A professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been named the new director of the Center for Urban Population Health (CUPH), a collaborative research organization among UWM, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Aurora Health Care Inc.
Lisa Berger replaces Ron Cisler, who left CUPH to become the dean of UWM’s College of Health Sciences in 2015.
The CUPH formed in 2001 with the mission of improving the health of urban populations and reducing inequities among communities through research, evaluation and education. Research programs focus on projects that address the health needs of women and children, the aging population, minority groups and the economically disadvantaged.
Berger, whose research expertise is in substance abuse, has been involved in population health-related research for nearly 20 years. She spent her early career at UWM’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Research, where she was involved in several clinical trials for behavioral health conducted at Aurora Sinai Medical Center.
An affiliated scientist at CUPH since 2011, Berger has several grants, including federal support for a training program designed to help community partners treat substance abuse.
Berger joined the faculty of the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare in 2005. She completed her bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison and earned a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate in urban studies at UWM.
