a mission to give a hat to every child battling cancer in America. The organization reserved more than 45,000 hats to donate to children battling cancer in the United States. LYM college student ambassadors dress up as superheroes as part of a way to help children laugh and cope when visiting with them.
“I enjoy being Super-girl especially when I see faces like Keegan’s light up,” Anne Murphy, president of LYM at UW-Madison said.
Officials consider new Zika virus recommendations for pregnant women
Channel3000.com
Noted: Local doctors say they’re not yet advising women not to attempt getting pregnant.
“That’s really an individualized decision for each woman and her provider,” said Dr. Kathleen Antony, a UW Health gynecologist. “It’s challenging because it’s not technically here yet, so we can’t come down with terribly firm recommendations without having had cases here.”
Zika unlikely, but not impossible, in Wisconsin this summer
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison researchers continue to study Zika in rhesus macaque monkeys. Since February, they’ve infected 11 monkeys with the virus to examine three questions: how long Zika persists in blood, urine and saliva; if infection protects against future exposure; and whether the stage of pregnancy in which infection occurs impacts the effects on offspring.The bodies of nine non-pregnant monkeys have gotten rid of the virus in an average of about 10 days, said David O’Connor, a UW-Madison pathology professor who is part of the research team. But two pregnant monkeys infected in the first trimester have retained the virus so far for two weeks and more than a month, O’Connor said.
Catching Up: Free clinic helps women with gynecological care
Wisconsin State Journal
(The clinic) was started by Dr. Mary Landry, a UW School of Medicine and Public Health obstetrician-gynecologist who works at Meriter Hospital and UW-Madison’s University Health Services, and Dr. Katherine O’Rourke, an OB-GYN resident at UW.
Former Madison heart surgeon finds life in teaching
NBC15
A former Madison heart surgeon finds new life after retirement teaching medical students at the UW-Madison.
Doctor Louis Bernhardt worked as a heart surgeon in Madison, mainly at St. Mary’s hospital, from 1971 to 2004, when he retired.
Since then, he has been teaching courses at the UW-Madison medical school. It’s the same school he graduated from in 1963.
Seniors exercise plan designed for independence
Wisconsin State Journal
A UW-Madison professor has developed an exercise plan that gives seniors a chance to maintain their independence in their own homes. The program — called PALS, or Physical Activity for Life for Seniors — is being offered at sites around Wisconsin, with more sites on a waiting list.
Tele ophthalmology shows potential in fighting, curing diabetic eye disease
Channel3000.com
(Video) Tele ophthalmology is showing tremendous potential in fighting and curing diabetic eye disease. UW Health ophthalmologist Dr. Yao Liu will talk about her research during a free community talk later this month.
Zika virus concerns bring increased mosquito trapping to state
Channel3000.com
Quoted: “What we’re looking forward now toward is getting ready for what is going to happen in the U.S. in the upcoming season,” said Dr. Susan Paskewitz, an entomologist and mosquito expert at University of Wisconsin-Madison. In response to the CDC map, Paskewitz has been working to coordinate an increased mosquito surveillance program in southern and western Wisconsin.
Speech pathologist talks about ways to combat hoarseness
Channel3000.com
(Video) Experience and name recognition increase a presidential candidate’s chances of winning an election. So too does the quality of a candidate’s voice, and for many, the strain of the campaign is audible. UW speech pathologist Kate McConville has some advice on how to combat hoarseness on Live at Four.
UW cancer doctors targeting cancer at the molecular level
Wisconsin State Journal
In a conference room overlooking Lake Mendota, pictures of tumors and lists of gene names flash on a screen. Doctors discuss treatments, not based on where in the body a patient’s cancer started but on genetic mutations in their tumors. The doctors are working as a “molecular tumor board,” a new service by UW Carbone Cancer Center in Madison to help doctors and patients at UW Health and around Wisconsin benefit from a hot topic in cancer: precision medicine.
UW doctor, expert in colorectal cancer, diagnosed with it at 31
Wisconsin State Journal
In 2012, two weeks after Dr. Dustin Deming started his dream job treating and researching gastrointestinal cancers at UW Carbone Cancer Center, he was diagnosed with his specialty: colorectal cancer. The cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, making his prognosis grim. Deming was 31, with a 3-year-old son and 6-week-old daughter. He had no family history of cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, he is doing well today, with a much better prognosis.
How to be happy: 10 science-backed ways to become a happier person
Inc. (via WKOW TV)
Noted: “There are now a plethora of data showing that when individuals engage in generous and altruistic behavior, they actually activate circuits in the brain that are key to fostering well-being,” Richard Davidson, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin and author of The Emotional Life of Your Brain, has explained.
