| Vital Signs

At the Bench

committee members Tripti Singh, MD; Arjang Djamali, MD, MS; Marin Darsie, MD; and Sarah Hackenmueller, PhD

Dr. Arjang Djamali Leads Committee to Remove Race from Kidney Function Formula

10/15/2020

On October 1, 2020, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health removed race from a formula routinely used to assess kidney function.

With conversations about racism and equity circulating the country, Marin Darsie, MD, assistant professor, Emergency Medicine and Neurosurgery, was thinking about inequities...

Studies Investigate Need for and Impact of Culturally Aware Mentorship Training

10/15/2020

Higher education institutions frequently offer mentored research experiences to increase undergraduate student interest, motivation and preparedness for research careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematic and Medicine (STEMM) fields.

However, for participating students from historically underrepresented groups, unaddressed cultural factors may hinder engagement and result in a less effective mentoring relationship...

Experience at the Table: Department of Medicine Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force Members Share Previous Efforts

10/1/2020

“I completed the Health Equity Leadership Scholars program. I also have an ICTR grant to study the impact of incarceration on cancer outcomes in Wisconsin, present lectures around the health care of immigrants and refugees in Wisconsin and sit on the Graduate Medical Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee.” —Farah...

What we Published in September 2020

10/1/2020

1. Al-Adra DP, Hammel L, Roberts J, Woodle ES, Levine D, Mandelbrot D, Verna E, Locke J, D'Cunha J, Farr M, Sawinski D, Agarwal PK, Plichta J, Pruthi S, Farr D, Carvajal R, Walker J, Zwald F, Habermann T, Gertz M, Bierman P, Dizon DS, Langstraat C, Al-Qaoud T, Eggener...

Getting to Know You: Q&As from New Faculty and Chief Residents Joining the Department of Medicine in 2019-2020

10/1/2020

Vital Signs is featuring introductions to many of the new faculty members and chief residents who joined us in the 2019-2020 academic year. Each has been invited to provide some background about their primary professional focus in clinical, research, and/or medical education, what drew them to UW-Madison, their hopes and dreams for their...

Celebrating Women in Medicine Month

9/17/2020

Please join us in honoring the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine’s many accomplished women for Women in Medicine Month. Each year, the American Medical Association honors physicians who have offered their time, wisdom and support to advance women with careers in medicine. This year’s theme is “Advancing Equity, Creating...

‘I Joined Because…’: Department of Medicine Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force Members Share Their Stories (Part 2)

9/17/2020

“There have been many times where I've felt othered or have felt self-conscious when I may be the only person that looks or acts differently in the room. I've worked hard to ensure that new generations of scientists that come work for us never feel that way.” —Wajiha Akhtar, MPH...

At the Bench

Dr. Crnich Leads Study on Telehealth Improvements in Nursing Homes to Reduce COVID-19 Spread

9/17/2020

As COVID-19 first swept through the country, healthcare facilities were forced to limit people entering their doors. One of the hardest hit facilities, nursing homes, had to transition from in-person appointments to telemedicine in a matter of days to keep up with providing quality care to their residents. Christopher Crnich...

At the Bench

Dr. Rogus-Pulia Receives Prestigious Award from the National Institute on Aging

9/17/2020

Nicole Rogus-Pulia, PhD, CCC-SLP, assistant professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, Director-Swallowing and Salivary Bioscience Laboratory, received a Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award. Amy Kind, MD, PhD, associate professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, will serve as primary mentor on the project. With this 4 year award totaling $950,000, Dr. Rogus-Pulia...

Tools of the Trade

‘I Joined Because…’: Department of Medicine Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force Members Share Their Stories (Part 1)

9/3/2020

“As a Latina in medicine, I experienced ﬁrst-hand the unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups in medicine, from discrimination to lack of mentorship and role models." “I believe the power of the health care system can and should be used to reduce the impacts of structural racism in America.” “After...

At the Bench

Health Professionals Learn Empathy Through Improv

Medical professionals and UW students in health care disciplines learn improv techniques so they can tap creativity and spontaneity in stressful moments on the job. Photo Credit: Bryce Richter.

9/2/2020

While most people associate improvisation, or improv, with comedic acting, Amy Zelenski, PhD, assistant professor, General Internal Medicine, also associates improv with a way to teach health professionals how to relate to one another. The results from her work with medical students and health professionals on the effectiveness of improv...

At the Bench

What We Published in August 2020

9/2/2020

1. Anandan A, Sharifi M, O'Regan R. Molecular Assays to Determine Optimal Duration of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2020;21(10):84. 2. Aziz F, Mandelbrot D, Singh T, Parajuli S, Garg N, Mohamed M, Astor BC, Djamali A. Early Report on Published Outcomes in Kidney Transplant...

Tools of the Trade

Long-Time Residency Program Director Dr. Bennett Vogelman to Retire

Dr. Bennett Vogelman speaks at the 2015 internal medicine residency graduation ceremony.

8/19/2020

After 42 years in the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine, including 32 as director of the internal medicine residency program, Bennett Vogelman, MD, professor, Infectious Disease, and vice chair for education, will retire on August 31, 2020. Dr. Vogelman joined the department in 1978 as an intern, and completed...

Teaching the Next Generation

Shapiro Summer Research Program Flourishes During Pandemic

medical student and Shapiro Summer Research Program participant Antonio Medina Huerta’s at-home work space. (Photo by Antonio Medina Huerta)

8/19/2020

This summer, 39 UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) students were paired with 26 Department of Medicine faculty member mentors in the Shapiro Summer Research Program. The program is for SMPH medical students between their first and second year, and is eight to 10 weeks long. Research projects...

At the Bench

Research from Dr. Lamming Finds That Metabolic Health is Not Inextricably Linked to Lifespan

Dudley Lamming, PhD, associate professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, works in his lab

8/6/2020

New research from Dudley Lamming, PhD, associate professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, is one step closer to understanding the metabolism-regulating complex mTORC2, and the role it may have in regulating lifespan. The protein complex mTORC2 influences lifespan in yeast, worms, flies, and mice. In a 2014 study by Dr. Lamming...

At the Bench

Drs. Taylor and Misch Release a Case Report on Powassan Virus Likely Acquired Through Blood Transfusion

8/6/2020

A recent case report from Lindsay Taylor, MD, fellow, Infectious Disease, and E. Ann Misch, MD, assistant professor, Infectious Disease, discusses how a kidney transplant patient acquired Powassan virus through blood transfusion. The patient, from Indiana, presented with headache, fever, weakness, myalgias, diarrhea and progressive encephalitis 24 days after renal...

Teaching the Next Generation

In Memoriam: Former Residency Coordinator Suzy Griffiths

8/6/2020

With sadness, the Department of Medicine notes the July 26, 2020, passing of Suzy Griffiths, who had served as our internal medicine residency program coordinator from 1979 until her retirement in 2008. A mother figure to a generation of residents, Griffiths understood the challenges trainees face and always wanted to...