Giving

"Programs and Partnerships to Promote Health Equity, Locally and Globally"

Laura D. Cassidy, MS, PhD

Professor & Director, Epidemiology

Director, PhD Program in Public & Community Health

Founding Director, MS Program in Global Health Equity

"Health equity is the absence of unfair and avoidable differences in health between subgroups of a population.”(WHO). Public health works at the local level, within cities and communities and neighborhoods, but also on national and international scales. Global public health requires collaboration and cooperation between government agencies, NGOs, private healthcare systems, universities, research centers and diverse cultures. This lecture will discuss the efforts to improve health equity in Wisconsin and also in low-to-middle income countries.

Thursday, April 23, 2020
GE Healthcare | 9900 W. Innovation Dr., Wauwatosa
3:00-4:30 pm
Presentation at 3:00 pm, reception with GE Women's Network to follow.
Photo ID required

Register Today

"Research Collaboration, Serendipity, and Following the Yellow Brick Road"

Presented by:

Melinda Dwinell, PhD
Professor

Department of Physiology, Genetics
Medical College of Wisconsin

Mary Shimoyama, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University

In every job and position, opportunities can arise at any time.  Identifying opportunities in science that can lead to the next project or open the next door can be challenging.  Drs. Dwinell and Shimoyama will discuss how their career paths crossed and developed into collaborative projects, eventually pushed outside of their comfort zone to develop a coordination center and data “toolkit” for an NIH initiative focused on somatic cell genome editing.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Medical College of Wisconsin Alumni Center | 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Presentation begins at 3:30pm followed by networking and reception
Free guest parking

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"Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine"

Presented by:

Allison Ebert, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy
Medical College of Wisconsin

There are several different types of stem cells found within or made from the human body, and each type possesses unique characteristics that make them suited for particular purposes. Dr. Ebert will discuss foundational properties of stem cells and talk about how they can be used, or misused, to study human development or treat disease.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Wisconsin Club | 900 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
11:30 am-1:00 pm
Registration and social time begins at 11:30 am; luncheon and presentation from 12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Free valet parking

Register Today!

"The Spectrum of Typical Aging to Dementia: Current Knowledge and  Future Research Directions"

Presented by:

Laura Umfleet, PsyD
Assistant Professor

Department of Neurology - Division of Neuropsychology

Medical College of Wisconsin

There is nothing “normal” about aging. The transitional state between typical aging and dementia is called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 10 to 15% of patients with MCI convert to dementia each year. Early identification of dementia is key to informing interventional research to reduce morbidity and mortality. Many dementia biomarkers exist but much remains unknown. This talk will discuss typical and atypical aging, dementia biomarkers, treatments for dementia, and future research directions.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Wisconsin Club | 900 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
11:30 am-1:00 pm
Registration and social time begins at 11:30 am; luncheon and presentation from 12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Free valet parking

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At this luncheon, female physicians, scientists, medical students and graduate students will sit with Women in Science members and offer their personal perspectives on current medical research and life as a medical student.

The Women Pioneers in Research Award is an annual $10,000 grant presented to a female faculty member nominated by her peers and/or mentors for her outstanding, ongoing research. The award is funded from an endowment supported by Women in Science membership and sponsorship.

The Rising Pioneer Award is a $5,000 award presented to a female faculty member to support research. The award is funded from an endowment supported by Women in Science membership and sponsorship.

The Edward J. Lennon, MD Award for an Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher is a $1,000 scholarship presented to a fellow for continued research. This award is funded and presented by Women in Science Founder’s Circle member Jan Lennon, in memory of her late husband, Edward J. Lennon, MD, former dean and president of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Women in Science Student Awards are $500 awards presented to female students who have exemplified superior work in their area of study at the Medical College of Wisconsin. An award is given to one medical student, one graduate student and one pharmacy student.

Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of these outstanding women!

November 2020 - TBD

Medical College of Wisconsin | 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Wauwatosa

Alumni Center
11:30 am-1:30 pm
Registration and social time begins at 11:30 am; luncheon and presentation from 12:00 pm-1:30 pm.
*Optional tour of MCW at 1:30 pm

Free parking in visitor's lot

The Women Pioneer in Research Award is an annual $10,000 award presented to a female faculty member nominated by her peers and/or mentors for her outstanding, ongoing research. The 2019 Women Pioneer in Research Award recipient is Meetha Medhora, PhD.

Dr. Medora is a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. During her PhD studies in India, Dr. Medhora was one of the first scientists to clone a gene, constructing a library of DNA from a nitrogen fixing bacterium. At the Genetics Department at Washington University, St. Louis, she characterized and sequenced a transposable element, Mariner, which went on to become an important genetic tool. She was awarded the Merck Sharp and Dohme Young Investigator Award in 1991 by the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. At MCW she founded and directed the Viral Core Facility and collaborated with Dr. Elizabeth Jacobs to demonstrate protection of rodent lungs by eicosanoids. Her lab demonstrated that simultaneous activation of not only one, but at least two pathways by an eicosanoid was essential for protection of heart tissue in rodents and patients with cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Medhora has been active in her service to MCW including serving as Chair of the Research Affairs Committee and being a member of the BRC Advisory Committee. She recently served on the first Environmental Sustainability Committee at MCW, heading the Energy Subcommittee. Through her career, Dr. Medhora has enjoyed mentoring high school, undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows, residents and young faculty. In October, she was invited by the Global Initiative of Academic Network in India to teach an advanced course in radiation biology, demonstrating recognition as not only a national, but an international scholar.

Congratulations Dr. Medhora!

The Rising Pioneer Award  is a $5,000 annual award given to a Medical College of Wisconsin female, non-binary or gender-queer faculty member who is in the rising stage of their research trajectory. This award recognizes a qualified faculty member whose research is pioneering and is deemed likely to be highly influential for decades to come. 

The 2019 Rising Pioneer Award recipient is Anita D'Souza, MD. Dr. Battle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hematology and Oncology.  Dr. D’Souza is a translational and health outcomes researcher with a focus on plasma cell disorders and hematopoietic cell therapies. She is a Scientific Director in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, an NIH-funded program here at MCW. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology, International Society of Quality of Life Research and International Society of Amyloidosis. She has published over 90peer-reviewed publications, including many in high impact journals. She was awarded the 2019 Department of Medicine Daniel McCarty Award for Research Excellence

Beyond her research program and clinical practice, Dr. D’Souza enjoys teaching. She loves working on research projects with medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. Several of her trainees have achieved research awards, trainee grants, conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications through her mentorship. She is highly sought as a speaker nationally at Amyloidosis Support Groups and through the Amyloidosis Research Consortium to educate physicians, allied health providers, nurses, patients and caregivers in Amyloidosis. 

Congratulations Dr. D'Souza!

The Edward J. Lennon, MD Award for an Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher is a $1,000 scholarship presented to a fellow for continued research. This award is funded and presented by Women in Science Founder’s Circle member Jan Lennon, in memory of her late husband, Edward J. Lennon, MD, former dean and president of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr. Sadler is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, where she works under the direction of Dr. Cheryl Stuckey, where she is  studying how non-neuronal cells in the skin and muscle contribute to chronic pain. For these efforts, Kate was awarded a National Institute of Neurobiological Diseases and Stroke Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Congratulations Dr. Sadler!

Women in Science Student Awards are $500 awards presented to female students who have exemplified superior work in their area of study at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

2019 Medical Student Award Recipient -  Acacia Dishman

2019 Graduate Student Award Recipient - Rebekah Mokry

2019 MSA Student Award Recipient - Simmi Bharvani