Category: 50th Anniversary

Branching out beyond where it’s planted: The story of the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Part 1

The University of Wisconsin-Madison was one of the first sites to be selected to have an IDDRC and UCEDD because of the urging of Harry Waisman, MD, PhD, a prominent researcher physician, for whom the Waisman Center is named.

Neurodegeneration research at the Waisman Center from gene to organelle to cell to brain

Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and retinitis pigmentosa all have different manifestations and affect different body functions, but they are all connected by one mechanism: neurodegeneration.

The Children’s Resource Center – South helps families of children and youth with special health care needs navigate the health care system

The Children’s Resource Center-South, housed in the Waisman Center University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), is dedicated to supporting families with children and youth with special health care needs or disabilities and the providers who serve them.

Genomics and genetics cluster hire brings expansion into new research avenues

Tiny but mighty is a good way of describing our genome – the collection of our DNA. Although not visible to the naked eye, the human genome holds around 21,000 genes and millions of DNA variants, containing the information needed to maintain an organism throughout its life.

Understanding the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease

Allison and Amber Westemeier get excited every time they take a trip to the Waisman Center from Oshkosh, WI.

How Waisman researchers are advancing knowledge of speech and language in Individuals with IDDs

People say between 150 and 200 words a minute on average during a casual conversation.

Drawn to art: Waisman celebrates artists of all abilities with unique collection

Lang likes to draw buildings and geometric shapes. Most of his drawings focus on interior spaces or places that have meaning to him like different places he has lived, a favorite restaurant, or exteriors of his home.

The community boards that unite us: A circle of friends, visitors, and constituent advisors

A place such as the Waisman Center needs help to not only function at its highest level but to also ensure the needs of the community it serves are being met. This requires constant feedback, assistance, and support from various community partners.

The beginnings and evolution of brain imaging at the Waisman Center

The development of brain imaging techniques has helped us understand emotion, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases in ways we could not before.

Bridging the gap: How WB is helping to translate research from bench to bedside

By Emily Leclerc, Waisman Science Writer One of Carl Ross’s favorite stories is actually an account of one of his failures. In the early 2000s Ross, the former managing director of Waisman Biomanufacturing (WB), was working to make a rhinovirus (the virus that is responsible for the common cold) that could be used to test …