Current Research Projects

PI	Title
Dalessio, Donn	Cohort Registry of Type 1 Diabetes This observational study will firmly establish retinopathy incidence and change in urinary albumin excretion rate through the first 9 years of type 1 diabetes and their relationship to early risk factors.
Dempsey, Jerome	Intrathoracic Pressure Effects on Cardiovascular Function in Health and Congestive Heart Failure The proposed study is designed to quantify the effect and elucidate the mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular responses to changing intrathoracic pressure and respiratory muscle work at rest and during exercise in health and chronic heart failure using an awake, intact, chronically instrumented animal model.
	Cardiovascular Sequellae of Respiratory Muscle Work The major goal of this project is to determine the effects of respiratory muscle work/fatigue on sympathetic outflow and blood blow distribution during exercise in health and chronic heart failure and in an animal model.
Durkin, Maureen	WI Injury Surveillance and Policy Analysis Develop an Injury Surveillance System for the state of Wisconsin, comprised mainly of anonymous E-coded data from injury related hospital discharge and death data, over as many years as feasible, including all ages and all causes of injury.
Fryback, Dennis	Simulating Breast Cancer in Wisconsin (CISNET) The major goals of this grant are to simulate the biologic incidence, detection, treatment, and outcomes of breast cancer among the women of Wisconsin from 1990 to 2010 in order to better understand and enhance results of cancer surveillance systems.   http://cisnet.cancer.gov/grants/breast/ab3.html Population Based Health Services Research Training This program seeks to produce highly skilled, health services researchers who have a strong interdisciplinary foundation in population health sciences, systems and quality engineering, and quantitative methods. http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/HSR/traininggrant.htm Norms & Performance Comparisons for 5 Health Indexes The Program will enhance health researchers’ ability to measure, follow, and interpret HRQOL in adults and to assess health disparities. http://www.healthmeasurement.org/
Kanarek, Marty	WIC Clinic Fish Consumption Study The goal of this research project is to evaluate potential ways to warn pregnant mothers about the potential developmental effects of fish contaminants. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals & Thyroid Outcomes Epidemiology study of PCBs, PBDEs and other chemicals and their potential effects on reproduction and the thyroid. Wisconsin Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention The goal of this research project is to evaluate the screening guidelines for childhood lead poisoning prevention issued by the WI Department of Health and Family Services in 1998. Great Lakes Consortium:  State-National Fish Consortium Advisory Coordination The goal of this research project is to study the health effects of exposure to environmental chemicals by assessing current fish consumption habits of participants.
Mullahy, John	Merck Fellowship Program in Health Economics (Henk) This program provides fellowship support for training in population health economics. Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program The Health & Society Scholars Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is part of a national initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with sites at six prominent universities.  The RWJ HSS program provides a two-year postdoctoral experience in population health, with training in two areas:  a) the multiple determinants of broad health outcomes and their distribution in populations, and b) translation of research into policy and practice ("Knowledge Transfer").  The RWJ HSS program also funds an annual competition for internal grants in order to build the capacity of population health research and to advance population health training opportunities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  For more information on the RWJ HSS program, please see: http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/rwjscholars/
Nieto, Javier	SDB, Metabolic Syndrome and Vascular Function (TYoung) The primary objective of this proposal is to study the longitudinal association between SDB and the incidence of the metabolic syndrome and vascular dysfunction in a nested case-cohort sample of participants in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort (WSC) Study.
Palta, Mari	WI Women and Diabetes Study:  Bone Mineral Density and Estrogen Levels in Premenopausal Women with and Without Type 1 Diabetes The major goals of this study are to examine the association between BMD and estradiol levels in premenopausal women with Type 1 diabetes, including percent bioavailable estradiol.  Effects of Misspecification in Longitudinal Models The major goals are development, evaluation and application of methods for statistical analysis of longitudinal data, with emphasis on observational follow-up studies in epidemiologic and other health related research such as sleep disorders, diabetes, falls among elderly, neonatal lung disease and eye disease in an aging population.   Risk Factors for Atherogenesis in Type 1 Diabetes This proposal will investigate the relationship between established risk factors for atherosclerosis and the initiation of atherosclerosis by using recent advances in non-invasive imaging of the peripheral and coronary arteries.  This study will be conducted in a population-based incident cohort of young individuals with Type 1 diabetes at a critical time for the development and early progression of atherosclerosis. Risk Factors in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia--NBL This proposal is to continue our long-standing research in the evolving risk factors and outcomes of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other neonatal conditions of very low birth weight infants and children.  The research will also implement and validate new diagnostic criteria for the severity of BPD developed by a recent NIH workshop.
Smith, Curtis	Central and Peripheral Mechanisms of Sleep Apnea The major goal of this study is to determine the role of a labile apneic threshold in the genesis of sleep-disordered breathing.  The key feature of this study will be the investigator's ability to separate peripheral from central stimuli.
Smith, Maureen	Wisconsin Longitudinal Study : Tracking the Life Course - Project 4 The major goal of this project is to examine disparities in access to care for near-elderly women and persons with low income or poor health. This study is part of the “Wisconsin Longitudinal Study: Tracking the Life Course,” a P01 program of projects exploring a broad agenda of research on social and economic factors in health and aging. Cancer Patients' Preferences for Uncertain Outcomes The major goal of this pilot project is to develop a model of patient preferences for different levels of treatment effect heterogeneity, characterizing key treatment effects for older and younger cancer patients (e.g., chance of a cure).
Trentham-Dietz, Amy	Quality of Life Before and After a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in Older Women We propose to characterize the relation between quality of life and other major health events in relation to breast cancer morbidity and mortality. Breast Cancer in situ:  Recurrence and Quality of Life  The goal of this proposal is to extend our population-based studies of BCIS to examine how recurrence and quality of life in BCIS survivors is associated with modifiable lifestyle factors.
Vanness, David	Pharmacogenetics Advanced Colorectal Cancer The major goal of the project is to use genetic polymorphism profiles to refine predictions of treatment response and survival in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.  Individual’s role is to incorporate this information into a medical decision making model. Evaluation of Osteoporosis in the Elderly The purpose of this grant is to assess the benefit and costs of osteoporosis prevention in the elderly, focusing on finding better ways to implement prevention strategy.  Individual’s role is to build microsimulations to study cost-effectiveness of strategies to screen and treat osteoporosis. Economic Substudy of the National CT Colongraphy Trial The purpose of the National CT Colonography Trial is to examine the feasibility and potential cost-effectiveness of CT colonography as a population screening tool for colorectal cancer in a multi-institutional setting.  Individual's role is to collect primary economic data (time-motion studies; patient cost) and adapt discrete event simulations to estimate the macroeconomic and population health effects of adopting CTC as a screening modality.
Wolfe, Barbara (Bobbi)	NIMH sponsored training program in Mental Health Economics. Source: NIMH Supports 6 pre-doctoral students who specialize in health and mental health economics. The fundamental goal of this training grant is to produce skilled economists with a broad knowledge of health and mental health areas, of economics more generally, and of state-of-the-art econometrics who will engage in high-quality research in health and mental health economics.
Young, Terry	Menopause and Midlife Aging Effects On Sleep Disorders The occurrence of sleep disorders and changes in sleep patterns are being studied longitudinally in a cohort of women at midlife and during menopause. Sleep Disordered Breathing, APOE and LIPID Metabolism The roles of APOE and polymorphisms in other genes regulating lipid levels in sleep apnea are being investigated in a General population cohort. Epidemiology of Sleep-Disordered Breathing In Adults This epidemiological project investigates the risk factors for the development and progression of sleep disordered breathing in a working population.