Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
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.
The Waisman Center celebrates the selection of Xinyu Zhao, PhD, a principal investigator renowned for her work in neural stem cells and neurodevelopment, as one of the esteemed recipients of a 2025 Eagles Autism Foundation research grant.
Individuals with disabilities face significant health disparities, yet remain underrepresented in health research. There is substantial evidence that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are systematically excluded from health research, even when it involves a condition that disproportionately impacts them.
Researchers are increasingly recognizing what families have long known: lived experience is its own form of expertise.
Prenatal exposure to alcohol may increase the risk of problematic drinking in adulthood according to a new 20 year-longitudinal study done in primates.
Researchers at the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) were recently awarded a grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to support research to improve the health and well-being of children and youth with autism.
Temple Grandin, PhD, is likely the most well-known living autistic individual, both nationally and internationally.
Waisman Center investigator David Gamm, MD, PhD, is featured in a story from the Capital Times about research funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. Gamm is the director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute at UW–Madison. Read the full story here: https://captimes.com/news/education/uw-madison-wants-to-grow-defense-research-but-not-build-weapons/article_b7112c91-f754-454d-9b74-7f4e03a1178e.html
Just like a car factory relies on inspectors to ensure that every vehicle is built correctly, cells depend on internal quality control systems to keep proteins functioning as they should. New research from Waisman Center investigator Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reveals that disruptions in one such system—the endoplasmic reticulum’s acetylation pathway—can lead to rare forms of autism and progeria, offering fresh insights into the cellular roots of these complex conditions.
Waisman Center Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic Director Lily Wagner considers the Trump administration’s warnings about acetaminophen and approval of leucovorin as a treatment for autism. By Frederica Freyberg | Here & Now September 26, 2025 In other medical news, the Waisman Center on the UW–Madison campus is a leader in research and care of …
