Wednesday, April 22, from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Enderis Hall, Denemark Lounge Rm 120

• Grab-and-go snacks
• FitWell yard and table games – corn hole, Jenga, Connect 4, puzzles and Legos
• Pop-it! Burst away your stress with some bubble wrap popping.
• Bring grocery film bags and bubble wrap to the event and 51����’s Sustainability Office will recycle them.

For questions or comments, please contact Kate at brondino@uwm.edu.

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Join Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health advisors Torry or Kelsi for our Rock Enroll drop-in, in-person advising session for those who haven’t yet re-enrolled for Spring 2026.

Tuesday, December 9 from Noon – 4 pm.
Enderis Hall, Denemark Lounge Rm 120

Bring your laptops/tablets for a jam session where advisors are available to help review ideas/notes for your Spring course schedule.

Advisors will guide you through the enrollment process on PAWS or Stellic.
Be sure to grab a snack to fuel the process. Visit with Michael Laiosa’s Therapy Dog, Luna (time TBD).

For questions or comments, please contact Academic Advisor Kate at brondino@uwm.edu.

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SAMCHE, which operates under the��, collected items such as panty liners, tampons, and disposable pads. The donations were delivered in person to Sojourner, where the student leadership team met with Executive Director Carmen Pitre to present the items and express appreciation for the Center’s work in supporting families affected by domestic violence. This initiative reflects SAMCHE’s ongoing commitment to advancing equity in maternal and child health across Wisconsin.��

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Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) students presented projects addressing critical public health challenges, from mental health and child maltreatment to food insecurity and opioid use disorder. Their poster presentations included:��

• A Public Health Approach to Preventing Child Maltreatment.��
  Joyli Kamau��(student) |��Faculty Mentor:��Dr. Paul Florsheim��
• No Student Left Hungry.��
  Mahrukh Delawarzad��&��Rasha Ali��(students) |��Faculty Mentor:��Dr. Rose Hennessy Garza��
• Breaking the Silence: Creating a Program to Reduce Stigmatization & Normalize Conversations about Mental Health among First-Generation College Students.��
  Yaritza Garcia��&��Manizha Nazari��(students) |��Faculty Mentor:��Dr. Rose Hennessy Garza��
• Natural Language Processing and Opioid Use Disorder: A Holistic Social Determinants of Health Approach.��
  Kylie Degner��&��Maxwell Sharkey��(students) |��Faculty Mentors:��Dr. Phonix Do & Dr. Lu He

Congratulations to��Kylie Degner��and��Maxwell Sharkey��for receiving an award for Outstanding Poster Presentation! We commend all our BSPH students and faculty mentors for their dedication to advancing public health knowledge and their commitment to community impact.��

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Following the presentations, students in the BSPH and the BS in Nutritional Sciences program enjoyed a keynote address by Valerie MacMillan, Executive Director of . MacMillan discussed key issues surrounding food insecurity and encouraged students to get involved in meaningful ways.��

The event concluded with a graduation celebration, where students were recognized with honors and graduation cords. Students receiving commencement honors included Sydney Bohaman, Laura Czapiewski, Kylie Degner, Michael Figueroa Osorio, Henry Jacob, Maxwell Sharkey, and Ashlyn Rose. 

We’re also excited to have two students continuing into a Zilber College master’s program: Michael Figueroa Osorio will be continuing in the MPH Community and Behavioral Health Promotion Track, and Nick Wielgosz will be continuing in the MS in Biostatistics. 

Also, two students were offered jobs before graduation!��Taofiqat Jimoh��was offered a full-time position at her Field Expeirence site,��.��Syndey Boham��was offered a position as an Environmental Health Specialist with the City of Watertown Public Health Department.��

We are so proud of our BSPH students and all they have accomplished! 

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We’re so proud of all our MPH graduates!��

• Erica Brincka, Nutrition & Dietetics��
• Cianna Colon, Nutrition & Dietetics��
• Emma Durkin-Wagner, Epidemiology��
• Kate Enriquez, Environmental Health Sciences��
• Carlos Galvan, Epidemiology��
• Rachel Goochey, Environmental Health Sciences��
• Madelyn Hill, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• David Jakubek, Nutrition & Dietetics��
• Delaney Ortiz,��Nutrition & Dietetics��
• Ifadha Jayah, Public Health Policy��
• Marcel Kline, Epidemiology��
• Kayla Lane, Environmental Health Sciences��
• Riley Leckwee, Epidemiology��
• Afrah Yafai, Epidemiology��
• Hailey Jaschob, Epidemiology��
• Evelyn Kurtz, Epidemiology��
• Maria Mundt,��Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• Hannah Neuman, Public Health Policy��
• Xiarah Ortiz, Public Health Policy��
• Vanessa Ramirez, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• Brooke Ramusack, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• Alyssa Ruediger, Biostatistics��
• Stephanie Siwak, Epidemiology��
• Danijela Skilijevic, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• Lauren Smith, Epidemiology��
• Hannah Sorensen, Public Health Policy��
• Kyriaki Topetzes, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• Benjamin Wells, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion��
• Alexis Young, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion

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Some public health experts are describing this situation as a “tragedy,” one that fosters existing inequities and potentially even crime.

