The Friends of the Waisman hosts this annual event for members of the Friends organization; community supporters of the Waisman Center; and Waisman Center faculty, staff, and students. The 2020 Awards were presented at a virtual meeting on August 18 2020.
Your can download a pdf of the presentation here: Friends 2020 Meeting.
This year’s recipients are:
Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships
Sarah Furnier, nominated by Maureen Durkin, PhD, DrPH
Sarah is a fourth year PhD student in the epidemiology graduate program. She was nominated for this award by Maureen Durkin for her in her lab the last three years focused on population-based studies of autism spectrum disorder as well as newborn screening as a public health strategy for prevention of developmental disabilities. As Maureen states in her nomination:
“Sarah’s research is very much aligned with the mission and priorities of the Waisman Center. Her interest in and dedication to the study of developmental disabilities is long-standing. She is an outstanding student of epidemiology and could have gone almost anywhere but was drawn to our epidemiology program at UW-Madison because of the opportunity to work at the Waisman Center. Her dissertation work involves evaluating the validation and prevalence results for congenital hypothyroidism detected on newborn screening among preterm infants using data on more than 300,000 Wisconsin births. Another research area focuses on adaptive functioning in children with autism using data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network and the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) program. Her long-term goal is to pursue an academic career in the epidemiology and prevention of developmental disabilities. Her accomplishments as a PhD student have been outstanding and have helped prepare her for a productive and successful research career.”
Brianna Piro-Gambetti, nominated by Sigan Hartley, PhD
Brianna was nominated by Sigan Hartley. She is in the School of Human Ecology PhD program in Human Development and Family Studies where she is developing expertise on promoting healthy aging in adults with Down syndrome. She was nominated by Sigan for her work on a multi-site longitudinal study funded by NIH called the Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down syndrome (ABC-DS). The objective of this study is to examine early unfolding of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome using cerebrospinal fluid plasma biomarkers and determine their relation to current decline and the development of Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Sigan states in her nomination:
“Brianna is an exceptional critical thinker and doing work that is innovative and making an important contribution to the field. Her research is focused on understanding how lifestyle factors alter aging and Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome. There is emerging evidence that lifestyle factors have marked importance for the timing of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome. Employment activities are an important aspect of lifestyle that has been theorized (but not studied to date) to be involved in this timing. Results from the study can be used to inform policy and interventions that support the need for more employment opportunities for adults with Down syndrome and IDD. She is one of the hardest working graduate students that I have had the privilege of working with at the Waisman Center and one of the most passionate for advancing the center’s mission of improving lives of individuals with IDD and their family members.”
Friends of the Waisman Center Presentation and Awards
Student Awards:
Graduate Student Award, UCEDD
Kiley McLean, nominated by Anne Harris, PhD, MPH, RD & Lauren Bishop, PhD
Kiley is a third year doctoral student in the social welfare program in the School of Social Work. She was nominated for this award by Anne Bradford Harris, PhD, MPH and Lauren Bishop, PhD for her varied and significant contributions to multiple projects with the WI Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities. Her overall career goal is to spearhead a program of translational research focused on reducing disparities through innovative disability policies at a research-intensive university. During her first year as a LEND trainee she stood out as passionate about research, policy, and committed to being a champion for the needs of people with developmental disabilities. She wrote two editorial on Medicaid expansion and the impact of COVID-19 that were published in the Capital Times and the national Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) Policy Talk blog. As stated in their nomination:
“Kiley has capacity to build bridges between research and its community application. What is most impressive about her research is that she successfully combines rigorous scientific methods with her lens as a clinician and advocate in order to address some of the most pressing questions in the field.”
Graduate Student Award, IDDRC
Emily Burg, nominated by Ruth Litovsky, PhD
Emily is a graduate student in both the Audiology Doctorate and PhD programs in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders—one of the only people in the state of Wisconsin pursuing the AuD/PhD dual degrees. Emily was nominated for this award by Ruth Litovsky for her work on how to evaluate and treat people who are deaf and are fitted with cochlear implants either in one ear or both ears. She is designing studies aimed at providing insight into the benefit that patients experience from having received their devices. As Ruth states in her nomination letter:
“Her questions are unique to the field and raise the bar as far as the methodology and analysis of the data and dissemination. Her work will have clinical implications that can impact best practices. Through her dual degrees, she will have a combination of clinical and basic research training so that she can pursue a career as a clinician-scientist in a much-needed area in our nation. She is a model student, an amazing peer who connects deeply, respectfully, and meaningfully to other students, researchers, and clinicians.”
