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At the Bench

senior author Amy Kind, MD, PhD, and lead author Ann Sheehy, MD, MS

Those Least Able to Pay May Be More Vulnerable to Costly Repeat Observation Stays

1/7/2021

People living in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to experience repeat observation stays at hospitals, which may lead to costly medical bills without a means to pay them, according to a recent study from UW-Madison researchers.

This research, which included lead author Ann Sheehy, MD, MS, associate professor...

What We Published in December 2020

1/7/2021

1. Badar T, Szabo A, Dinner S, Liedtke M, Burkart M, Shallis RM, Yurkiewicz IR, Kuo E, Khan MA, Balasubramanian S, Yang J, Hefazi M, Podoltsev N, Patel A, Curran E, Wang A, Arslan S, Aldoss I, Siebenaller C, Mattison RJ, Litzow MR, Wadleigh M, Advani AS, Atallah E. Sequencing...

Fellowship Match Day Brings in Some New, Some Familiar Faces

12/11/2020

This year’s Fellowship Match Day on December 3, 2020, was a success for many of the Department of Medicine residents seeking subspecialty fellowships, and for the department’s own fellowship programs.

Interim Internal Medicine Residency Program Director Jeremy Smith, MD, expressed his excitement and confidence for the residents in their...

Dr. Jennifer Weiss, Partners Offer Expertise to New Statewide Health Disparities Report

12/3/2020

Recognizing that where people live affects their health, Jennifer Weiss, MD, MS, associate professor, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and partners at the University of Wisconsin Health Innovation Program (HIP) have developed a more nuanced way to identify health disparities in Wisconsin’s rural and urban areas.

Their work is reflected in...

What We Published in November 2020

12/3/2020

1. Akuthota P, Busse WW. How Sex and Age of Asthma Onset Influence Difficult Asthma Heterogeneity. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(10):3407-3408.
2. Alzoubi B, Kharel A, Osman F, Aziz F, Garg N, Mohamed M, Djamali A, Mandelbrot DA, Parajuli S. Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Post-Transplant Erythrocytosis After...

Dr. Alan Bridges, winner of the VHA John D. Chase Award

Dr. Alan Bridges Wins Prestigious Veterans Health Administration Award

11/24/2020

Alan Bridges, MD, professor and interim division chief, Rheumatology, senior vice chair, Department of Medicine, and chief of staff at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, has won the prestigious Veterans Health Administration (VHA) John D. Chase Award for Executive Excellence in Health Care.

This award recognizes sustained...

Dr. Miriam Shelef: Banking on Patient Samples to Advance COVID-19 Research

11/20/2020

Last spring, when researchers began pivoting their studies to COVID-19 research, Miriam Shelef, MD, PhD, associate professor, Rheumatology, saw the need for a biological repository of blood samples from individuals who have recovered from the virus.

Dr. Shelef started sending emails to see if anyone at UW–Madison was banking...

At the Bench

Research with Dr. David Andes: New Effective and Safe Antifungal Isolated from Sea Squirt Microbiome

11/19/2020

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, including David Andes, MD, professor, Infectious Disease, have discovered a new antifungal compound found in the microbiome of a sea squirt from the Florida Keys. The antifungal, which the scientists named turbinmicin, efficiently targets multi-drug–resistant strains of deadly fungi without toxic side effects in...

At the Bench

Dr. Matthew Merrins: ‘Rewiring’ metabolism in insulin-producing cells may aid Type 2 diabetes treatment

11/16/2020

Matthew Merrins, PhD, assistant professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, recently led a study on insulin secretion that has changed previous thinking, and could open up doors for new research to be done on diabetes treatments. Dr. Merrins and his colleagues look at activating the enzyme, pyruvate kinase, as a way...

Tools of the Trade

Dr. Shenikqua Bouges Named a UW–Madison Outstanding Woman of Color

11/12/2020

As an accomplished clinical researcher who is committed to serving marginalized groups, Shenikqua Bouges, MD, assistant professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, was named one of this year’s UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color. Her generosity, passion for her work, and spirit of service have inspired those around her, and have not gone...

Tools of the Trade

Dr. Didier Mandelbrot Appointed Virginia Lee Cook Professor in Transplant Nephrology

11/12/2020

Jeff and Lynn Bakiares’ remarkable relationship with Didier Mandelbrot, MD, professor, Nephrology—and their overwhelmingly positive experiences with the UW Health kidney transplant program overall—has resulted in the creation of a new endowed professorship. Thanks to a generous gift from Jeff and Lynn Bakiares through the Virginia Lee Cook Foundation, and...

At the Bench

What We Published in October 2020

11/12/2020

1. Abulizi A, Cardone RL, Stark R, Lewandowski SL, Zhao X, Hillion J, Ma L, Sehgal R, Alves TC, Thomas C, Kung C, Wang B, Siebel S, Andrews ZB, Mason GF, Rinehart J, Merrins MJ, Kibbey RG. Multi-Tissue Acceleration of the Mitochondrial Phosphoenolpyruvate Cycle Improves Whole-Body Metabolic Health. Cell Metab...

At the Bench

Dr. Shivani Garg: Black Patients with Lupus Have Three Times Higher Risk of Stroke, 24 Times Higher Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease

11/10/2020

Shivani Garg, MD, MS, assistant professor, Rheumatology, was the lead author on a study that found Black patients with lupus in the U.S. have a three times higher risk of stroke and a 24-fold higher risk for ischemic heart disease. The researchers also identified risk factors that were predictive of...

At the Bench

Tracking virus mutations reveals success of stay-at-home orders

11/6/2020

By tracking COVID-19 virus mutation, a study published in Nature Communications that includes co-authors Nasia Safdar, MD, PhD, and Caitlin Pepperell, MD, FRCPC, shows the success that stay-at-home orders had in preventing the spread of the virus. According to an analysis of the genome sequences of virus samples collected from...

Teaching the Next Generation

Pathways to Medicine and Mentorship: Dr. Bret Benally Thompson

10/28/2020

For Bret Benally Thompson, MD, clinical assistant professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, medicine was a career he dreamed of as a boy—and ultimately attained in midlife. A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Benally Thompson grew up off the reservation but was immersed in the cultures...

Tools of the Trade

Drs. Ann Sheehy and Amanda Parkes Receive UW Health Physician Excellence Awards

10/28/2020

UW Health recently recognized physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) who have demonstrated exceptional performance in clinical practice, education or regional services and displayed a commitment to the UW Health mission, vision and values. A number of physicians and APPs from the Department of Medicine were nominated, with two award...

Tools of the Trade

Dr. Mariah Quinn Selected as UW Health’s Chief Wellness Officer

10/28/2020

Mariah Quinn, MD, MPH, associate professor, General Internal Medicine, has been selected as UW Health’s first Chief Wellness Officer. Dr. Quinn will be responsible for leading the vision and strategic direction for provider well-being across the health system, including the measurement of burnout and professional fulfillment of providers and the...