Research from the UW-Milwaukee Zilber School of Public Health indicates that Black and Brown children are disproportionately at risk of lead exposure from lead paint and aging plumbing in older homes within their neighborhoods.

In a recent TMJ4 Lighthouse 360 report, several voices came together to address this pressing issue, each highlighting the urgent need for effective solutions. TMJ4’s Ryan Jenkins shares the perspectives of a medical director, public health professor, radio show host and grassroots organizer, which all converge on a critical truth about the dangers of lead exposure and the demand for action.

“It’s more than perplexing to me that all these years later, we’re still dealing with paint exposure,” said Earl Ingram, a longtime Milwaukee resident and radio show host.

As he approaches his 71st birthday, Ingram has made it his mission to shed light on critical community issues, including the city’s lead crisis in schools and homes. He criticized the lack of leadership surrounding the issue.

“How is it that the wealthiest nation on Earth is moving so slow to find, fund and execute solutions to the lead that is poisoning Milwaukee’s kids?” he asked.

Ingram emphasized the need for elected officials to prioritize addressing the crisis.

“Being elected is one thing. Doing what is necessary to protect the children of this nation is altogether something different,” he said.

Dr. Heather Paradis, medical director of the Integrated Lead Program at Children’s Wisconsin, warned that failing to address lead exposure will have serious long-term impacts.

“Exposure over time can lead to growth delay, learning difficulties, a decrease in IQ, and more aggressive behaviors. These can certainly lead to lifelong impacts,” Paradis said.

Data underscores the severity of the issue. Dr. Paradis pointed out that Milwaukee is not only a segregated city but a “hyper-segregated” one.

“Unfortunately, we do see the majority of our lead poisoning burden existing within our near north and near south side communities, which are children of color, children living at or below the poverty level, and children who may have other social vulnerabilities,” she said.

What Dr. Heather Paradis says parents should know:

• Children under the age of 6 are most at risk of the negative impacts of lead because of their curious nature and hand-to-mouth behavior.
• Children must be exposed to��and��ingest lead to be poisoned.
• Those especially at risk live in homes or go to school buildings built before 1978 and that have recently undergone renovations.
• Although less common nowadays, lead can be found in the water and soil as well.

The implications of lead exposure extend beyond health; they may also be connected to rising crime rates.

Amy Kalkbrenner, a professor of public health at Zilber College, told Jenkins about her research linking lead exposure to criminal activity.

“We looked at lead exposure in children living in Milwaukee and were able to link this up with criminal records—either as a perpetrator or a victim of gun violence,” she said. “We found that the more lead exposure, the more likely someone was to either commit or be a victim of a firearm-related crime.”

Kalkbrenner believes interventions require a broader societal approach rather than solely addressing individual families.

“It’s almost as if there’s a price tag to being in a safe environment,” she said, adding that such expectations are “simply not fair.”

She echoed Ingram’s call for local and federal government support to aid those most affected.

Meanwhile, local leaders like Melody McCurtis, deputy director and lead organizer at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, are taking action.

“Black and brown communities are really suffering and paying the most, not only with their pockets and limited resources, but also with their health,” she said.

McCurtis and her team have been working door-to-door to distribute water filters to vulnerable families, aiming to provide some peace of mind and educational resources regarding the crisis.

Ingram hopes for increased community awareness and activism. “It is incumbent upon people in the community to step up, first to be educated, then to bring pressure on the elected officials so they understand that this should be priority one,” he said.

As the lead crisis continues to affect Milwaukee’s children, the call for urgent action resonates loudly among community leaders and health experts alike.

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Without computers, it would take Jake Luo a lifetime to sort through the sheer amount of data that is integral to his work. An associate professor in 51����’s Zilber College of Public Health and College of Engineering & Applied Science, Luo focuses on identifying patterns in massive, sprawling electronic health records to highlight disparities in care.

One dataset in particular, from the National Inpatient Sample, contains the data of 7 million patients across multiple years, Luo said. Even regular computers struggle to process this amount of information. “Sometimes, if the data set is too large, you can’t get a result because of the memory limitation or the CPU limitations,” he explained.

That’s why artificial intelligence is a powerful companion for Luo’s work. AI was designed to handle huge amounts of data and identify patterns. With resources from 51����’s High Performance Computing Center, Luo employs advanced AI computing techniques to efficiently process massive datasets.

 These AI models can identify subtle patterns in how different patient populations access and experience health care services and their health outcomes, helping us understand where disparities exist and how to address them. The end result is organized information that researchers can leverage to draw conclusions about the state of health care — and build a roadmap for improvement.

Finding the gaps

Access to health care varies widely in the United States. Income level, insurance status, location, race, sex and level of education can affect each person’s experience with preventive and emergency care.

Making health care more equitable starts with addressing the disparities. But to prompt real change, professionals need to identify the gaps and who is most affected.