Undergraduate Student Award, IDDRC
Keegan Schoeller, nominated by Xinyu Zhao, PhD
Keegan is entering his entering his senior year at UW-Madison. He was nominated for this award by Xinyu Zhao, for his work in her lab that was focused on the function of RNA binding protein FMRP and FXR1. FMRP deficiency leads to fragile X syndrome—a neurodevelopmental disorder; FXR1 has been associated with neurodevelopmental delay and psychiatric disorders. Using mouse models, he studied how FMRP or FXR1 deletion from either inhibitory neurons or excitatory neurons affect neuronal maturation and behaviors. He also spent one year testing and optimizing software which helped determine the best software and set-up to use for mouse behavioral testing and analysis. His efforts have helped improve speed and quality of data using this platform. As stated in her nomination:
“Keegan is a very hard worker. He is dedicated to his research projects and highly accountable for carrying out tasks and finishing experiments. Even while at home during the pandemic, he continued to analyze data that were included in revisions of manuscripts and several grant applications that were submitted.”
Friends of the Waisman Center Presentation and Awards
Staff Awards:
University Staff Award
Lisa Fisher & Manda Ratcliff, nominated by Amy Whitehead, MPA
Lisa and Manda was nominated for this award by Amy Whitehed for their work in the Waisman Center Clinics as medical program assistants. They provide exemplary administrative support to the faculty and staff in the Department of Pediatrics Division of Genetics and Metabolism and Division of Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine. Manda also provides administrative support for the Communication Aids and Systems Clinic. As stated in her nomination letter:
“Lisa and Manda consistently demonstrate superior job performance; fully competent in their understanding of the work needed, in managing their workloads and prioritizing independently. Their written and oral communication skills are excellent and reflected in their daily interactions with their colleagues. They are highly productive and proficient at maintaining faculty, resident and learner calendars, tracking expenses, facilitating faculty candidate visits and coordinating events. They demonstrate respect to their colleagues and have become essential to the teams which they support. Each has gone above and beyond in their productivity, demonstrating their commitment to the work.”
Academic Staff Awards
Carrie Arneson, nominated by Leann DaWalt, PhD, & Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD
Carrie was nominated for this award by Leann DaWalt and Anita Bhattacharyya for her work with the Waisman Clinical Translational Core (CTC). The CTC provides researchers with a broad range of support for conducting translational research including recruiting participants, research coordination with the clinics and early childhood program, access to biobank data and specimens for biomedical research. As stated in their nomination letter:
“Carrie has been working with the Waisman human stem cell core for the past 10 years and has been invaluable in helping this “wet lab” by administering a blanket IRB protocol for multiple Waisman PIs, consenting subjects both at Waisman and remotely, traveling to conferences to recruit subjects, communicating directly with stem cell core staff to coordinate sample collection and, most recently, resolving an IRB reportable event triggered by a collaborator. These duties required her to gain a deep understanding of the research questions, the experimental processes and the unique human subjects issues that come with human stem cell reprogramming. The Waisman stem cell core is so successful in large part because of her involvement. Carrie always is extremely diligent in “doing her homework” as new projects emerge and takes great care to understand the needs of research teams in order to support them in their work. She is timely, positive, inquisitive, and very reliable, making her a great asset to researcher at the Waisman Center.
Elizabeth Hecht, nominated by Amy Whitehead, MPA
Liz was nominated for this award by Amy Whitehed for her work as the public policy and systems change senior outreach specialist within the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. As stated in her nomination letter:
“It has been Liz’s lived experience, inspired by her son Will, that positioned her to approach all of her work with a profound passion and commitment to improving the system of supports for individuals with disabilities and their families. She was instrumental in convening and chairing a group to redesign state supports for families and children with disabilities and draft recommendation for reforms in policy and practice. This group evolved but has continued its charge and twenty-two years later, Liz is still the chair for the Council on Children’s Long Term Support Needs and through this work has been greatly influential in our state in promoting the full inclusion and self-determination of IDD and their families. Liz has been actively training learners throughout her career educating legislators, LEND trainees, medical students, residents, about the needs of families and how to share information with policy makers so that we move the needle in systems change. Liz has produced several materials, documents and issue briefs which have been effective in educating decision makers.”
Family Appreciation Award for Volunteer Efforts
Sharon, Steve & James Manlick, nominated by Audra Sterling, PhD
Sharon, Steve, and James were nominated for this award by Audra Sterling for their participation in studies related to fragile X syndrome in the Research in Developmental Disabilities Language Lab. As stated in her nomination:
“For nearly a decade, the Manlick family has shown an impressive level of dedication to research in fragile X syndrome through countless visits to the Waisman Center, which often extend over multiple days. Their level of commitment to research allows the field to move forward and contributes to knowledge on better understanding and supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. At the start of each new study, the Manlick family has enthusiastically agreed to participate, traveled from out of town, and given their time and energy to research. At every visit, they have brought such positive energy and have truly been a joy to work alongside. They have participated in a host of studies, which have included behavioral assessments, physiological measures, and magnetic resonance imaging. These studies have often involved countless assessments and questions, which touch on vulnerable aspects of a family’s life. The Manlick family has willingly shared this information, thus contributing to research aimed at furthering our understanding of fragile X syndrome as well as developing better ways to support children and families.”