UW Health

UW Health

1mo

UW Health announced the creation of WorkForward, a new non-profit organization that is designed to bolster the national health care workforce. Building on the health system’s nationally recognized leadership in developing innovative career pathways in health care, WorkForward is the first employer-based intermediary in health care, aligning employers, educators, governing bodies and other organizations around shared workforce development goals and outcomes. WorkForward will guide and support efforts to build and scale innovative approaches to health care workforce development, drawing upon the sustained success achieved in the Madison area....Show more

UW Health

1mo

Jennifer Williams has been a nurse in the Trauma and Life Support Center at University Hospital for the past 13 years of her 18-year-and-counting nursing career, but nursing has always been part of the Madison native’s life. Williams, who goes by Jenn, is a fourth-generation nurse in the Madison area, dating back to her great-grandmother in the early 1900s. One of her most profound childhood memories is of her mother and grandmother saving a little girl while they were on vacation by administering emergency CPR. Then, a few years ago, the nursing family tree extended into her marriage when her husband, Andre Williams, who goes by Dre, became a nurse....Show more

UW Health

5mo

A childhood cancer diagnosis disrupts life for the entire family. The pediatric oncology nurse navigators at UW Health Kids | Carbone Cancer Center provide a consistent and compassionate point of connection as families move through each stage of treatment. From the very beginning of care, this specialized team partners with patients and their families, offering education, sharing tailored resources, and remaining readily available to answer questions and provide support during an overwhelming time. “Repetition is important,” said Emily Gulczynski, BSN. “Research shows that families can only absorb a small amount of information at once during a crisis like a new cancer diagnosis. For this reason, we revisit details about treatment again and again: what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and why their child may be feeling certain side effects. Sometimes we explain that, although treatment may make them feel sick, it’s ultimately helping them get better.” (Read more at the link below)...Show more

UW Health

5mo

Dr. Mahua Dey, a UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center neurosurgeon, often operates on glioblastomas. Knowing how aggressive and deadly this form of brain cancer is, she is researching a new personalized vaccine that would revitalize the patient’s immune system to fight new cancer growth. “As a surgeon scientist, my approach to research is translational — a true combination of my clinical practice and basic science research,” Dey said. “Every tumor I operate on, we take it to the lab with three specific goals. One: to really understand the tumor biology. Two: to understand the immunogenomics of the tumor. And three: to leverage what we learned from one and two as a treatment opportunity.” According to Dey, glioblastomas are one of the most common, yet most aggressive, forms of brain cancer. Unfortunately, treatment options are limited and patients usually die within a few years of diagnosis. Brain cancers are more difficult to access and less prevalent than other cancers, leading to less research and fewer therapeutic developments. Dey is hoping to fill this gap. She is developing a vaccine that trains the immune system to fight new growth of glioblastoma. This treatment would be given after tumor removal surgery with the goal of stopping the cancer from returning. This is particularly important for glioblastoma, which has a nearly 100% recurrence rate because it is impossible to completely remove all the microscopic disease with surgery....Show more

UW Health

6mo

UW Health is introducing a magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, technologist apprenticeship program designed to address the increasing need for skilled imaging professionals and provide a new career pathway in advanced medical imaging. The use of MRI is rapidly growing in health care, offering detailed images without the use of ionizing radiation. Technologists play a critical role in patient care and diagnostic accuracy of MRI, operating complex imaging systems while ensuring patient safety and comfort, according to Bridgett Willey, director of allied health education and career pathways at UW Health. “This program is an innovative way to meet the growing demand for MRI technologists while supporting career advancement for individuals passionate about patient care and technology,” she said. The new apprenticeship program combines hands-on clinical training with focused classroom instruction. Apprentices will work alongside experienced MRI technologists at University Hospital, East Madison Hospital, Science Dr Medical Center and 1 S Park St Clinic, gaining practical experience in patient care, anatomy and image quality. The first cohort of five students were hired internally and instruction begins Jan. 12. A second cohort will start in August, with job postings expected in February....Show more