Medical College of Wisconsin Global Health Efforts in North America
Promote Educational Rehabilitation Services
Dr. Nelson serves on the board of directors of the International Rehabilitation Forum (IRF) as program director. She and her team have just recently formed a partnership with CANOSC (Canadian Advances in Neuro-Orthopedics for Spasticity Congress) to further promote educational in rehabilitation and access to rehabilitation services on a global scale.
Pulmonary Hypertension in Children
Dr. Jeannette Vasquez Vivar collaborates on a two year study investigating Pulmonary Hypertension in children at the SickKids Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Samples are sent via mail to MCW to be analyzed.
International Joint Commission: Health Professionals Advisory Board
Dr. Foldy is the US Co-Chair of the Health Professionals Advisory board that assists the International Joint Commission (IJC) by providing advice on clinical and public health issues related to the transboundary environment. It is also responsible for recommending ways to communicate about these issues with the public and stakeholder groups. The IJC was formed by the Boundary Waters Treaty which was signed by Canada and the United States in 1909. It regulates shared water uses and investigates transboundary issues related to shared watersheds (rivers and lakes, including the Great Lakes). As water quality is increasingly implicated in human health, it recommends solutions to governments.
Calitxo Garcia Hospital and Cuban Surgical Society
Drs. Lenz, Engel, Collela, Long, Sonnenberg, and Zosel have collaboration in Cuba to advance pre-hospital transport and emergency medical services with the MCW Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Critical Medicine.
US-Cuban Healthcare Collaboration
Dr. de Moya focuses on the development of trauma and acute care surgical services and education in Cuba.
Burden of Surgical Disease
Dr. Dodgion collaborates with local partners to foster research skill development and evaluate the burden and geographic distribution of surgical disease at the St. Boniface Hospital on the southern peninsula of Haiti.
M4 Elective in Haiti
Dr. Wolf leads this M4 elective focused on primary care services at a rural low-resource primary care clinic in a small mountain community outside of Jérémie. Founded in 2007, Friends for Health provides medical out-patient services and public health outreach around nutrition and sanitation.
Ophthalmology Care & Training
Dr. Wilkes is part of a team with the CRUDEM Foundation that provides local patient care in Ophthalmology as well as education and training in Ophthalmology for Haitian physicians & US Ophthalmology residents Hôpital Sacré Cœur in Milot, Haiti.
International Radiology Residents Visiting Observership Program in Diagnostic Radiology
Dr. Quiroz's program is intended to provide exposure for international medical graduates on how a modern academic department of radiology operates in the United States and to provide the candidates a focused experience in several specialized areas of radiology (i.e. Body Imaging, MSK Radiology, Neuroradiology, Breast Imaging, Chest Radiology, Interventional Radiology and 3D Lab) that will allow them to utilize the knowledge in their countries of origin upon their return. Residents spend 8 weeks observing and discussing techniques and cases of multiple subspecialties of the Department of Radiology. Visiting residents are from the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition \""Salvador Zubiran\"", affiliated with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one of the National Institutes of Health in Mexico.
Outreach Clinics - Gait and Human Motion Analysis (Mexico City, Mexico)
Dr. Harris is the faculty lead for this activity which to date, that has set up 3 outreach labs that are being actively maintained to: a) support better orthopaedic and rehabilitative care of children with orthopaedic disabilities and b) to provide support for collaborative clinical research. Labs have been established at the Club Noel Children's Hospital in Cali, Colombia, Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila, and Shriners Hospital for Children in Mexico City. Each lab has a 3D motion analysis system that has been designed and validated for assessment of lower extremity kinematics during gait. This data is used for surgical and rehabilitative planning and follow up. Support for the labs is provided by the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Engineering Center (OREC) which is part of the new Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (MU/MCW) and a long standing collaboration with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at MCW.
Observership in Pediatric Gastroenterology
Dr. Martinez partners with UMAE Hospital de Pediatria CNM SXXI in Mexico City annually to host two doctors for month-long observerships in pediatric gastroenterology.
Exchanges of Radiology Professors
Dr. Tutton is part of the committee of the World Congress of Interventional Oncology (WCIO), where his duties include helping coordinate educational efforts globally, with a focus on South and Latin America.
Risk of preterm birth in black women
Dr. Dittel recently received a pilot grant from the CTSI to study “Factors influencing the relationship between maternal weight and perinatal inflammation in Black women at risk of preterm birth”. This topic is of importance because preterm birth in Black women in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is high compared to other ethnic groups and the reasons why are not well understood which is a health inequity. Dr. Dittel is also mentoring Dr. Kaboni Gondwe an Assistant Professor at UW-Milwaukee in the Department of Nursing.
