Projects

Featured Projects

1. Novel Approach to Address CVD Disparities and Pulmonary Health Disparities

   The Survey of the Health of Wisconsin was recently awarded a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to monitor the effects of economic and policy changes on cardiovascular and respiratory health in Wisconsin communities. The program will also expand partnerships with the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Center for Urban Population Health and UW's Community Health Connections, the Wisconsin Research and Education Network, and the Collaborative Center for Health Equity.

2. Highlighting an Academic Partner

   Amy Harley, PhD, MPH, RD joined the Center faculty in 2008. Dr. Harley completed her doctoral training at The Ohio State University College of Public Health. She also spent three years at the Harvard School of Public Health as a postdoctoral fellow in their Cancer Prevention and Control education program. Dr. Harley's current research is focused on reducing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in chronic disease prevalence and outcomes through long-term participation in healthy lifestyle behaviors including physical activity and healthy eating. To learn more, read an interview with her in the October issue of Get Engaged!

3. Celebrating 25 Years of Awareness, Education, and Empowerment: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

   Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, aside from skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States last year. Approximately 1,990 new cases were expected in men. The ACS also reports that an estimated 40,930 breast cancer deaths were expected in 2008. Building on National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Center highlights its efforts in contributing to both breast cancer and cancers on a whole in southeastern Milwaukee in its October issue of Get Engaged!  

4. October 15 is National Latinos AIDS Awareness Day

   Research for Social Change: UW-Milwaukee Professor of Nursing, Patricia E. Stevens, spent five years investigating the impact that HIV has had on 55 women living with HIV across Wisconsin.  In 2007, Professor Stevens wished to extend the In-Depth Longitudinal Study of HIV-Infected Women to monolingual Latinas living in the city of Milwaukee. The Center for Urban Population Health funded her project with an additional twist: incorporation of a dynamic Community Advisory Board (CAB).

5. September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month

   To recognize the impact that infant mortality continues to have in the United States, September has been declared National Infant Mortality Awareness Month.  Here’s what you need to know about infant mortality in our community.

6. Milwaukee Health Report 2009 Now Available

   As a state, Wisconsin is relatively healthy; it ranked 13th in the 2007 American Health Rankings (United Health Foundation). Milwaukee County, however, presents a starkly different picture, ranking as one of the state's least healthy counties (71st out of the state's 72 counties) and the city of Milwaukee fares even worse (Athens and colleagues, 2007). Given that Milwaukee is the state's most vital urban area and has the largest population, Milwaukee's poor health has a major impact on the state as a whole (Vila and colleagues, 2007). The city of Milwaukee is highly segregated, both racially and economically, which links to several key issues such as unemployment, low income, poor education and poor health.  Our organizations share a core interest in improving population health outcomes and addressing significant health disparities in the city of Milwaukee. This requires that we know where we are and where we want to go.  To accomplish this, the Center for Urban Population Health and the City of Milwaukee Health Department have developed the annual Milwaukee Health Report.

7. FDA Given Authority to Regulate Tobacco

   Public health in America received a huge stimulus of its own with the recent passage of the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1256).  The bill passed both houses with strong bipartisan majorities and the President has said he is eager to sign it.  Under the new statute, the Food and Drug Administration will finally have the authority to monitor and control tobacco production, and its marketing.  In addition, the bill bans outright flavored or candied tobacco products that might appeal to children.

8. Part of the Solution: Teen Pregnancy Prevention in Milwaukee

   Recent statistics from the CDC confirm that after declining in the 90's, birth rates to teen parents increased by 5% nationally between 2005 and 2007.  A similar pattern emerged in the State of Wisconsin.  After a sustained move toward lower rates in the 90's, teen birth rates began trending upward beginning in 2004 and 2005.  Recent increases in the prevalence of teen births in the nation and Wisconsin are reflected in Milwaukee's high birth rates to teen mothers.

9. Cisler To Receive WPHA's Excellence in Public Health Research Award

   The Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) announced today that Ron Cisler, Ph.D., the Center's Director, will receive the 2009 Excellence in Public Health Research Award at WPHA's Annual Conference. Under the WPHA's guidelines, this award is given "to acknowledge outstanding scientific investigations that are based on sound public health science and have contributed to, or have the potential to contribute to, a change in public health practice, policy, science or technology."  The Center is very proud to have Dr. Cisler receive such a prestigious award.

10. Milwaukee Teen Birth Rate Compared to National Trend

    The CDC announced recently that the birth rate for adolescents under age 20 rose again in 2007, from 41.9 per 1,000 live births in 2006 to 42.5 in 2007. This represents a 1 percent rise. It is the second straight year the rate has increased. Before 2006, the teen birth rate had been declining for 14 years. Milwaukee had mixed results in 2007.The teen birth rate in Milwaukee had also been declining since 1991 and continued its decline in 2006. In 2007, however, it rose by 1.5%, from 163.7/1000 live births in 2006 to 166.1/1000. This rise reflected an increase in only the rate for women 18-19 years old. The rate for teens under 18 years actually declined in 2007 by 1.8%.

