Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
At a Glance: Understanding what a cell does starts with knowing exactly where it is. Now, a new AI-powered tool developed by researchers at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, is making that task easier by combining tissue images with molecular activity data to more accurately map cell boundaries, potentially unlocking new insights into how …
The Pandemic Cancelled It, and They Never Brought It Back takes readers into the daily lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID‑19 pandemic, using their own photographs and words to reveal moments of loss, adaptation, resilience, and connection. Created by researchers at the Waisman Center, the book offers an intimate portrait of a community whose experiences are too often overlooked.
This summer, the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) will launch the Adult Autism Program, with services focused on mental health, life skills, and social connections for supporting quality of life in autistic adults and their families.
The electrical properties of a neuron paint a picture of its development and function. A new user-friendly and accessible tool developed at the Waisman Center allows scientists to analyze the electrical activity of individual neurons – rather than clusters – using a process known as spike sorting. The free tool is available online for other researchers to access.
A blood test alone cannot tell the full story of what’s happening inside a newborn’s brain after a brain injury. New research from the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that the hippocampus—a brain region critical for learning and memory—maintains its own powerful, locally regulated steroid environment during early development and after brain injury.
A new research study at the Waisman Center has been funded by the Eagles Autism Foundation to develop a precise, safe, and broadly applicable method for correcting a single-gene mutation associated with symptoms of autism spectrum disorders including learning deficits, anxiety, depression, and reduced social interactions.
The gallery walk goes from Monday, April 6 through Thursday, April 30, 2026 and will be accessible during regular business hours in the John D. Wiley Conference Center hallway at the Waisman Center on the second floor, north tower.
Shutts uses what she learns in her research as a social scientist to influence how kids in the community learn through play at the museum. Her area of expertise is how children make sense of their social world, and how to help kids build their social skills. In an attempt to oversimplify her work, you could say she’s an expert in friendships.
On the first day of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) Awareness Week, Waisman Center and UW Health Kids experts gathered to share their knowledge on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of congenital heart surgery with the community.
Waisman Investigator Daifeng Wang, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and medical informatics, was featured on this article by the School of Medicine and Public Health on how artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing medical research at UW.