United Community Center Providing Care in Milwaukee
Dr. Piero Antuono has collaborated with the United Community Center to address the clinical needs of the Milwaukee’s elderly Hispanic population. Initially began with research funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundations. This clinic is now free-standing, accessible and providing care to all Hispanics in the region.
Meta-Analysis on LVO
Dr. Marek Cierny is in collaboration with meta-analysis comparing tenecteplase and alteplase in persons suffering stroke with large vessel occlusion.
Indian Health Service
Dr. Wilson collaborating in Pine Ridge, SD.
Teledermatology and Telepathology
Dr. Wanat is collaborating with her team and the community health center to promote health education by using teledermatology and telepathology to access care.
Promoting Child Health
Dr. Humphrey and Dr. Vaughn are promoting child health by volunteering for AccessDerm, a store-and-forward technology platform through the American Academy of Dermatology.
Refugee patients
Drs. Bernstein, Johnston, Mesenbrink, Sabatino, and Strauss provide clinical care for refugee patients newly resettled in the USA from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Perry Initiative for Women Athletes
Dr. Vetter has a Perry Initiative for women athletes here in the US. The Perry Initiative are hosted by medical schools and connect medical students to orthopaedic surgeon mentors. Participants perform mock surgeries and conduct biomechanical engineering experiences.
Signaling of a scavenger receptor CD36 in macrophages
Dr. Chen studies signaling of a scavenger receptor CD36 in macrophages, which contributes to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis eventually leads to heart attacks and strokes that are the major cause of death worldwide.
Diabetes research
Dr. Corbett addresses the global health burden of diabetes through research.
Research on Bacterial Pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Dr. Gantner does basic research on bacterial pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome to identify and test pharmacologic targets with the goal of improving patient outcomes overall and reducing the need for intensive care, the provision of which is associated with health disparities globally and in the United States.
Interpreting Genomics Data
Dr. Michael Zimmerman and Dr. Urrutia work together for interpreting genomics data. Their findings can benefit people from around the world. They are working diligently to scale their approaches to go beyond individual cases and small cohorts, to address global diversity and population-scale research. They are currently collaborating with national and international experts in rare diseases, testing the clinical benefits of their methods for enhanced interpretation of genomics findings.
Partnering with the International Learning Center of Neighborhood
Dr. Caitlin Kaeppler partnered with the International Learning Center of Neighborhood to bring awareness of the benefit to primary care with arrivals and trains the next generation of physicians to serve a local, diverse, and globally represented patient population through refugee health curriculum.
Global Child Health
Dr. Megan Schultz advocates to decrease childhood gun violence, Director of Global Child Health, Co-Director of the Global Health Pathway for Medical Students at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Teaching the Next Generation to Respond to Racism
Dr. DeMarco Bowen is teaching Residents to Respond to Racist Microaggressions via simulation.
Weightbearing Computed Tomography
Dr. Karen Kruger is leading an international task force to develop measurement for reporting foot and ankle measurements using weightbearing computed tomography. This is new technology that doesn’t have current standards and the goals are to set the standards and to enable international clinical collaborations.
Guidelines for International Spine disorders
Dr. Jamie Baisden works with the National American Spine Association (NASS) on the development of national and international guidelines for multiple spinal disorders, spine policy, and insurance coverage recommendations from evidence-based medicine on multiple spinal disorders.
International TBI Research Initiative
Dr. Lindsay Nelson is on the board of the Executive Committee of the International TBI Research Initiative that is partnering with the European multicenter CENTER-TBI study.
Board of American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress Neurological Surgeons
Dr. Christopher Wolfa is on the board for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/ Congress Neurological Surgeons (AANS/CNS) Joint Spine Section which has an international membership.
Review International Applications for Studies
Dr. Karin Swartz’s primary role at American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is to review international neurosurgeon’s applications for sponsored USA studies, granting the funds to do so, and performing international outreach in neurosurgery.
Education/Training
Dr. Ebert does basic science research in pediatric and age-related diseases.
Control of Diabetic Vascular Endothelial Function by Mitochondrial Fission Proteins
Dr. Hill works with drug discovery on mitochondrial fission proteins as potential therapeutics for vascular problems associated with diabetes.
Fis1 Regulation of Mitochondrial Fission
Dr. Hill does basic research on the molecular basis of mitochondrial quality control which, when impaired, causes severe neurological and cardiac diseases.
Research Internship for a Foreign Medical Student
Dr. Hill has hosted a medical student from Karachi, Pakistan for a research internship in his laboratory.
Animal Models of Cerebral Palsy
Dr. Jeannette Vasquez Vivar is involved in a five-year Cerebral Palsy study with sample exchange and animal model development. Her project includes collaborations in Chicago, Spain, and Canada.
