Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment

Since issuing its first funding awards in 2004, The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, based in MCW’s School of Medicine, has become Wisconsin’s largest health improvement philanthropy. Driven by a vision of a healthier Wisconsin, AHW has invested more than $311 million in more than 517 projects supporting Wisconsin’s health innovators, collaborators, and problem solvers to advance research that improves lives, to build education and workforce development programs and pathways, and to partner in communities statewide to create real change.

In 1999, Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin converted from a nonprofit to a for-profit corporation. Medical College of Wisconsin received half of the funds resulting from the conversion, with the other half going to UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. Today, AHW, and its peer program at UW, are counted among the several hundred “health conversion” foundations in existence across the U.S. The funds entrusted to the MCW School of Medicine to create AHW place it in a unique position – AHW is the only health philanthropy in the nation stewarding public funds while embedded in a private medical school.

AHW is delivering on its public stewardship mission by investing in promising biomedical research, supporting community health initiatives, and building the health workforce needed by Wisconsin.

Within the Department of Surgery, nearly $11 million in AHW funding has supported work across the department with additional millions in related projects supported in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, and more. Together, these investments in Department faculty have led to research advancements in areas such as epigenetics, cardiovascular disease, trauma and cancer, while also supporting investments into the research infrastructure such as the launch of the state’s first cancer precision medicine simulation unit. AHW is currently led by its director, anesthesiologist Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, and recent addition to the Department of Surgery, deputy director, Dr. Ugwuji Maduekwe.

Deputy Director Dr. Ugwuji Maduekwe & Director Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld.

Active Project Highlight: A Translational Study of Epigenetic and Neural Mechanisms of Risk Phenotypes for PTSD

Experiencing a traumatic event often leads to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is associated with changes in brain function and structure. While there has been progress in understanding who is at risk for PTSD following traumatic injury, there remains much to learn regarding PTSD development in order to provide better and more timely intervention and treatment options.

With a $250,000 investment by AHW awarded in 2020, Dr. Gwen Lomberk along with Dr. Terri de- Roon-Cassini and their collaborative research team are working to apply novel strategies, including looking at marks present on DNA in the blood, to understand risk for chronic PTSD and recognize patterns that connect with changes in brain function after traumatic injury in order to develop patient-centered screening and intervention approaches.

Following a delay due to COVID-19, the project team pushed through challenges to successfully recruit patients who have experienced traumatic injury and identify strategies to determine who is at risk for chronic PTSD after injury. The team has since collected enough samples to perform DNA isolation, methylome profiling and genotyping, with analysis currently underway.

Ways to Get Involved with AHW

At AHW, we seek partners who share our belief that by working together we can build a healthier Wisconsin today, and for generations to come. To help us propel this mission forward, respond to an RFA as a source for your research funding, serve as a faculty partner for a community project, or serve as a volunteer on one of our review panels.

Stay connected by subscribing to the AHW e-newsletter at ahwendowment.org, and by following AHW on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. AHW staff are available to meet regularly with any interested investigators, teams, or departments to explore how your ideas can align with AHW funding opportunities.