Two researchers working with a microscope in a lab setting

Research

Fulfilling its research mission daily, the College of Health Sciences has one of the most robust scientific research operations at the university.

Within the UWM College of Health Sciences, many of our faculty, staff and students work in research and instructional laboratories and research centers.

Their work encompasses groundbreaking and pioneering investigations, including vital biomedical research, advances in movement sciences, ingenious rehabilitation research and development, innovative applied clinical technologies and novel disease prevention approaches.

Contact

Lance Weinhardt, PhD
Associate Dean for Research
weinhard@uwm.edu
414-251-6948

Brook Slavens, associate professor, showcases a wheelchair wheel that features a multigeared system that operates much like the gears on a bicycle.
Brook Slavens, associate professor, showcases a wheelchair wheel that features a multigeared system that operates much like the gears on a bicycle.
Dean and Professor Timothy Behrens showing a student how to use a pedometer.
Timothy K. Behrens, professor and dean of the College of Health Sciences, researches the impact of the Navajo Nation imposing a 2% junk food tax within its reservation. A tax that small might not discourage purchases, but its proceeds are distributed to constituents for wellness activities. Behrens is part of a research team that, in collaboration with the Navajo Nation, is studying how the money has been spent, how residents feel about it, and how health statistics have changed since its implementation.
Jake Luo stands with a tablet in a doctor's office talking with a doctor about Center for Health Systems Solutions.
Associate Professor Jake Luo is part of the Center for Health Systems Solutions, a multidisciplinary collaborative that leverages innovative technologies and research methods to develop novel solutions that improve patient experience of care, reduce health care costs, optimize health care workflow and enhance clinical research efficacy.
Professor Jing Yang works with a student in the Speech Acoustics & Development Laboratory. They seek to improve the speech intelligibility of L2 (a person’s second language) learners and speakers who struggle with speech-language-hearing impairments.
Professor Jin Yang (right) works with a student in the Speech Acoustics & Development laboratory, which works to help people who struggle with speech-language-hearing impairments and the speech intelligibility for people who have difficulties with a second language.
Prodessor Troy Skwor holds up a very colorful Petri dish.
Troy Skwor, an assistant professor of biomedical sciences, is studying whether resistant populations of bacteria can survive the wastewater treatment process and enter into the environment, where they can affect people’s health.

Innovative Research

The College of Health Sciences is doing exciting research that is making a difference in the lives of people in Wisconsin and world. Some of the diseases and conditions our faculty, staff and students are investigating are injury prevention and rehabilitation, Lyme Disease, macular degeneration, motor development, pain physiology and assessment, physical activity and aging, prostate cancer and voice and speech disorders.

Additional work is being done in accessible design, applied sport psychology, biomedical informatics, ergonomics, health care information systems, motion analysis, nutrition and obesity, weight management and body image.

Laboratories
Each day, faculty and staff within the College of Health Sciences engage in research that is fundamental to advancing knowledge in the health sciences. Our faculty, staff and students work in research laboratories dedicated to conducting innovative research that yields exciting breakthroughs, providing evidence that the College of Health Sciences truly is, “Where science enriches lives.”
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Centers
The College of Health Sciences faculty, staff and students continue to break new ground and pioneer investigations that are helping to advance discoveries critical to the health care fields. Through cutting-edge research and exciting collaborations, the college’s research centers play an integral role in improving the health and well-being for Milwaukee and its surrounding communities.
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Student Research Success
Every day, students within the College of Health Sciences work side-by-side with their faculty mentors and contribute to critical research in the health sciences. They publish their research in peer-reviewed journals, present their research at local, national, and international conferences, and receive awards and recognition for their research activities.
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Research Support
The Shared Office for Administration of Research (SOAR) offers a full range of research administration services for sponsored research activities. SOAR acts as a liaison between the faculty and the UWM Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).
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Statistical Consultation
The College of Health Sciences offers statistical consultation services to our faculty, staff and graduate students for their research.
Statistical consultation can be provided in all stages of a research project.
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Recent Scholarship
College of Health Sciences faculty have been successful securing grants, presenting at conferences and in their scholarly publishing activity.
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