Luo, who directs the 51���� Center for Health Systems Solutions, approaches this widespread problem by digging into the data. As an expert in bioinformatics, he sifts through electronic medical records in order to spot patterns. These databases are huge and have many data points on each patient.

“All the details about the patient — what kind of treatment they had, what kind of drug they’ve been taking, what kind of diagnosis and the (clinician) notes are in the electronic health record,” Luo said. “We leverage this particular dataset to do a lot of different kinds of research.”

Highlighting disparities

In many projects, Luo begins by collaborating with clinical investigators — physicians who directly work with patients — to suss out patterns and develop hypotheses.

“For example, they might observe that certain patient groups have lower response to certain treatments, and some patient groups are not adhering to the treatment … protocol as well as other patient groups,” Luo said.

Then, using patient data, the researchers determine if the hypothesis is true or not. “Clinical investigators give us some hint about potential gaps and challenges,” Luo said. “And then we basically drill into those areas and look into the pattern to see if that’s true or not.”

Other times, Luo’s group works backward; they get access to a large dataset but have to use machine learning to detect patterns within it. Such was the case when they studied disparities in telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using sophisticated machine learning algorithms, they analyzed several factors simultaneously, from clinical outcomes and treatment patterns to socioeconomic indicators, to identify which patient populations may be underserved. For example, when studying telemedicine adoption during COVID-19, their AI systems processed millions of patient interactions to detect usage patterns across different demographic groups, revealing previously unknown disparities in virtual care access.

“We pooled all the patients who used telemedicine and then generated a control group who did not use telemedicine and looked into the pattern of those patients to see, for example, whether a specific group actually adopted telemedicine better than the other groups,” Luo said.

Some of the data confirmed their hypothesis – that more educated patients were more likely to use telemedicine. Other patterns were less obvious and more surprising, Luo says. For example, female patients were more likely to meet with their doctor virtually than male patients, as the team revealed in a 2021 paper in the journal .

In another project, Luo is working on an initiative with the Medical College of Wisconsin called OTO Clinomics. It aims to help researchers better understand individual risk factors for otolaryngologic diseases and treatment to provide better care. (Otolaryngology includes conditions like head and neck cancer, tonsillitis, reflux and hearing loss.)

In 2021, Luo contributed to a report in   about the socioeconomic factors that correlate with a chronic rhinosinusitis diagnosis at a specialized clinic (as opposed to the emergency room). His team found that patients at the clinic tended to be proportionally older, educated, white and female. Conversely, clinics saw fewer patients who were Black, male, and had lower income and education levels.

These findings correlated with national trends related to race and socioeconomic status in health care access. In this case, Luo’s team won’t be the one to address the gaps with potential solutions, but drawing attention to these disparities can set the stage for other researchers to explore ways to help different patient populations.

Improving the patient experience

In other projects, Luo is working on more direct improvements for the patient experience. Under a grant from the National Institutes of Health, he helped design an AI-enabled voice system to help patients report data.

When patients start a new medication regimen or join a clinical trial, they’re not always diligent about reporting their health data. For example, a person undergoing diabetes treatments might need to log their glucose levels every day in an online portal. Clinicians rely on this data to determine if a treatment is working, yet patients aren’t necessarily consistent when it comes to recording their biomarkers.

So Luo’s team is working with a small cohort of participants who agreed to bring home an Amazon Alexa device that can talk to them when it’s time for a check-in. “It provides a very natural interface for the patient to do this task,” Luo says.

Instead of requiring patients to sit down at a computer and type in information each day, it’s a lot easier to just chat with the device on the go. The AI-enabled software can have a conversation with the patient, prompting them to share incremental health details as needed. Unlike simple reminder systems, this AI can engage in more sophisticated interactions. For example, asking clarifying questions if a patient reports concerning symptoms or offering encouragement when they’re consistently tracking their health data. The goal is to create an easier reporting system that streamlines data collection for patients and clinicians alike.

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Laestadius has studied the rise of AI companions and their impact on mental health. These bots can text, call, send audio clips, and images—simulating friendship, emotional support and even romance. Some users have said the AI makes them feel funny, attractive, and validated in a way real-life interactions sometimes don’t.

But beneath the surface of this digital intimacy lies a growing concern.

Laestadius that shows while AI companions can help with depression, social anxiety, and loneliness. They also have a lot of risks for well-being. Those risks include humans becoming dependent on their AI companion.

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Participating organizations included:

• North Shore Health Department
• Hallmark Home Care
• Aurora
• One MKE
• Sixteenth Street Clinic
• Granite Hills Hospital
• ETS Performance
• Carelon
• Ascension
• WAC
• Wisconsin Sports Performance
• Froedtert
• On Point Fitness Club
• Aretas Physical Therapy
• Shorewood Fitness
• MCW – Pharmacy Program
• 51���� Master’s in Nursing
• 51���� Athletic Training
• 51���� Occupational Therapy
• 51���� Student Health and Wellness
• 51���� Office of Undergrad Research
• 51���� Center for International Education

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