Yi Fuxian, Critic of China’s Birth Policy, Returns as an Invited Guest
New York Times
BEIJING — Eight thousand miles is a long way to fly someone so he can tell you you’re wrong. That’s what awaits Chinese officials on Friday when Yi Fuxian, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, speaks at a panel on China’s population policies at the Boao Forum, an annual gathering of hundreds of politicians, businesspeople, opinion leaders and journalists.
Get a Dose of Public Health Training as a Medical Student
U.S. News and World Report
As part of her dual degree program in medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin, fourth-year student Nayeli Spahr, 32, devotes much of her time to the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers.
Trey Schwab leaves behind legacy of organ donation awareness
Channel3000.com
Noted: Following his transplant, Schwab became the outreach coordinator for UW’s Organ and Tissue Donation program. He worked tirelessly to share his story and encourage others to become organ donors.
On Campus: UW students’ HIV treatment test advances in Clinton Global Initiative competition
Wisconsin State Journal
Two UW-Madison students’ idea for a low-cost test to help people with HIV manage their treatment has advanced to the second round of a Clinton Global Initiative competition of ideas from colleges across the country.
Piercings that some say help migraines are on the rise
WKOW TV
Noted: Dr. Ahmed Afifi is a plastic surgeon for UW, and he performs a common migraine surgery. Although there’s no medical evidence confirming a piercing can help headaches, he doesn’t rule it out.
“There are many treatments that are out there for migraines, and there are many things we don’t know the answer for,” said Afifi.
What hurts black participation in Alzheimer’s disease studies? History
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
While African-Americans are nearly twice as likely as whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease, a history of abuse and arrogance by the scientific community is frustrating efforts to recruit people of color to join dementia research programs.
Research warns against students specializing in one sport
NBC15
The month of March may be all about the Madness, but it’s also National Athletic Training Month.
In honor of this month, the Department of Kinesiology at UW-Madison is busy collecting data about high school athletes.
“There’s certain orthopedic injuries that used to be reserved for baseball players with 20 years of experience,” assistant professor, David Bell, said.
“Now they’re seeing them in kids that are 14 and 15,” he continued.
UW Health MedFlight on Business Model: Not-For-Profit Means No Price Gouging
WKOW TV
(Video) We wanted to know how UW Health’s Med Flight program bills their patients. New at 6, Kathryn Larson’s got you covered on why officials say their model prevents price gouging. Unlike those air medical service providers described in the story, Med Flight is a not for profit, and they say that makes a big difference.
Zika virus concerns impact more than just pregnant women during spring break travel
WKOW TV
Many of you might be getting to ready to opt out of the Wisconsin spring weather for somewhere nicer, but with the recent Zika virus outbreak, there’s growing concern over travel, even for women who are not pregnant.
Doctors say women who want to become pregnant and men also need to be cautious when it comes to traveling to areas with active Zika virus transmission. Dr. Kathleen Antony, a maternal fetal medicine physician at UW Health, says the good news is that past Zika infections don’t seem to impact future pregnancies, but there’s a catch for women and men.
Can your address predict a premature death?
CNN (via Channel3000.com)
Rural counties have higher rates of smoking, obesity, child poverty and teen births, as well as higher numbers of uninsured adults than their urban counterparts, according to the report, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Large urban counties have lower smoking and obesity rates, fewer injury deaths and more residents who attended some college.
“What we think is going on here is that … in rural areas, there is a smaller population, fewer businesses, fewer taxes — and they’re struggling to offer as many opportunities as urban,” said lead researcher Bridget Catlin [senior scientist and director of MATCH]. “All of this has a significant impact on health.”
Tips For Treating Seasonal Allergies With Multiple Medications
Wisconsin Public Radio
For those who are on multiple medications for easing symptoms, here’s a few things to be aware of courtesy of Dr. Casey Gallimore, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy.
Maria Sharapova And What Is Sports Doping?
On Point with Tom Ashbrook
Interviewed: Dr. Norman Fost, professor emeritus of pediatrics and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is also the director of the Bioethics Program.
UW School of Medicine offers course on heroin addiction
Channel3000.com
Noted: While the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has included addiction in its curriculum for decades, this is the first course offered solely focused on the issue. In addition to heroin, the course also teaches students about alcohol addiction.
“We recognize the need now to train practitioners not only to make better decisions about initiating prescriptions but also on following patients to make sure that treatment is actually right for them,” said Dr. Richard Brown, a professor of family medicine and community health.
UW to study headgear on soccer players as concussion prevention
WKOW TV
A national grant will help researchers at UW-Madison study concussions in soccer players.
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health received $300,000 from the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.