Wisconsin Partnership Program Education and Research Committee Collaborative Health Sciences Program Grant Awards
The following Collaborative Health Sciences Program grants have been awarded by the Wisconsin Partnership Program Education and Research Committee.
2011 Awards
Furthering Alzheimer's Research
Sterling Johnson, PhD, Department of Medicine
Award: $299,539 over three years
This proposal expands research in multi-modal machine learning methods to better identify Alzheimer's disease at different stages.
Dr. Sterling Johnson, an Alzheimer's disease expert and associate professor of medicine, will study how data from multiple biomarkers can best be combined to predict future cognitive decline, and to identify people who have Alzheimer's or may develop the disease in the future.
Improving Birth Outcomes
Jonathan Jaffery, MD, Department of Medicine
Award: $199,541 over two years
"Medical homes" create a one-stop system to coordinate care for the medical and psychosocial needs of high-risk pregnant women and encourage patients and families to be active participants in their health. Southeast Wisconsin cities currently have high infant mortality rates for African-American babies, a focus of a broader Wisconsin Partnership initiative.
This study explores whether medical homes improve birth outcomes. Dr. Jonathan Jaffery will evaluate a pilot program, launched by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which enrolls high-risk pregnant women in southeast Wisconsin into medical homes.
Screening and Intervention
Richard Brown, MD, MPH, Department of Family Medicine
Award: $300,000 over three years
This project will develop a workforce of baccalaureate-level health educators to systematically administer evidence-based, cost-saving behavioral screening and intervention services -including tobacco, alcohol, and depression screening - in health care settings in Wisconsin.
Dr. Richard Brown will work with co-principal investigator Dr. Gary Gilmore, professor and director of Graduate Community Health and Public Health Programs at UW-La Crosse, on this collaborative project. Ultimately, the goal is that all health care settings deliver preventive services to address the common behavioral risks and conditions that account for over 40 percent of deaths and 75 percent of chronic disease in the United States.
2010 Award
Effects of Environmental Opportunities and Barriers to Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health in Hispanic Children in Wisconsin
Aaron Carrel, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UW School of Medicine and Public Health
Award: $291,882 over two years
One of the most pressing health problems facing all of Wisconsin, childhood obesity is especially prevalent in the Hispanic community where nearly a third of children are overweight. This wide-ranging collaboration will look at individual, social, and environmental barriers to physical activity and good nutrition among Latino students on the South Side of Milwaukee.
About 100 students at Milwaukee's Bruce Guadalupe School, a charter school based at UCC, will be measured for health and metabolic risk factors. Using GPS and student-generated digital photography, researchers will then assess how these children make nutritional choices and engage with neighborhood resources like parks and bike paths.
The collaboration is led by Dr. Aaron Carrel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The team includes strong support from the United Community Center (UCC) in Milwaukee - which has provided services on the South Side of Milwaukee for four decades. It includes contributions from the Wisconsin Departments of Health Services and Public Instruction and multiple UW-Madison departments - including the School of Medicine and Public Health, Nutrition, Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Urban and Regional Planning.
2008 Awards
Patient-specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Models for Human Disease
Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine
Award: $499,993 over three years
Co-principal investigators Kamp and James Thomson PhD, anatomy, and a team of co-investigators will create patient and disease-specific induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines. The iPS cells are similar to embryonic stem cells in their ability to differentiate into essentially any cell type in the body, but iPS cells can be generated from fibroblasts obtained from a simple skin biopsy.
Researchers will obtain skin biopsies from patients with a wide range of genetic diseases from sickle cell anemia to inherited heart arrhythmias. The iPS cells harboring the specific genetic defect will then be differentiated into the cell types of interest and provide a model for human disease that can be studied in the laboratory to advance basic understanding of the disease and potentially develop new treatment approaches.
Wisconsin Children's Lead Levels and Educational Outcomes
Marty Kanarek PhD, MPH, Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
Award: $500,000 over three years
Childhood lead poisoning has long been known as a major public health issue; the link between environmental lead and children's IQ deficits is well established. Lead poisoning is of particular concern in Wisconsin: It is estimated that elevations in blood lead for children in the state are more than twice the national average.
The levels of lead poisoning commonly seen in the state are not widely associated with serious health problems, but may be linked to cognitive and behavioral problems that affect children's school experience and performance. The study proposes to examine the relation between early childhood lead poisoning and educational achievement in elementary school.
