Nursing Research

All of Us is a research program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). UW–Madison is a proud partner of the All of Us Research Program and is a member of the All of Us, Wisconsin consortium. All of Us seeks one million or more people from across the U.S. to help speed up medical research. Researchers can access All of Us health data to conduct studies.

Established in July 2019, the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute (DSI) performs cutting-edge research in the fundamentals of data science and catalyzes the translation of this research into practice to advance scientific discovery in collaboration with researchers across campus, and beyond. Developing inclusive, interdisciplinary partnerships that further the social good is at the heart of what DSI does.

As one of the campus research cores, the Biotechnology Center provides standard as well as custom services available to campus researchers at the UWBC facility. Services include: DNA sequencing, genome editing for animal models, a gene expression center and access to mass spectrometry.

The Center for Demography of Health and Aging (CDHA) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of twelve demography of aging centers funded by the National Institute on Aging (P30 AG017266). Through the integration of research, training, and teaching, CDHA aims to increase the understanding of behavioral processes related to health and aging. The interdisciplinary research program at CDHA is designed to create links between social demography, biomedical, and epidemiological research on health and aging.

The Collaborative Center for Health Equity (CCHE) connects partners from the state’s rural, urban, and tribal communities with university faculty, staff, and students to advance long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships in teaching, research, and service initiatives to improve health equity in underserved communities of Wisconsin.

The mission of the Health Innovations Program (HIP) is to integrate health systems research with clinical practice and community programs. HIP supports the development and dissemination of tools for evidence-based health system and healthcare change through its website, HIPxChange. On HIPxChange, you’ll find tools to improve patient and family engagement, transitions in care, mental health, cancer screening and care, research tools, and more.

The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) has transformed the culture of UW–Madison from silos to integration. Researchers from Medicine and Public Health, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering and across the campus collaborate extensively and benefit from a strong network of resources and opportunities.

The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) researches the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in the United States. We bring together social scientists from across research disciplines such as economics, sociology, social work, and demography. Maintained by IRP and its partners, the Wisconsin Administrative Data Core (WADC) is a collaboration between UW researchers and its Wisconsin state agency partners, supporting research and evaluation across multiple programs and outcomes.

The Institute on Aging is a cutting-edge research center conducting work that  emphasizes the potential and strengths of individuals as they age; improves understanding of pathways to disease and impairments of growing older; and advances knowledge of resilience in the face of challenge and adversity for aging adults.

The Morgridge Center for Public Service connects University of Wisconsin–Madison students, staff, and faculty to local and global communities to build partnerships and solve critical issues through service and learning.

The over-arching goal of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE) is to address the complex challenges of the university’s broad research enterprise and support the needs of graduate education across campus, in a thoughtful and collaborative manner, all while providing strong leadership and clear vision in the constant pursuit of research and graduate education excellence. The OVCRGE oversees about $1.3 billion in annual research expenditures, a figure that puts UW–Madison among the top 10 in the nation among universities for volume of research.

The UW Population Health Institute advances health and well-being for all by developing and evaluating interventions and promoting evidence-based approaches to policy and practice at the local, state, and national levels. The Institute works across the full spectrum of factors that contribute to health.

The Research Cores Directory is a compendium of shared research equipment and services, including data for 120+ core units, 500+ shared instruments and resources, and 450+ professional services. The research cores include services and consulting relevant to research in life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

The scientific mission of the UW Carbone Cancer Center (UWCCC) is organized around six scientific programs. UWCCC programs encompass laboratory research, clinical research, population sciences and advanced research training. Shared resources provide researchers with a wide variety of services to ensure that their science is supported by state-of-the-art technology and techniques. Our shared resources are designed to support multidisciplinary research and unite physicians and scientists to speed the transfer of science to patients.

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute (WAI) is home of the  Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) study, one of the world’s largest and longest running studies of individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. WRAP is comprised of over 1,600 individuals, followed over time, including biological, health and lifestyle factors that may affect the disease.

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is a research institute that draws on the scientific excellence of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and that specializes in making science better, uniting world-class faculty from dozens of UW departments. It maximizes potential by targeting expertise in inherently interdisciplinary areas like data science, precision medicine, complex systems, and emerging technologies.

The Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE) promotes timely and relevant research focused on care of older adults by promoting inter-professional collaboration and community engagement to strengthen and inform nursing research and to contribute towards evidence-based practice.

Community Advisors on Research Design and Strategies (CARDS) is a community-based team of advisors who offer researchers candid feedback on recruitment materials and strategies, data collection approaches, and engagement with research participants. Since 2010, over 200 CARDS meetings have been held at local community centers between researchers and the CARDS® , advisory group.

Cooper Hall, home to the School of Nursing, offers many research resources:

• Exercise Laboratory
  Cooper Hall houses a fully-equipped exercise laboratory managed by the department of kinesiology, which also serves as a local NIH All of Us data collection site.
• Simulated Home Environment
  The simulated home environment recreates a fully functional one-bedroom apartment where researchers can simulate or test care delivery in the setting that mimics patients’ home-recovery environment. It consists of a replica apartment that introduces students to the latest in consumer-facing health-management technology and provides the School of Nursing with a valuable toolkit for investigating and studying patient recovery. The simulated home environment is equipped with cameras and a state-of-the-art video-recording system, and its raised floor provides space for motion and pressure sensors.
• Interaction Laboratory
  Cooper Hall’s Interaction Laboratory offers an informal living-room-style research space where researchers can observe the behavior and activities of occupants under varying conditions. Installed cameras allow video capture and live feed in the adjacent viewing rooms. A second, smaller observation room offers similar facilities for participant observation.
• Viewing Rooms
  The two viewing rooms allow School of Nursing researchers and clinicians to observe and monitor the interaction laboratory spaces. Each viewing room is equipped with flat-panel video displays to view video feed, and push-button microphones allow researchers to communicate with participants.

The Research Design & Statistics Unit (RDSU) within the NRSP Office provides consultation and support around issues of research design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. Statisticians are available to provide support for both faculty and graduate students as they prepare and implement their research proposals. The RDSU offers online training in statistical software packages commonly used by School of Nursing researchers. It also offers access to a variety of specialized data, data analysis methods, and methodological papers.

Nurse scientists lead inquiry into the influence of biopsychosocial factors on symptoms and illness self-management, which provides essential knowledge for precision health, ensuring appropriate and effective health care for all. The group is open to any faculty members or students who are interested in gaining expertise in symptom and self-management science, including the use of biomarkers and genomic data in nursing research.

The WINRS team provides researchers with effective and innovative strategies for engaging stakeholders and study participants—especially those from underrepresented populations.