Welcome Dr. Thekla Oechtering, MD, PD Dr med to the CVRC
Dr. Oechtering joined the UW Department of Radiology in 2020 as a visiting assistant professor before transitioning to a scientist role in 2023, a Cardiothoracic fellow in 2024, and then as faculty in 2025. She …
Dr. Tattersall & Dr. Stein’s Most Recent Research Released in JAMA Cardiology
Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Tattersall, DO, MS, and Dr. James Stein, MD, for their research was recently released in JAMA Cardiology! “Importance of Age and Sex in Carotid Artery Plaque Detection and Cardiovascular Disease Risk” …
Welcome Dr. Kenneth Poss, PhD to the CVRC!
Kenneth Poss is Director of Regenerative Biology at Morgridge Institute and Professor of Cell and Regenerative Biology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He received his B.A. in Biology from Carleton College and his Ph.D. …
Dr. Colleen Witzenburg, PhD, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering Received $1.25 Million Grant
Congratulations to Colleen Witzenburg, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering for receiving a five-year, $1.25 million grant through a Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The Witzenburg lab studies the mechanics of tissues with …
CVRC Annual Newsletter
Check out the 2024 CVRC Annual Newsletter
CVRC Welcomes Dr. Jingshing Wu, MD, PhD!
I am a physician scientist with a clinical specialization in Neonatology and a Developmental Biologist studying cardiac development. Scientifically I enjoy thinking about how environmental factors influence epigenetic regulation of cardiac development and its relationship to human …
Welcome, Dr. Veli Topkara, to the CVRC!
Dr. Veli Topkara, MD, MSc Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Medicine We welcome Dr. Veli Topkara as new core faculty of the Cardiovascular Research Center. Dr. Topkara is a faculty member in the Division of …
Bo Liu, PhD, Professor, Recieves Kellet Mid-Career Award
Eleven faculty have been honored with Kellett Mid-Career Awards to support those promoted to tenured positions seven to 20 years ago and who have made key research contributions in their fields. The award, named …
New Research Collaborative Receives Nearly $11 million
Three Department of Medicine faculty—Allan Brasier, MD, professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism; Nathan Sandbo, MD, associate professor, Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; and Chair Lynn Schnapp, MD, George R. and Elaine Love Professor—are key members of a new research …
Eagles Telethon Raises Funds For Cardiovascular Research
On Wednesday, June 19, at the Eagles Club at the intersection of Beaumont Road and Wisconsin Street in Prairie du Chien, Tom Stram and Dan Moris, two of the three emcees for the 49th …
CVRC Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Kicks Off!
(2024 summer fellowship cohort, mentors and previous summer cohorts) The Cardiovascular Research Center’s Summer Undergraduate Fellowship programs began on June 3, 2024, with a group kick-off meeting! The two programs, American Heart Assocation and …
Applications Now Open For The 2024 CVRC Undergraduate Summer Fellowship
Sponsored by the UW-Madison Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC), this program requires mentors to be CVRC members who are experts in a cardiovascular field and have a demonstrated interest in mentoring successful scientists. Collaboratively, we will …
Cardiovascular Research Center Annual Newsletter
We are pleased to share our first issue of the CVRC Newsletter. Please follow the link below to read about some of the main events of 2023.