Data from the Wisconsin Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program will be linked to children's scores on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination. This cooperative study, developed by the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, will serve as the foundation of studies to examine the role of environmental exposures on the various aspects of childhood development and well-being.
Closing the Gap on Pediatric Health Disparities: Discerning the Causes and Consequences of Iron Deficiency in Infancy
Pamela Kling, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Award: $500,000 over three years
About 5,000 Wisconsin infants become iron-deficient yearly. Although iron treatment is relatively straightforward and resolves the anemia, there may also be permanent issues. One problem is an irreversible defect in brain development. Another is that tissue iron depletion predisposes the infant to long-term risk for high blood pressure or heart disease in adulthood.
The hypothesis of this research proposal is that iron deficiency in toddlers often has its roots before birth, can be predicted at birth by new screening methods and predisposes the child to long-term alteration of gene expression. The researchers will study whether certain risk factors during pregnancy or tests of iron status at birth predict the development of iron deficiency as an infant. They will also examine whether genes involved in both red blood cell production and blood pressure regulation are altered by the presence of iron deficiency in the first year of life.
This partnership team brings together clinical and basic researchers and joins an existing screening program run by the State Maternal and Child Health Department. Newborn screening for iron status could be a cost-effective and minimally invasive public health strategy that prevents iron deficiency and improves both cognitive and health outcomes.
Reducing Infant Mortality Disparities in Wisconsin
Gloria Sarto, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Award: $500,000 over three years
A new alliance called the Infant Mortality Collaborative (IMC) will investigate the determinants of the improved birth outcomes that have occurred over the past several years within the African-American community in Dane County. In the second stage, we will direct the lessons learned toward improving birth outcomes in the African-American community in Racine and other areas of Wisconsin where the infant mortality rates are inordinately high.
The Infant Mortality Collaborative will engage people within the local African-American community as partners. By bringing together the diverse strengths of the community and multiple government and academic partners, the IMC aims to reduce infant mortality in Wisconsin. This program is a collaborative effort of UW School of Medicine and Public Health faculty, and those from the School of Social Work, the Lafollette School of Public Affairs, the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Public Health of Madison and Dane County and the City of Racine Health Department.
Menominee Smoking Cessation Clinical Trial
Stevens Smith, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Award: $499,591 over three years
American Indians smoke at a much higher rate — 32 percent nationally and 39 percent in Wisconsin — compared with the overall population rate of 20 percent. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of illness and death, but very little research has addressed how to help American Indians to quit smoking. As a group, they suffer higher rates of smoking-related illnesses than other racial and ethnic groups.
Dr. Stevens Smith and collaborators at the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, University of Wiscoinsin-Milwaukee and the UW Carbone Cancer Center will test a new smoking cessation treatment tailored for American Indian smokers versus a standard treatment. The enhanced treatment is designed to be respectful of the sacred, traditional use of noncommercial tobacco (e.g., used in prayers, blessings and offerings) while helping American Indian smokers quit the use of commercial tobacco (i.e., cigarettes) that is harmful and addictive.
This new study will recruit 150 smokers through the Menominee Tribal Clinic in Keshena and offer free smoking cessation medication as well as cessation counseling (either the standard treatment or the enhanced treatment that is tailored to be culturally appropriate). The goal is to learn how best to help American Indian people quit smoking, in order to reduce smoking-related illness in their community.
2007 Awards
A Comprehensive Approach to Insomnia
Ruth Benca, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Award: $299,654 over two years
This proposal brings together expertise in sleep medicine, neuroscience and epidemiology to create a translational research program for insomnia. A key objective is to develop an evidence-based behavioral treatment model.
There are two general aims: Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that insomnia occurs as a result of abnormalities in slow wave sleep, leading to a better understanding of the causes as well as improved diagnosis. Aim 2 will assess the epidemiology of insomnia and behavioral treatment efficacy using the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. This aim will address health policy through a better understanding of the public health impact of insomnia and define a model for community health interventions for health care providers in Wisconsin.