11. GO RED: February is Heart Disease Awareness Month!

    Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women—no matter what their race or ethnicity. The fact is that cardiovascular disease (heart disease) kills nearly twice as many women as all cancers combined.  One in four women dies of heart disease. By contrast, 1 in 30 dies of breast cancer.  Unfortunately, there's a wide gap between what really threatens women and what they fear. Many women do not recognize heart disease as their leading health threat.

12. Infant Mortality Rate Goes Down in Milwaukee

    Mayor Tom Barrett and Health Commissioner Bevan Baker recently announced a decline in the infant mortality rate (IMR) for the City of Milwaukee.  According to the Department of Health Services, in 2007 Milwaukee had an infant mortality rate of 9.8 babies per 1,000 live births.  This was a 20% reduction from 2006's figure of 12.3.  Furthermore, although disparities still exist in the infant mortality rates for blacks (14.1) compared to whites (6.2), the rates for all racial/ethnic groups decreased.

13. Dr. Loren Galvão, MD, MPH, is Co-Principal Investigator on $2.53 Million NIH Grant

    Dr. Loren Galvão, MD, MPH, the Center's Associate Director for Community Partnerships Initiatives, is the co-principal investigator on a five-year, $2.53 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW).  The Malawi Pathways Project intends to study the influence of economic change on HIV vulnerability and food security in the country of Malawi.  The principal investigator on the project is Lance S. Weinhardt, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine with the Center for AIDS Intervention Research at MCW.  Other partners include the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's College of Nursing, its Center for Cultural Diversity and Global Health (where Dr. Galvão is an Associate Scientist), CARE USA, CARE Malawi, the University of Pennsylvania, the London School of Economics, and the University of Malawi.

14. Examining Trends of Teen Birth Rates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    The Center has been collaborating closely with the City of Milwaukee Health Department and the United Way Teen Pregnancy Prevention Oversight Committee to analyze and further understand the circumstances around teen pregnancy in Milwaukee.  Naoyo Mori, the Center's epidemiologist, provided data analysis to support Health Commissioner Bevan Baker's goal-setting for reductions in teen pregnancy in Milwaukee.

15. December 1 is World AIDS Day

    Today is World AIDS Day.  This Day is a reminder each year that HIV/AIDS is still a scourge around the world, in developed and developing countries alike.  The Center currently supports several research and outreach efforts around HIV/AIDS, including a project directed by Patricia E. Stevens, PhD, that is piloting a community-based participatory research approach to investigate the health issues and resource needs of urban HIV-infected Latinas residing in southeastern Wisconsin. The project's Advisory Committee includes representatives from the Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, Walker's Point Community Clinic, United Migrant Opportunity Services, Latino Health Organization, United Community Center, and La Causa.

16. The Urgency of Reducing Premature Births

    The March of Dimes recently studied prematurity in all 50 states and issued "report cards" for each state's prematurity record. Using 2005 CDC figures (the most recent available), both the U.S. and Wisconsin received a grade of "D" for their efforts to reduce prematurity. In 2005, 1 in every 8 babies born in the U.S. was premature. In Wisconsin, the rate was only slightly better, 1 in every 9 babies was premature. Preliminary rates for 2006 in both the U.S. and Wisconsin show no significant improvement.

17. Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Awareness

    Approximately 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Age has been identified as the biggest risk factor, although Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging. With an ever-increasing aging population and lack of effective interventions, it is estimated that the prevalence of Alzheimer's could triple by the year 2050. Alzheimer's disease not only takes from an individual's cognition, memory and language, it also exposes family and friends who serve as caregivers to considerable emotional, physical and financial stress. It is critical that effective resources and interventions are developed to meet the needs of and improve the lives of individuals with the disease and their caregivers.

18. Highlighting Breast Health Resources and Breast Cancer Occurrence in Southeast Wisconsin

    Breast cancer awareness month is conducted every October to raise awareness about breast health.  Approximately, 4,000 women in Wisconsin die each year as a result of breast cancer.  Although breast cancer mortality rates in the state are declining, it is still the most common newly diagnosed form of cancer in Wisconsin women.  It is increasingly important to both educate women about screening and treatment options as well as examine disparities in the screening and treatment of minority women.

19. SHOW Research Symposium on May 14th

    The Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) will be the first statewide survey of its kind to measure information on critical health conditions in Wisconsin. Learn more about SHOW's context in survey research and its potential contributions to the health of state residents. Renowned experts in the field share their experiences in utilizing population health survey data like that which SHOW will collect. Opportunities for utilizing SHOW's data and bio-samples and applying for ancillary studies will be discussed.

20. UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequity Making Us Sick?

    This four-hour documentary investigates the social determinants of health. The UNNATURAL CAUSES series shows that there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our health and longevity.

21. Addressing HIV in Milwaukee through the "Power of Partnerships"

    World AIDS Day calls attention to the serious impact the HIV infection is having globally. This year's World AIDS Day theme is "The Power of Partnerships." The Center for Urban Population Health has a portfolio of partnerships that are addressing HIV in various ways in Milwaukee.

22. Look for Mobile Exam Centers in Neighborhoods Near You

    The Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) is an observational, prospective study in the State of Wisconsin. SHOW will draw a random and representative sample of residents of Wisconsin for the health survey. It will conduct in-person interviews, take health measurements, and collect biological samples.