People with Down syndrome have an increased risk of certain cancers, congenital heart defects, autoimmune diseases, and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. What do all of these conditions have in common? They all involve irregularities …
Research
Wisconsin Surgery Research Roundup: August 2025
Wisconsin Department of Surgery members engage in remarkable research that yields many impactful publications every month. We’re highlighting several of these publications monthly to showcase the diversity of research in the department; see selections from …
Dr. Joshua Mezrich Awarded Grant to Study Dietary Intervention to Improve the Quality of Donated Organs
When a potential organ donor is declared brain dead, the care of the donor is medically managed to ensure their organs remain healthy and available for donation. Division of Transplantation Professor Joshua Mezrich, MD believes …
Surgery and WCER Researchers Team Up to Improve Surgical Informed Consent for Vulnerable Populations
Despite giving their consent to surgery, many patients report feeling like they had no choice about whether to pursue surgery. They also often report feeling blindsided by the treatment and recovery process, and its impact …
Wisconsin Surgery Research Roundup: July 2025
Wisconsin Department of Surgery members engage in remarkable research that yields many impactful publications every month. We’re highlighting several of these publications monthly to showcase the diversity of research in the department; see selections from …
UW Surgery Scientist Awarded Two Grants to Extend Parkinson’s Disease Research
Department of Surgery Senior Scientist Cynthia Kelm-Nelson, PhD was recently awarded two grants that will further her research into Parkinson’s disease, a brain-based disorder that is most commonly associated with movement-related symptoms such as tremors …
The Brown Lab Article Published in Nature Communications
The Brown Lab, led by Matthew E. Brown, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Transplantation, recently published an article describing its new approach to “hypoimmune” gene editing of pluripotent stem cell (PSC) therapies. The …
Dr. Nabeel Zafar Awarded Grant to Develop and Test AI-Assisted Nurse Navigation Program for Pancreatic Cancer
Cancer of the pancreas has one of the lowest survival rates, and delays in care only worsen a patient’s chance of survival. Unfortunately, treatment delays are more likely to affect certain groups of patients, including …
Dr. David Al-Adra Awarded Collaborative Scientist Grant from American Society of Transplant Surgeons
For patients with end-stage organ disease, an organ transplant is often the best treatment. However, transplant patients have to take powerful medications to prevent their immune system from rejecting a donor organ, and these medications …
Dr. Carrie Thiessen Receives ASTS Health Policy Fellowship
Dr. Carrie Thiessen, assistant professor in the Division of Transplantation, was recently named a recipient of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) Health Policy Fellowship. During this fellowship, Dr. Thiessen will develop essential skills, …