Junsu Kang’s Lab Has Identified That il11 Plays Dual Roles in Heart Regeneration
Harnessing The Regenerative Potential of Interleukin11 To Enhance Heart Repair Balancing between regenerative processes and fibrosis is crucial for heart repair. However, strategies to regulate the balance between these two process are a barrier …
T32 Postdoc Trainee Named “Rising Star in Proteomics and Metabolomics” by ACS
Congratulations to Melissa Pergande, T32 Postdoc Trainee, named a “Rising Star in Proteomics and Metabolomics” by ACS! Rising Stars in Proteomics and Metabolomics 2024 In this Collection, we recognize emerging scientists in the fields of …
Combining Cell Types May Lead to Improved Cardiac Cell Therapy Following Heart Attack
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Academia Sinica of Taiwan have harnessed a combination of lab-grown cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle. The study, published in Circulation — which addresses major challenges of using heart muscle …
Past T32 Trainee Starts New Position As Assistant Professor At the University of St. Thomas
Dr. Kathleen Miller is an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the University of St. Thomas. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring …
Regenerating and Renewing Heart Tissue
University of Wisconsin-Madison Asst. Prof. Ahmed Mahmoud, Prof. Timothy Kamp and Assoc. Prof. Youngsook Lee have interests in heart development and adult cardiac disease, the leading cause of death and hospitalizations in the world. This …
Dr. Saba Munawar, PhD, MS, Wins People Choice Award
Congratulations to Dr. Saba Munawar! Dr. Saba Munawar, PhD (Eckhardt Lab) competed in the 8th Annual UW–Madison Postdoctoral Research Symposium held on Wednesday, September 20th in the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery as part of Postdoctoral Fellow appreciation (UW Postdoc …
Badger Talks – The Latest In Cardiovascular Research
The University of Wisconsin-Madison was built on the Wisconsin Idea that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of campus. Badger Talks, the official UW speakers bureau, produces a monthly-themed livestream series, the Badger …
CVRC Director, Hector Valdivia, Named President of Cardiac Muscle Society
Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA, outgoing President of Cardiac Muscle Society – “It is an honor to welcome Dr. Héctor Valdivia as our new President. Dr. Valdivia brings a wealth of expertise and a distinguished record …
Registration for the CVRC Research Summit Is Now Open!
5th Cardiovascular Research Summit Therapeutic Strategies For Cardiovascular Disease Thursday, October 12, 2023 11:30-6:00pm at the Wisconsin Discovery Building Researchers, clinicians and trainees with interest in cardiovascular medicine are welcome, but we strongly encourage participation …
Welcome Dr. Farhan Raza, MD to the CVRC!
We welcome Dr. Farhan Raza as new Core Faculty of the Cardiovascular Research Center. Dr. Raza is a faculty member in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine within the Department of Medicine. He received his medical …
Save The Date!
SAVE THE DATE! 5th Cardiovascular Research Summit & Poster Fair: Therapeutic Strategies for Cardiovascular Disease October 12, 2023 Wisconsin Discovery Building Save the Date – Summit 2023
Save the Date – ISHR North American Meeting June 2023
Dear CVRC members, The UW-Cardiovascular Research Center is proud to host the North American Meeting of the International Society of Heart Research, to be held June 26-30, 2023, at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in …
Exploring New Avenues For Targeted Protein Degradation
Christopher Stevens, Predoc Trainee (Weiping Lab) In recent years, researchers have been investigating a promising new approach to drug discovery that involves the careful destruction of these disease-causing proteins: targeted protein degradation, which engages the …
Dr. Junsu Kang, PhD, Recent Publication On Zebrafish Hearts
Junsu Kang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cell & Regenerative Biology Zebrafish possess a remarkable regenerative capacity, which is mediated by the induction of various genes upon injury. Injury-dependent transcription is governed by the tissue …
Dr. J. Carter Ralphe, MD, Accepted Into The American Pediatric Society
J. Carter Ralphe, MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison Congratulations to Dr. J. Carter Ralphe, MD, Pediatrics, for being accepted into the American Pediatric Society. APS is a nonprofit organization founded in 1888 as the …
Eric Schafer Joins CVRC as Center Administrator
Eric Schafer, CVRC Administrator Eric Schafer has a B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin — Eau Claire. Before joining the CVRC, Eric was the assistant to the director of the Waisman Center at UW–Madison …
Congratulations to CVRC Member Timothy Kamp For Being Appointed To The Newly Created Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Research Professorship!
Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD Professor Department of Medicine The Cardiovascular Research Center would like to congratulate its member, Dr. Timothy Kamp, who recently was appointed to the newly created Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research …
CVRC Undergraduate Student Fellowship Program
The CVRC Undergraduate Student Fellowship Program supported a vibrant undergraduate student internship for 10 weeks throughout the summer of 2022. The Cardiovascular Research Center received numerous applications from undergraduate students to take part in this …
Dr. Francisco Alvarado Name UW School of Medicine and Public Health Centennial Scholar
Francisco Alvarado, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, was accepted into the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Centennial Scholars/Centennial Clinicians Program. Dr. Alvarado’s research aims to better understand the mechanisms …
WELCOME CVRC’S NEWEST MEMBER, ZACHARY CAMPBELL
Dr. Zachary Campbell, PhD Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology We welcome Zachary (Zach) Campbell, our newest CVRC member and Core Faulty. Zak joins us from the University of Texas at Dallas. Area Of Research: Pain …
CVRC Member Bo Liu Honored With University Research Award
Research Forward Research Forward is a program to stimulate innovative and groundbreaking research at UW–Madison that is collaborative, multidisciplinary and potentially transformative. The Research Forward initiative is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor …
CVRC Summer Fellowship Highlight
Caitlyn Se Mentor: Dr. Bo Liu, PhD Project: Deciphering Rupture of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Caitlyn is a senior majoring in Biology with certificates in Art Studio and Asian American Studies. With her experience …
Optimal Lifestyle Behaviors and 10-year Progression of Arterial Stiffness: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Congratulations to CVRC Members Dr. Adam Gepner, MD and Dr. James Stein, MD on their recent publication. …
Dr. Francisco Alvarado, PhD, Named Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Francisco Alvarado, PhD We are pleased to announce that Francisco “Fran” Alvarado has been appointed tenure-track Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and will join the CVRC as Core Faculty and trainer! Fran earned a PharmD …
Carol Mitchell, PhD, Associate Professor, Received the American Society of Echocardiography 2022 Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to CVRC member Carol Mitchell, PhD, Associate Professor (Cardiovascular Medicine) on receiving the American Society of Echocardiography 2022 Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award! ASE Award Winners Faculty Profile
Preventing Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Using Functional Genomics and Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Cardiomyocytes
CVRC members Dr. Valentina Lo Sardo, PhD and Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD, FACC recently published the paper “Preventing Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Using Functional Genomics and Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Cardiomyocytes.” Dr. Valentina Lo Sardo, …
Congratulations To Former CVRC T32 Postdoc Trainee, Naga Dharmavaram On His Recently Published Article
Former CVRC T32 postdoctoral trainee, Dr. Naga Dharmavaram, recently published the article “Pulmonary Vascular Distensibility With Passive Leg Raise Is Comparable To Exercise And Predictive Of Clinical Outcomes In Pulmonary Hypertension.” Pulmonary vascular distensibility …
3rd Annual Cardiovascular Research Summit & Poster Fair A Success!
The CVRC hosted the 3rd Annual Cardiovascular Research Summit: Focus on Heart Failure on Thursday, December 2, 2021 in the UW-Madison Discovery Building! This was a unique opportunity to share ideas and make connections with colleagues from all …
Carotid Artery Stiffening With Aging: Structural Versus Load-Dependent Mechanisms in MESA (the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis)
Congratulations to CVRC T32 Postdoc Trainee, Ryan Pewowaruk, PhD on his first author paper with trainer, Dr. Adam Gepner, MD. Abstract Elastic arteries stiffen via 2 main mechanisms: (1) load-dependent stiffening from higher blood pressure …
UW Health Treats First Patient In US With Investigational Cell Therapy For Heart Disease
Appleton resident Donald Krause became the first patient in the country last week to undergo an investigational cell therapy for a debilitating heart condition called chronic myocardial ischemia (CMI) Myocardial ischemia occurs when blood flow to …
Professor Linjun Li Named To The Analytical Scientist’s 2021 Power List
Congratulations to CVRC Member Professor Lingjun Li on being named to The Analytical Scientist’s 2021 Power List of the world’s 100 most influential analytical scientists! This marks her third appearance in the publication’s annual list.
