Photo caption: During a clinical simulation with actors or medical mannequins as patients, fourth-year medical students gain hands-on skills in common procedures used during the first year of residency. Their work is coached by residents who participated in a resident-as-educator curriculum and overseen by faculty in a control room who...
Read more
Springtime is often annual conference season for medical professional societies. Over the past several weeks, members and trainees in the department have been traveling to share the results of their scholarly work with others in their disciplines. Two such meetings included the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) conference on April...
Read more
Oncologists want to spread a clear and simple message about colon cancer: screening saves lives.
On March 20, 2018, Dustin Deming, MD, assistant professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, participated in a radio media tour talking about the signs of colon cancer and urging people to get screened....
Read more
An annual two-day educational gathering about Alzheimer's disease in honor of African American History Month was held on February 16-17, 2018.
The Solomon Carter Fuller Memory Screening event, which is supported by the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and the Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin, included continuing education...
Read more
The influenza season of 2017-18 may be winding down, but it hit many people hard. During what has ended up as a relatively severe outbreak this winter, many patients sought advice about the difference between dealing with a bad cold versus influenza.
Nasia Safdar, MD, PhD, associate professor, Infectious Disease,...
Read more
The only clinic in Wisconsin dedicated to the treatment of lupus officially opened on February 12, 2018. The UW Health clinic is directed by Shivani Garg, MD, assistant professor (CHS), Rheumatology, who was quoted in media coverage about the opening.
Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus), a chronic autoimmune disease, often...
Read more
Patients who are living with advanced chronic kidney disease and severe aortic stenosis face a challenging scenario: how can valve disease be managed in a manner that will not further exacerbate their renal condition?
To answer this question, Nilay Kumar, MD (pictured at upper right), clinical assistant professor, Hospital Medicine,...
Read more
Lurking in the bodies of about 90 percent of all adults is BK polyomavirus. Named for the initials of the kidney transplant patient (“B.K.”) from which the virus was isolated in 1971, BK polyomavirus is widespread and rarely causes disease. In most people, asymptomatic infection during childhood is followed by...
Twenty faculty members in the Department of Medicine have been named to the Top Doctors in Madison list for 2018-19. The list is produced every other year by Madison Magazine , which surveys Dane County medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine for recommendations of which physicians they would see...
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) involves using a special pacemaker to regulate the rhythm of both lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart in people with heart failure whose left and right ventricles are not pumping in sync. While CRT can be helpful, about 30 percent of patients who meet the criteria...
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid and irregular beating of the upper two cavities of the heart (the atria). AF often occurs in individuals with high blood pressure. It is the most common serious cardiac rhythm disorder and significantly increases a person’s risk for heart...
The American Heart Association released new guidelines for diagnosing and managing high blood pressure in November, 2017, and many people are confused about what the new guidelines mean for their health. The new guidelines shift the definition of hypertension to blood pressure greater than 130 over 80 mmHg for adults,...
If healthcare providers could wave a magic wand and cast a spell banishing the impact of stress on their patient populations, it would have a tremendous impact on primary care. “It’s estimated that around 80 to 90 percent of primary care visits have something to do with stress, either directly...
The Linda Banov and Howard Stern DREAMS Fund: Inspiring the Next Generation of Dysphagia Researchers
A friendship forged decades ago that was based on entrepreneurialism and philanthropy is continuing to support research on dysphagia—the medical term for swallowing difficulties and disorders that plagues 1 in 25 adults in the United States and is correlated with advanced age and many neurological disorders. Dysphagia research has been...
Nationally, living donors make 4.5 percent of all liver transplants and 29.3 percent of all kidney transplants possible. At UW Health, however, living donors are responsible for 7.2 percent of all liver transplants and 34.5 percent of all kidney transplants - a testament to both altruism and dedication of donors,...
In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 7 out of every 10 American smokers reported that they wanted to quit completely. A new study led by investigators at the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (CTRI) is trying to find the most effective smoking...
Many breast cancer patients at the UW Carbone Cancer Center know that one of the best medical oncologists around is Ruth O’Regan, MD , professor and head, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care. This past January, patients in China learned the same thing. Dr. O’Regan, the associate director of clinical...