AHW Blog

AHW Awards Announces $9.9 Million in Grants for 40 Health Improvement Projects in Wisconsin

Written by AHW Endowment | Aug 1, 2024 2:29:36 PM


The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) is excited to announce the 40 new projects selected for Momentum Grant funding. The projects focus on improving health outcomes across Wisconsin.

AHW's Momentum Grants support initiatives addressing critical health issues in Wisconsin. The grants, each up to $250,000, were awarded through a competitive application process aimed at addressing the state's most urgent health challenges. The rigorous review process for these grant applications involved thorough evaluations by the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Consortium on Public and Community Health, the AHW Research and Education Advisory Committee, and the MCW Board of Trustees.

"In our twentieth year of grant-making, AHW continues to propel the most promising work and ideas to advance the health of all Wisconsinites," said AHW Director, Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH. "These 40 projects totaling nearly $10 million reflect our commitment to investing the funds entrusted to us to improve lives throughout the state."

Momentum Grant Funding for a Healthier Wisconsin

In total, AHW awarded 22 grants amounting to $5,497,864 to community-based organizations throughout the state. Of these community-focused grants, seven target statewide health issues, ten concentrate on urban centers, and five are rooted in rural communities.

This funding round includes projects in 11 urban counties and 16 rural counties, reflecting a broad geographic spread. The community projects aim to build and sustain the state's health workforce, improve access to healthy food, combat substance use disorders, address mental health challenges, and provide integrated care to vulnerable populations.

In addition to the community grants, AHW is funding 18 research projects with grants totaling $4,391,041. These MCW faculty-led initiatives focus on diverse health concerns, including opioid addiction, HIV and syphilis screening rates, CPR training, and improving care for cancer and brain injury patients.

The selected projects, listed below, are set to be completed within a 24-month period beginning in July 2024. Use the links below to visit each project’s summary page and learn more.

2024 AHW Momentum Grant Recipients


Health-Focused Research


Adapting an Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention Program for Black LGBTQ+ Youth

Principal Investigator: Katherine Quinn, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

Eliminating Unnecessary Axillary Surgery in Wisconsin Women Undergoing Lumpectomy for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)

Principal Investigator: Chandler Cortina, MD, MS, FSSO, FACS, Surgery

 

Developing a Culturally Tailored Bystander CPR Education Intervention for Milwaukee Hmong Community

Principal Investigator: Jamie Jasti, MD, MS, Emergency Medicine

 

Effects of Peripheral Injury and Surgery on Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes

Principal Investigator: Christopher Roberts, MD, PhD, Anesthesiology

 

Brain-to-Text Computer Interfaces as a Precursor for Artificial Speech Restoration in Aphasia

Principal Investigator: Andrew Anderson, PhD, Neurology

 

Community-Based and Genomics-Informed Precision Medicine Pilot Project

Principal Investigator: Michael Zimmerman, PhD, Clinical and Translational Science Institute

 

Supporting Families in Complex Care: Developing a Measure to Assess Impact

Principal Investigator: Jessica Schnell, MD, Pediatrics

 

Photo-Triggered Trojan-Horse Drug Delivery for MPNST Tumor Cell Death and Macrophage Reprogramming

Principal Investigator: Amit Joshi, PhD, Biomedical Engineering

 

Optimizing HIV and Syphilis Screening Rates in Youth

Principal Investigator: Claudia Vicetti Miguel, MD, Pediatrics

 

Cognitive Dysfunction Related to Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation: Behavior and Neuroimaging

Principal Investigator: Adam Greenberg, PhD, Biomedical Engineering

 

Exploring the Microbiome Mechanism Underlying Neurological Symptoms in Long COVID

Principal Investigator: Yang Wang, MD, PhD, Radiology

 

Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative: Enhancing Outreach for Disparately Impacted Communities

Principal Investigator: Constance Kostelac, PhD, MS, Institute for Health and Equity

 

Development of HOPE (Helping Optimize Prehospital Equity) Research Collaborative

Principal Investigator: Benjamin Weston, MD, MPH, Emergency Medicine

 

Safer Medication Treatment during Pregnancy Using Fetal MCG and Pharmacological Modelling

Principal Investigator: Janette Strasburger, MD, Pediatrics

 

Collaboration to Engage Black Americans in Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Milwaukee

Principal Investigator: Laura Glasman, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

Increasing Capacity for Froedtert Primary Care to Treat Opioid Use Disorder

Principal Investigator: Julia Dickson-Gomez, PhD, Institute for Health and Equity

 

Health Workforce Education and Development


Creating an Addiction Medicine Fellowship in Milwaukee's Highest Risk Community

Principal Investigator: John Hayes, DO, Family Medicine

 

Establishing a Fellowship Training Program at the Nexus of Implementation Science and Health Equity

Principal Investigator: Steven John, PhD, MPH, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

High School to Health Care - Medical Assistant (H2H-MA)

Primary Community Organization: Center for Healthcare Careers of Southeast Wisconsin Inc.

