Addressing Postpartum Depression in Wisconsin Home Visiting Programs
Project Leaders: Roseanne Clark, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health; and Katherine Vaughn-Jehring, Outreach Specialist, Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health
Duration: Three years
Ten to 15% of all women suffer from postpartum depression following childbirth. Rates are as high as 58% for women living in poverty and many with this debilitating condition find it too difficult to care for their newborns. These children are thus at high risk for developmental delays, and emotional and behavioral disturbances. However, if women receive the mental health support they need, negative outcomes for the woman, her infant and family can be prevented. This project will expand the capacity of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Home Visiting programs in Wisconsin to address the mental health needs of low income women by integrating screening and an evidence-based group intervention found to significantly reduce depressive symptoms and improve mother-infant relationships.
AHEC / PCC Community Engagement Projects
Project Leaders: Keri S. Robbins, Communications Manager Wisconsin AHEC, School of Medicine and Public Health; and Dr. David M. Deci, Associate Professor and Director, Office of Medical Student Education, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health,
Duration: Three years
This project will allow 150 third-year students each year in the School of Medicine and Public Health to transfer knowledge and expertise through community-based public health projects as part of the students required clinical placements in the communities each year. Project sites are selected that serve rural and other medically underserved populations via partnerships with Area Health Education Centers in Cashton, Wausau, Manitowoc, Marinette and Milwaukee
Bringing the Universe to Wisconsin
Project Leader: Laurel Norris Bacque, Communications Manager Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, Graduate School
Duration: Two years
This statewide outreach program of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center will partner with all University of Wisconsin System two- and four-year college communities to provide public and an educational programs about the practical applications of this research to Wisconsin citizens. Each visit will include one interactive event on campus and at least one event at a local school, civic club, economic development group, or public venue tailored to meet the needs of local partners.
Complementary and Alternative Interventions for Veterans with PTSD
Project Leaders: Richard J. Davidson, Professor, Waisman Center and Psychology, College of Letters and Science; and Jack Nitschke, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health
Duration: Three years
Only 50% of veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) improve with conventional medical treatment programs. Working with VA hospitals and community veterans organizations, this project will further test and disseminate two promising complementary and alternative treatments for PTSD (particular types of yoga and meditation) that help decrease anxiety and increase well-being in returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The aim of this proposal is to create a toolkit to help clinicians match their veteran patients to appropriate treatments.
Engineering Exposition Low-Income Schools Outreach Initiative
Project Leaders: Hope Marshall, Engineering Expo Executive Co-Chair, Biomedical Engineering; and Taylor Jaraczewski, Engineering Expo Executive Co-Chair, Biomedical Engineering
Duration: One year
This project engages the student Engineering Expo committee and various other student organizations in the College of Engineering to promote math, science, engineering and robotics with state elementary, middle school, and high school students. Engineering Expo provides a unique opportunity to expose young students to the world of engineering through viewing numerous exhibits and participating in various competitions, including the Robotics Challenge. This outreach effort aims to reach out to low-income schools and provide the opportunity for these students to attend Engineering Expo and learn about robotics through teamwork activities. The overall goal of this program is to expose students and community members to engineering, increasing their understanding and enthusiasm for technology, and encourage them to appreciate and pursue engineering, math and science learning.
Immigrant Justice Clinic
Project Leaders: Kathryn S. Finley, President of LLSA, UW Law Student, UW Law School; and David Williams, Advocacy Committee Chair of LLSA, UW Law Student, UW Law School
Duration: Three years
The Latino Law Student Association of the University of Wisconsin Law School is establishing an Immigrant Justice Clinic in cooperation with the Community Immigration Law Center, the National Immigrant Justice Center, Centro Hispano, the Latino Support Network, and Voces de la Frontera. This clinic will provide direct experience to students by representing noncitizens in detention and deportation proceedings. Neither of the state’s law schools currently have legal clinics in this area.
Med Wise: Improving Older Adults’ Medication Use
Project Leaders: Betty Chewning, Professor & Director of Sonderegger Research Center, Social Science Div., School of Pharmacy; and Beth Martin, Assistant Professor, Pharmacy/Pharmacy Practice Div., School of Pharmacy
Duration: Two years
The health and economic toll of medication errors by older adults is well-documented with adverse drug events (ADEs) being a major cause of falls, morbidity, hospitalization and death. This toll will increase in Wisconsin as the population ages significantly in the next 10 years, particularly in rural counties. Poor communication and medication coordination problems associated with having multiple prescribers further increase the likelihood of ADEs. This proposal builds on the Chronic Care Model in which older adults themselves can be the key to successfully addressing this serious public health concern. This project, a partnership with the School of Pharmacy, the Community-Academic Research Network and statewide Aging and Disability Resource Centers, will fully implement a Med Wise educational program in at least eight state counties to train 24 individuals to provide ongoing training to improve older adults’ management of their medications and communication with pharmacists and thus reduce medication errors.
Model UN Experience for Students
Project Leader: John Coleman, Chair and Professor, Political Science
Duration: One year
This project, funded mid-grant cycle through the Provost’s discretion, supported students from the UW-Madison Model United Nations chapter to travel to Russia to provide training for students their to set up a similar Model UN chapter. The Model United Nations effort engages more than 70 UW students each year to attend multiple world-renowned conferences throughout the year and to develop skills to be future global leaders.
Performing Ourselves: Experiential Movement & Performance for Local Underserved Youth
Project Leaders: Kate Corby, Assistant Professor, Dance, School of Education; and Mariah Meyer LeFeber, Associate Lecturer, Dance, School of Education
Duration: Three years
In collaboration with Girls Incorporated at the Madison YWCA, this project will bring a series of movement classes and performance opportunities to local underserved youth. Girls Inc. in Madison serves more than 175 girls age 9-18 annually, 98% of whom are children of color and 99% of them qualify for free lunch in the Madison Metropolitan School District. In addition to augmenting Girls Inc.’s current academic and life skills after-school programming, Performing Ourselves will expose approximately 100 participants annually to the fine art of dance and performance, exploring identities, encouraging positive self-concept and engaging them as co-creators in the development of original pieces of dance theater. The project will foster positive body image, confidence and overall mental and physical health and builds upon a successful pilot program carried out by project leaders in 2011. The project will also provide two free performances annually by the youth participants in collaboration with dance professional artists and undergraduate students.
Project Artful Healing and Health (Ahh!)
Project Leader: Sarah G. Petto, Artist-in-Residence, Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health
Duration: Two years
This project builds upon a successful arts-in-healthcare program that showed that while working with the artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, patients reported less pain, positive mood shift, and less focus on their diagnoses, and they described themselves as artists rather than patients. The Artful Healing and Health (Ahh!) project expands upon that by offering studio arts experiences to people who are transitioning into the next stage of recovery in their homes and communities. Besides engaging art faculty and students, the project will draw from an established network of art and community centers, practicing artists, UW faculty and staff, and healthcare professionals in the community. Several partners include