Vitamin D Inadequacy: Documentation in Rural Populations and Evaluation of Correction by Food Supplementation
Neil Binkley, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Award: $300,000 over three years
Vitamin D inadequacy is extremely common and is associated with musculoskeletal disease (osteoporosis, rickets and falls) and with increased risk of infections, multiple sclerosis and cancer. The goals are:
- To define the regional prevalence
- To investigate underlying mechanisms
- To evaluate potential unappreciated consequences
- To identify effective means for correcting Vitamin D inadequacy
Though daily use of supplements should be effective in optimizing Vitamin D status, long-term adherence with daily Vitamin D supplementation is only about 50%. Two scenarios will be explored: (1) Vitamin D supplementation of food, not the inadequate "fortification" currently utilized, is a potential solution. (2) Individuals of varying age and ethnicity require different amounts of Vitamin D to achieve optimal status.
Linking Aging, Resveratrol and Sirtuins
John Denu, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biomolecular Chemistry
Award: $300,000 over two years
Caloric restriction is a well-established method of extending lifespan and promoting healthy aging among diverse organisms, including non-human primates. Growing evidence suggests that the same mechanism is operative in humans; however, the molecular basis for this phenomenon is unknown. Recent articles in both scientific journals and the mainstream press have strongly implicated a novel group of conserved proteins, sitruins, in mediating the health benefits of caloric restriction.
Resveratrol, a plant compound found at high levels in wine and known to harbor a variety of cardiovascular and neurological health benefits, was reported to be an activator of sirtuin enzymes. This study will explore the molecular basis for the health benefits of caloric restriction and resveratrol, providing new insights into healthy aging modulated by diet.
Individualized Stroma-Targeting Therapy in Breast Cancer
Andreas Friedl, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology
Award: $300,000 over three years
In 2006, an estimated 4,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Wisconsin (213,000 in the US). Despite progress in diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Wisconsin women, underscoring the need for a better understanding of breast cancer biology and for more effective therapies.
Cancer tissue is composed of tumor cells and the tumor bed or stroma. It is becoming clear that stroma cells actively participate in tumor growth and progression. Connective tissue cells called fibroblasts constitute the largest proportion of tumor stroma cells in breast cancer. Fibroblasts undergo dramatic reversible and irreversible alterations in the environment of breast carcinomas.
Since altered stromal fibroblasts contribute to cancer growth and progression, it is expected that returning them to a normal biological function will benefit the breast cancer patient. The goal is to develop patient-specific therapeutic strategies aimed at normalizing breast cancer stroma.
Wisconsin Infectious Disease Drug Discovery
Bruce Klein, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Award: $300,000 over three years
Infectious disease is the second-leading cause of death worldwide. A growing number of highly resistant microbes threaten to worsen this problem. Hospitals have become breeding grounds for strains of multi-drug resistant bacteria and fungi. These threats are brought into sharp relief by the lack of new antibiotics as the development of new drugs has slowed to a crawl in favor of more lucrative products.
To address the public health crisis of infection due to antibiotic resistant germs, this project will create an anti-infective drug discovery program to develop new drug therapies. The goal will be to identify novel compounds with antimicrobial activity against the organisms that are major clinical problems for vulnerable patients.
Improving Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Using Hand-Held Carotid Ultrasonography
James Stein, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Award: $286,297 over two years
The UW Atherosclerosis Imaging Research Program has developed a new technology to screen for early stages of atherosclerosis and to identify adults at risk for cardiovascular disease. Because one-third of first cardiovascular events are fatal, there is great need for a safe and noninvasive way to identify asymptomatic patients with increased cardiovascular risk.
Rather than relying only on risk factors, this project teaches community-based health care providers from five medical practices in Wisconsin to use ultrasound to directly image the cause of cardiovascular events — the atherosclerosis itself.
Healthy People / Healthy Systems: The OPTIMISE Model
Bennett Vogelman, MD, Professor (CHS), Department of Medicine
Award: $299,726 over three years
OPTIMISE: Outcomes of Patients and Trainees in a Model of Industrial & Systems Engineering.
The Internal Medicine Residency Program will use an established industrial and systems engineering model in healthcare to evaluate and redesign medical resident learning and patient care with four specific aims:
- To improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of chronic disease to improve patient outcomes
- To improve patient safety through a quality improvement project to standardize communication
- To improve medical resident performance and quality of work life
- To maximize evidence-based practice. This program aligns medical education with the national quality agenda and will directly transform the training of future Wisconsin physicians by changing the focus from the process of education to the outcome of the learners.
- Read the Outcome Report (pdf)