Primary Academic Partner: Linda Meurer, MD, Family Medicine

 

A Proactive Approach to Wellness for First Responders

Primary Community Organization: Center for Suicide Awareness

Primary Academic Partner: Matthew Chinn, MD, Emergency Medicine

 

Strengthening Minoritized CHW Capacity to Combat Secondary Trauma using Natural Approaches

Primary Community Organization: Lawrence University

Primary Academic Partner: Corina Norrbom, MD, Medical School Regional Campuses

 

An Innovative Approach to Address Social and Structural Determinants of Health Through Housing

Primary Community Organization: Jackson County Public Health

Primary Academic Partner: Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS, Family Medicine

 

Healing Connections: Addressing the Impact of Racial Trauma

Primary Community Organization: Wellpoint Care Network

Primary Academic Partner: Terri deRoon-Cassini, PhD, MS, Surgery

 

Accelerated Healthcare Licensure and Employment for Medically Trained Veterans

Primary Community Organization: Heroes for Healthcare

Primary Academic Partner: Christine Everett, PhD, PAC, Medicine

 

Implementation of a Spanish Community Health Worker Training Program

Primary Community Organization: Milwaukee Area Health Education Center

Primary Academic Partner: Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS, Family Medicine

 

Public and Community Health Improvement


Family Resource Centers: A Universal Primary Prevention Strategy to Promote Health Equity

Primary Community Organization: Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board

Primary Academic Partner: Elizabeth Cleek, PhD, RN, CPNP-PC, Pediatrics

 

Reducing Dental Access Barriers for State-Insured Wisconsin Youth

Primary Community Organization: Community Smiles Dental

Primary Academic Partner: Rebecca Shira Bernstein, MD, Family Medicine

 

Building Community Recovery Capital: A Recovery Ecosystem Approach

Primary Community Organization: WASH Community Inc

Primary Academic Partner: Katinka Hooyer, PhD, Family Medicine

 

Healthy Homes Collaborative

Primary Community Organization: Community Water Services

Primary Academic Partner: Ronald Anguzu, MD, PhD, MPH, Institute for Health and Equity

 

Development of a Sustainable Public Awareness Campaign to Prevent Veteran Suicides

Primary Community Organization: Milwaukee County War Memorial Center Inc

Primary Academic Partner: Bertrand Berger, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

Nurturing Social Connection to Promote Health through Culturally Connected Arts-Based Programming

Primary Community Organization: Bembé Drum & Dance

Primary Academic Partner: Courtney Barry, PsyD, MS, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine                                                                                                                           

 

Activating Community Health Workers to Build Power Reduce Health Inequities in Black Populations

Primary Community Organization: Wello

Primary Academic Partner: Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS, Family Medicine

 

CAtCH Enhanced: Reaching Youth, Aging, and Disability Populations

Primary Community Organization: NorthLakes Community Clinic

Primary Academic Partner: Michelle Broaddus, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

Advancing Access to Behavioral Health Care in Rural Jefferson and Dodge County

Primary Community Organization: Rock River Community Clinic

Primary Academic Partner: David Songco, PsyD, Family Medicine

 

Community Health Care Workers from the Carceral Landscape

Primary Community Organization: The Community

Primary Academic Partner: Laura Hawks, MD, MPH, Medicine       

 

Faith Food Action Network: Improving Mental Health through Mutual Aid

Primary Community Organization: Wisconsin Council of Churches

Primary Academic Partner: Katherine Quinn, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

Building Resilience in our Communities

Primary Community Organization: Great Rivers United Way

Primary Academic Partner: Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS, Family Medicine       

 

Strengthening Fox Cities: A Data-Driven Approach to Sustainable and Equitable Suicide Prevention

Primary Community Organization: NEW Mental Health Connection

Primary Academic Partner: Sara Kohlbeck, PhD, MPH, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

 

Advancing Health Equity Using and Integrated Medical-Dental-Behavioral Health Care Model

Primary Community Organization: Kenosha Community Health Center

Primary Academic Partner: Joni Williams, MD, MPH, Medicine

 

Project iSERVE: Investigating Service Effectiveness, Reliability & Validity for Equity

Primary Community Organization: Children's Wisconsin

Primary Academic Partner: Cheryl Brosig, PhD, Pediatrics