The numbers are in — the end-of-year web analytics, that is — and they show robust interest in research at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health! In 2025, articles about new discoveries and one-on-one interviews with researchers were among the most-viewed stories of the year.
From investigations into the effectiveness of football helmet covers, to a clinical trial to treat dry mouth as a side effect of radiation, to the search for a cure for diabetes, our most-read stories showcase innovative projects and achievements from researchers across the school who are working to advance health, find cures, and improve the lives of people in Wisconsin and beyond.
“As we reflect on our success, we bring hope and inspiration into the new year to come together to address the most pressing challenges in health and medicine to make people’s lives better,” said Dean Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA. “By working and learning together as a community, we will further our quest to become a national beacon for health care transformation.”
A study of 2,610 Wisconsin high school football players found that wearing soft-shell helmet covers, marketed as Guardian Cap helmet devices, during practice had no effect on the rates of sports-related concussions. The researchers advise that high school teams implement data-backed interventions to reduce sports-related head injury rates, such as employing athletic trainers and supporting rule changes to limit contact during practice.
The first person in the world to receive a dose of a novel cell therapy for a symptom of the immune disorder Sjögren’s disease was treated during a clinical trial. The goal of the trial was to show that the therapy was safe, but the patient noted some improvement in her symptoms, as well. The Q&A with Dr. Sara McCoy, who led the trial, also garnered a high number of views.
By studying mouse models, a team led by Roméo Blanc, assistant professor of cell and regenerative biology, discovered how inflammation makes genetic instructions in muscle stem cells unreadable. Without those regulations, cells hoard too much iron and rust to death in a process called ferroptosis. The work has implications for understanding optimal management of iron levels in humans, particularly those who take iron supplements.
In this Q&A, Dr. Mahua Dey, an associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, explains how her lab uses surgically removed brain tumor samples to develop a personalized, genetically modified therapeutic vaccine for glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive type of malignant brain tumor. The vaccine will not prevent primary brain cancer but will hopefully provide a cure for patients who develop it.
An approach to prescribing opioids that pairs clinician education with patient-centered monitoring and feedback could help primary care doctors minimize prescribing opioid medications to manage patients’ chronic pain, according to a study led by Andrew Quanbeck, PhD, an associate professor of family medicine and community health. The study emphasizes a “de-implementation strategy,” which means doing less of something shown to be harmful or ineffective.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison and TAE Life Sciences, a biotechnology company specializing in targeted radiation therapy for cancer care, signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, announcing the intention to launch the first accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) center in the United States. BNCT selectively targets cancer cells to minimize impact on healthy surrounding cells.
An artificial intelligence-driven screening tool developed by a research team in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health successfully identified hospitalized adults at risk for opioid use disorder and recommended referral to inpatient addiction specialists. Patients identified for addiction medicine referrals by AI screening and who received consultations had 47% lower odds of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their initial discharge.
Diabetes is a growing epidemic in Wisconsin, and researchers in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health are working on new and improved treatments for the disease and its complications. They are also searching for what does not yet exist: a cure. Five researchers shared insights about their work and their vision for the future.
A therapy under development at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health to treat a common side effect of radiation therapy got a boost from the Food and Drug Administration. The novel cell therapy, designed to treat xerostomia, commonly called dry mouth, caused by radiation therapy, was granted Fast Track designation by the federal agency.
A new research center in the School of Medicine and Public Health will focus on understanding how metabolic changes associated with aging influence health and cause disease. The Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center is funded by the National Institute on Aging and will feature cross-campus collaboration on the biology of aging.
