Improved Assessment Protocols Identify Cerebral Palsy Earlier
Research from the Pediatric Neuromodulation Lab of Bernadette Gillick, PhD, MSPT, PT, at the Waisman Center showcases that evidence-based assessments for cerebral palsy (CP) are helping to improve diagnostic timelines and access to therapies and interventions.
March 26, 2025
National Doctors Day is March 30, 2025
Learn more about National Doctor’s Day here. Learn more about the many Waisman Center physicians who provide care as clinicians, who are researchers, or both. Melisa Carrasco McCaul, MD, PhD Pelin Cengiz, MD Peter Ferrazzano, …
March 24, 2025
Pediatric Brain Care Clinic’s multidisciplinary staff addresses acquired brain injuries from a wide range of causes
Every Thursday afternoon, the Pediatric Brain Care Clinic is open in the Waisman Center to see pediatric patients with acquired brain injuries, many recently discharged from time spent in the American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH).
March 18, 2025
Child’s rare condition diagnosed after 14 years of searching
Imagine how it would feel to have a child born seemingly healthy, but then he struggles to grow, walk, learn or talk – and no one can figure out why.
February 28, 2025
Waisman in Partnership with Forest County Potawatomi Community Receives Grant to Help Break Down Barriers for Indigenous Populations Accessing Autism Services
The Community Impact Grant Program, which is a part of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program, recently awarded the Forest County Potawatomi Community and academic partner Lily Wagner, PhD, BCBA, director of the Waisman Center’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic and clinical psychologist, a $500,000 grant to start developing strategies to improve access to early autism diagnosis and intervention for indigenous populations.
January 31, 2025Waisman welcomes new Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic director
After an extensive national search, the Waisman Center is delighted to welcome Lily Wagner, PhD, BCBA, as the new director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic.
July 30, 2024
Physician, educator, mentor: After three decades at Waisman, Wargowski Retires
Wargowski, after three decades of providing exceptional patient care to hundreds of patients in the Medical Genetics Clinics at Waisman, is retiring at the end of June.
June 25, 2024
After three decades of diverse service in genetics practice and regional outreach, David Wargowski will retire
From his arrival at the Department of Pediatrics in 1990 and for the next 30-plus years, David Wargowski, MD, professor in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism, has served tirelessly, addressing genetically based diseases and health conditions of the region’s children.
April 26, 2024
Triple the effort: Clinics, research, and education on Down syndrome at the Waisman Center
Down syndrome is a genetic condition in which all cells in a person’s body have an extra copy of chromosome 21, also known as trisomy 21. Having this extra chromosome affects how an individual’s body …
March 20, 2024
Researcher clinicians help bridge the gap between scientific discovery and medical care – Part 2
There is no one “typical” type of researcher clinician. There are differences in training, percentage of focus on research vs clinic, and type of research done. Many also carry teaching and administrative responsibilities on top of their already demanding positions.
January 10, 2024
Researcher clinicians help bridge the gap between scientific discovery and medical care – Part 1
Research and clinical services go hand in hand. One can’t effectively work without the other.
January 9, 2024
Helping families navigate genetics through counseling: A history of the genetic counseling program at the Waisman Center
So, in 1976, Burns along with a few collaborators, established the Genetic Counselor Program at UW-Madison.
December 22, 2023
The Waisman Center’s Clinics champion interdisciplinary care for individuals with disabilities for 50 years
This clinic specialized in the diagnosis and care of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) – a service not easily found in the late 1960s.
December 19, 2023
CASC Clinic: Enabling the basic human right of communication for all abilities
Without access to communication, people are isolated and frustrated and can end up having very different life experiences. If we can establish communication for a variety of individuals using alternative tools and techniques, and in so doing, increase that individual's quality of life, I think it's a pretty substantial impact...
December 13, 2023
Reaching beyond Rett Syndrome: How a family and the Waisman Center are working to improve care for those with rare syndrome
Several months after Ella’s first birthday, she received her diagnosis of Rett syndrome. “It was devastating, life changing. It’s rare – we hadn’t heard of it before we started this journey and it’s a very difficult diagnosis to process,” Jennifer says.
December 8, 2023
Branching out beyond where it’s planted: The story of the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Part 2
Former UCEDD director Bill MacLean with current director Leann DaWalt.
December 6, 2023
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.
December 5, 2023
The Waisman Center’s signature research project looks deeply at the connections between autism and ADHD
Josh loves coming to the Waisman Center. He has told his mom Julia several times that he particularly enjoys the two-day visits because he gets to spend more time at the center. His brain is special so it is cool that the scientists want to study it, he tells Julia.
July 13, 2023
From clinics to treatment: Waisman works to help families with autism
For many individuals with autism and their families, their first experience with the Waisman Center may be through the center’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities (A&DD) Clinic. The A&DD Clinic’s primary focus is providing diagnostic evaluations and follow-up care for to individuals suspected of having autism or other developmental disabilities.
April 4, 2023
Women’s History Month: Celebrating the Women of Waisman | Infographic
For Women’s History Month we are celebrating all of the women of Waisman who are advancing knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities and providing cutting-edge clinical care.
March 21, 2023
The Waisman Center’s comprehensive care and strides toward early interventions for children with cerebral palsy: Clinics and outreach
The clinics and the research laboratories of the Waisman Center intertwine to care for individuals with cerebral palsy. The mission is one: to improve the outcomes for individuals with cerebral palsy.
March 7, 2023
PKU patients around Wisconsin are grappling with the formula shortage too
People with metabolic disorders who require formula to ensure adequate nutrition are among those dealing with a months long shortage — the Waisman Center at UW-Madison is seeking to help source alternatives, even as such options can be stressful.
June 17, 2022
The Bone Dysplasia Clinic’s many decades of helping families
The start of the Waisman Center’s Bone Dysplasia Clinic was a case of serendipity. It was 1980 and Richard Pauli, MD, a pediatric geneticist, had just arrived at UW-Madison. Over the course of the year, Pauli settled into his new role at UW Hospital. Then in 1981, he was approached by radiologist Len Langer, MD, with a strange request.
May 20, 2022
A life full of love and magic: Eva S. Borenitsch
Eva Susan Borenitsch was magical. She knew no limits. “We called her our little unicorn,” says her mom Emily Borenitsch.
February 21, 2022Innovative UW Undiagnosed Genetic Disease Clinic seeks to identify rare genetic conditions
The UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health recently opened its first patient clinic, the UW Undiagnosed Genetic Disease Clinic at the Waisman Center.
July 19, 2021- More Clinics posts
Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.