3rd Annual Research Summit and Poster Fair – December 2, 2021 @ WID
The CVRC is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Cardiovascular Research Summit: Focus on Heart Failure to be held on Thursday, December 2, 2021 in the UW-Madison Discovery Building! If you know you already want …
CVRC Member Dr. Timothy Kamp Named President-Elect To ISHR-NAS
Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD The Cardiovascular Research Center would like to extend a well-deserved congratulations to Dr. Timothy Kamp on being named President-elect of the International Society for Heart Research – North American Section! Tim will serve …
American Heart Association Undergraduate Symposium
The CVRC American Heart Association Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Symposium took place as a final farewell for trainees to showcase their research findings and discuss future endeavors. …
T32 Class of 2021-2022
The newest class of the T32 Training program in Translational Cardiovascular Science has joined the CVRC for the upcoming year! Pre Doctorate Trainees: Alana Stempien (Crone Lab) Jake Melby (Ge Lab) Nhu Vu (Li …
CVRC Welcomes New Member – Dr. Dudley Lamming, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine
CVRC is excited to announce our newest member, Dr. Dudley Lamming, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine. His laboratory is focused on understanding what, when, and how much we eat can regulate metabolic health and aging. …
Jenna Port – CVRC Summer Fellow
Jenna Port, CVRC Summer Fellow in the Glukhov Lab, is now a few weeks into her 10 week internship. “I am preparing a QPCR plate that is testing different mechano-sensitive chloride channels on certain heart …
Dr. Aaron Stansbury Hess Joins CVRC As Newest Member
Aaron Stansbury Hess, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor Department of Anesthesiology Where did you grow up? All over the US – Denver, California, and Maryland What is your educational/professional background? I got my BA …
Congratulations To Professor Linjun Li On A New NIH Grant
Congratulations to Professor Lingjun Li on a new NIH grant for a dual-source, high-performance, ion mobility, quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry system for UW Madison that will support 26 researchers with 73 funded federal grants or contracts! …
CVRC Summer Fellowship Has Begun!
The CVRC summer undergraduate fellowship has officially begun! This 10 week program is a great opportunity for undergraduate students to jump into Cardiovascular research and learn from some the best mentors at UW-Madison. The fellowship …
CVRC Welcomes Member – Dr. Ruben Alexanian, MD, Department of Medicine
Ruben Alexanian, MD, Department of Medicine Where did you grow up? I grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado; but we moved to Wisconsin when I was a freshman in high school and have been …
CVRC T32 – Recruitment For Y21 Now Open
The UW Cardiovascular Research Center’s Training Program in Translational Cardiovascular Science (TPTCS) announces the availability of predoctoral and postdoctoral trainee positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for individuals whose research interests align with cardiovascular science. …
Drs. Timothy Hacker & Hector Valdivia Awarded UW-Madison Research Core Revitalization Program Grant
Congratulations for Drs. Timothy Hacker and Hector Valdivia for being awarded a UW-Madison Research Core Revitalization Program grant for 2020-2021! In collaboration with the O’Brian Center, the Cardiovascular Physiology Core Facility performs urinary flow ultrasound …
CVRC Member, Dr. Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD Partners With Cellular Logistics To Advance A New Approach To Treat Heart Failure
Dr. Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine “This NIH funding will enable Cellular Logistics to develop enhanced Tandem™ HF manufacturing capabilities and increase the ability to distribute the product more widely,” said Dr. Eric Schmuck, vice president, and chief …
New Tool For Assessing Heart Muscle Cells Helps Unlock Their Potential
CVRC’s very own, Wendy Crone, is the leader of a team of UW-Madison researchers who have developed an algorithm for image analysis that quantifies the organization and alignment of sarcomere structures within single cardiomyocytes, as well …
Dr. Colleen Witzenburg, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering Joins CVRC T32 Training Program As Associate Trainer.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota. It is a southern suburb of the Twin Cities. What is your educational/professional background? I earned my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from …
Dr. Lee Eckhardt Named Gary and Marie Weiner Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine Research
CVRC member Lee Eckhardt, MD, MS, associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, has been named the inaugural Gary and Marie Weiner Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine Research. Dr. Eckhardt is a leading cardiologist who has dedicated her …
Welcome Dr. Valentina Lo Sardo to the CVRC!
Welcome CVRC’s Newest Member: Dr. Valentina Lo Sardo, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cell & Regenerative Biology. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Italy. I was born in Palermo, in the …
Ying Ge, PhD, professor of cell and regenerative biology, has been awarded the Biemann Medal from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry for 2020.
Congratulations to CVRC member Ying Ge, PhD, Professor of Cell and Regenerative Biology, for being awarded the 2020 Biemann Medal from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry! She was also named to the Top …
Regaining balance: How women faculty can navigate expectations in a pandemic world
CVRC member Kristyn Masters provides 10 suggestions for women principal investigators to better juggle the balancing act during these trying times. 1. Find a peer group of women to provide professional support 2. Say …
Welcome Dr. Quanyin Hu to the CVRC!