Interactions of Leptospira Interrogans with Human Cells
Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonotic infection, and causes not only human disease but also livestock disease and gestational loss, resulting in significant economic as well as health burdens. Dr. Coburn's work focuses on identifying bacterial and human proteins that are involved in host-pathogen interactions, particularly those responsible for the disruption to endothelia seen in disease and in vitro. They have also identified a non-antibiotic drug currently approved for use in humans that slows this disruption, and are collaborating with other investigators to determine whether it has protective benefits in animal models of infection. While leptospirosis is uncommon in the continental US, it is a significant illness in agricultural and urban slum areas in the developing world, particularly where water sources are contaminated by animal urine.
AANS/CNS Joint Spine Section
Dr. Wolfla is on the Board of Directors for the AANS/CNS Joint Spine Section which has an international membership.
Neurodegenerative Diseases Research
Dr. Scaglione studies protein aggregation.
International Society of Bayesian Analysis 2016 World Meeting
Dr. Laud participated in the World Meeting of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis by serving on its Scientific Program Committee. He organized a special topics session and presented.
Spine Guidelines and Insurance coverage of various spinal procedures through NASS
Dr. Baisden works with the North American Spine Society (NASS) on the development of national guideline for multiple spinal disorders, spine policy, and insurance coverage recommendations from evidence based medicine on multiple spinal disorders.
Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
Dr. Horowitz is the Chief Scientific Director of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, a combined research program of the National Marrow Donor Program and the Medical College of Wisconsin. The main goal is to collaborate with the global scientific community in order to advance hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy research throughout the world. The vast array of research is accomplished through scientific and statistical expertise, a large network of transplant centers and a clinical database of over 350,000 transplant recipients from all over the world. In addition, the CIBMTR collects and maintains outcomes data and provides education, guidelines and training. For more information, visit the CIBMTR website.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) International Committee
Dr. Swartz's primary role at AANS is to review international neurosurgeons' applications for sponsored USA studies, granting the funds to do so, and performing international outreach in Neurosurgery.
Dementia Care in the Hispanic Population
Dr. Antuono has collaborated with the United Community Center to address the clinical needs of Milwaukee’s elderly Hispanic population. Initially begun with research funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundations, this clinic is now free-standing, accessible and providing care to all Hispanics in the region.
International Adoption Clinic
Dr. Wilson is part of the International Adoption Clinic in Brookfield, WI. This multi-disciplinary clinic provides specialized care to children adopted internationally. She provides pre-adoption education to families regarding the potential social-emotional impact of institutional care and early adversity as well as consultation and long-term support for families parenting children who were adopted internationally. Children are seen by medical/mental health providers on Fridays shortly following their immigration to the US for purposes of adoption. Dr. Wilson follows families as needed to support their adjustment, positive post-adoption developmental attainment, and optimal social-emotional functioning.
Research and Education
Dr. Vaughn's research involves understanding the cellular mechanisms that regulate gene expression. This basic research broadly applies to a variety of diseases in which aberrant expression is observed. The educational emphasis is in the training of medical and graduate students which come from a number of different countries where health disparities are significant. He has also had the opportunity to teach high school chemistry at an educational facility in Sierra Leone for purposes of encouraging students and parents to seek appropriate health care.
Improving Health in Children
Dr. Kansra leads healthy lifestyle classes at Milwaukee's COA Glodin Center.
Neuropsychology Practice/TBI Research
Dr. Nelson conducts research on traumatic brain injury in humans and practices adult clinical neuropsychology.
MCW Office of Global Health
Dr. Hargarten serves as the Associate Dean for Global Health at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is working to establish a sustainable platform of global health partnerships to support the education, research, clinical, public and community health training and international collaborative activities of our faculty and trainees. He is also the Director of the Global Health Pathway and overseas the curriculum and scholarly projects of medical students who declare this medical school foci. Dr. Hargarten was recently inducted into the Institute of Medicine and serves on their Global Health Board.
Hosting International Postdocs and Research Fellows in Medical Physics
Dr. Li mentors international visitors from China, Spain, and Mexico to conduct research in medical physics at MCW.
International Cancer Expert Corps Early Career Leaders Working Group co-chair
Dr. Longo is the co-chair of the Early Career Leaders Working Group for the International Cancer Expert Corps (ICEC). The goal of ICEC is to reduce mortality and improve the quality of life for people with cancer in low- and middle-income countries, as well as the indigenous and geographically underserved populations in upper-income countries and regions worldwide. The ICEC addresses this mission through a mentoring network of cancer professionals who work with local and regional in-country groups to develop and sustain expertise for better cancer care. The ICEC envisions a world in which everyone has access to interventions to prevent and treat cancer and its symptoms using high-quality best practices for the local circumstances. Addressing, realizing and sustaining this vision can benefit people everywhere because of the scientific, societal, humanitarian and diplomatic consequences of ICEC activities. ICEC has established an Early Career Leaders Working Group that is organized by and comprised of a group of young people in oncology focusing on cancer care for the underserved. The ICEC Early Career Leaders Working Group operates within the ICEC Experts Committee. They welcome participation from trainees and early career faculty (somewhat loosely defined) as the greater the size of the critical mass the better. ICEC is seeking financial support for programs and operations, and to having cancer control be a challenging new opportunity to make a substantial impact on overall global health and also to provide a rewarding career and life path.
American Brachytherapy Society International Committee Member
Dr. Longo is a committee member for the American Brachytherapy Society International (ABS). This committee's mission is to enhance and facilitate international learning experiences and respond to international needs. The committee helps to organize ABS educational outreach opportunities with international colleagues, including identification of expert speakers for local and international meetings as well as for single institutions. The committee would also like to enhance resident and fellow education by providing an inventory of international brachytherapy rotations. There is also hope to have virtual meetings, webinars, and links to other brachytherapy learning activities on the ABS website.
American Brachytherapy Society International Committee Chair
Dr. Erickson is the Chair of the International Committee of the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS). This committee's mission is to enhance and facilitate international learning experiences and respond to international needs. The committee helps to organize ABS educational outreach opportunities with international colleagues, including identification of expert speakers for local and international meetings as well as for single institutions. The committee would also like to enhance resident and fellow education by providing an inventory of international brachytherapy rotations. There is also hope to have virtual meetings, webinars, and links to other brachytherapy learning activities on the ABS website.
American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) International Representative
Dr. Lawton is an International Representative for the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). She represents ASTRO on a global stage in prostate cancer research and treatment.
MCW Medical Student Global Pathway Mentor
Dr. Long mentors a second-year medical student in scholarly activities and research related to global health.
Improving Eye Health Among Latinos
Dr. Kim and her team has established a telemedicine eye screening for retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at the United Community Center in Southside Milwaukee. They have been training college students and community people to be able to perform these screenings using a retinal camera and they have been hugely successful. It is an ongoing project in an effort to catch blinding eye disease early in this high risk population. They have been awarded an Advancing Healthy Wisconsin grant for a systems change with this project. There are many interesting and exciting facets to this project that benefits the health of our Latino population that is at high risk for diabetes and other chronic disease. They welcome those with enthusiasm, responsibility, and ideas to join their efforts at better health and eye care for the community here and beyond with the use of telemedicine.
STEM Project
Dr. Kim and her team have a science education project with the middle school students to engage them into science early in their schooling in hopes of serving as a pipeline for STEM. MCW medical students can get involved with the telemedicine aspect and the pipeline aspects of their project as well as community education on diabetes. Those interested in health policy, community engaged research, or cost of health care may also be interested in this project.
Global Health Advisory Council Member and Student Mentor
Dr. Bosnjak contributes to the value of Global Health at MCW by being an active member of the MCW Global Health Advisory Council which makes strides to strengthen both the Program and Pathway. He also mentors students in the Global Pathway and those spending the summer in Croatia as part of their participation in the Dr. Elaine Kohler Summer Academy of Global Health Research.
International Surgical Trips with LEAP and Operation Smile
Dr. Campise-Luther is part of a team of physicians providing free surgical services to children with facial abnormalities through LEAP Global Missions. LEAP develops long-term relationships with its patients, their communities, and the other partners involved in their international surgical trips. Dr. Campise-Luther has provided anesthesia service for ENT, Plastic, and Urology procedures in Haiti and Belize. She has provided similar care and trained local residents in anesthesia in Kenya and India through the program Operation Smile.
Surgicorps International
Dr. Argenta participates in international surgical trips coordinated by Surgicorps International. These surgical trips vary by country but focus on cleft, burn, and hand surgery. Some trips have a vision/eye care component. Teams are composed of anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, occupational therapists, pediatricians, peri-operative medicine specialists etc. Students are welcome. Dr. Argenta has traveled to Bhutan, Guatemala, Zambia, and Vietnam with Surgicorps.
Surgical Service in the Developing World
Dr. Kampalath has participated in 25 international surgical trips since 2004 with LEAP, Connect Med International and Resurge International to India, Laos, Haiti, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Vietnam.
Indigenous Health International-MCW Institutional Agreement
Dr. Leonard Egede is the faculty lead for the institutional agreement between MCW and Indigenous Health International. Signed in 2017, this agreement lays the groundwork to stimulate scientific cooperation and strengthen research, teaching and patient care, broaden international experiences, and promote cross-cultural knowledge.
Prevention of Liver Cancer Health Disparities in Hmong Refugees
Dr. Lor is a committee member with the Southeast Asian Educational Development. Liver cancer disproportionately affects the Hmong community. The committee is working on developing a curriculum for the Hmong refugee community on prevention of liver cancer.