Welcome CVRC’s Newest Member: Dr. Quanyin Hu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems. Quanyin Hu joined UW-Madison faculty in 2020. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Anhui Province, …
CVRC Spotlight: New Member Dr. Wei Guo
Welcome CVRC’s Newest Member: Dr. Wei Guo, PhD, Assistant Professor, Meat Science & Animal Biologics, Department of Animal & Dairy Science. Wei Guo joined the UW–Madison faculty in January 2020 as an assistant professor in …
Gail Robertson Elected President of the Biophysical Society
Congratulations to our Director of the Training Grant on Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr Gail Robertson, for being elected President of the Biophysical Society! Gail will assume that office during the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in …
New Class of T32 Trainees Have Officially Started
Predoctoral Trainees: Alana Stempien, Biomedical Engineering, Crone Lab Madison Freeman, Biomedical Engineering, Chesler Lab Ian Begeman, Cell & Regenerative Biology, Kang Lab Jake Melby, Chemistry, Ge Lab Nhu Vu, Chemistry, Li Lab Postdoctoral …
Join us today to help cheer on Kyle Brown, Predoc Trainee, defend his thesis!
You are invited to attend Kyle Brown’s PhD Thesis defense “Novel Proteomic Approaches to Characterize Endogenous Membrane Proteins” today, August 12th at 3:00PM via WebEx. Kyle is a current Predoc Trainee in CVRC’s Training Program …
Congrats to T32 Trainers – Ahmed Mahmoud and Junsu Kang!
Not only will Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud and Dr. Junsu Kang officially become CVRC T32 Trainers this year, but they have also recently been recognized for their outstanding work regarding additional awards and funding! See news …
Summit & Poster Fair to be held December 2020
SAVE THE DATE! The 2020 Summit & Poster Fair will be held on Thursday, December 3rd @1pm via WebEx. Researchers, clinicians and trainees with interest in cardiovascular medicine are welcome, but we strongly …
Congratulations to Dr. Jonathan Makielski on his retirement!
The Cardiovascular Research Center would like to extend best wishes to Jonathan Makielski, MD, on his retirement from the School of Medicine and Public Health. On behalf of the faculty, researchers, and students, we would …
Katarzyna (Kasia) Borys joins CVRC as new Administrator
Kasia has a M.S. in Biology of Animal Reproduction from the University of Krakow, Poland, and another M.S. in Bacteriology from the UW-Madison. She was introduced to Research Administration in 2013. She comes to us …
CVRC member, Ravi Vaidyanathan, Receives Pilot Award from UW ICTR
July 27th, 2018 CVRC member, Ravi Vaidyanathan, Receives Pilot Award from UW ICTR. Of the recently announced 24 Pilot Awards from UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (UW ICTR) for translational, clinical, methods, dissemination and …
Dr. Lee Eckhardt is Awarded Grant from NIH-NHLBI
July 27th, 2018 CVRC trainer and past trainee, Dr. Lee Eckhardt, MD, MS, associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, has been awarded $1.5M over 4 years (R01) from the National Institutes of Health – National Heart, Lung, …
Dr. Amish Raval is Awarded Grant
June 29, 2018 CVRC trainer, Dr. Amish Raval, MD, associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, has been awarded $107,000 over 1 year from the State Economic Engagement and Development (SEED) Research Program for a proposal entitled, “Bioengineered …
Department of Medicine Research Day Poster Awardees
June 29, 2018 Postdoc fellow, Louise Reilly, PhD, mentored by CVRC trainer, Dr. Lee Eckhardt, MD was selected as a Best Poster Awardee for basic science at the Department of Medicine’s annual Research Day event. …
Former CVRC Trainee, Dr. Matthew Tattersall, Receives American Heart Association Award
June 1, 2018 Former CVRC trainee, Matthew Tattersall, DO, MS, assistant professor (CHS), Cardiovascular Medicine, was selected for a Summer 2018 Career Development Award from the American Heart Association for a project entitled, “Asthma Phenotypes …
Former CVRC Trainee is Awarded NIH F31
March 31st, 2018 Former CVRC trainee, Catherine Steffel, has been awarded an F31 grant by the National Institutes of Health for her project titled, “In-vivo Quantitative Ultrasound Imaging of Carotid Plaque Validated with 3D Reconstructed …