Today, Aug. 28, 2024, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin announced the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Academic Excellence (RISE) Initiative’s newest focus, RISE-THRIVE, will advance health and improve lives.
The Wisconsin RISE Initiative, which Mnookin announced in February, will leverage the University of Wisconsin-Madison's research strength to address complex challenges important to Wisconsin and the world. The initiative focuses on accelerated and strategic faculty recruitment, strengthening research and infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding opportunities for students.
RISE-AI (artificial intelligence) was the first focus area announced for this new initiative, followed by Mnookin announcing RISE-EARTH in April, which focuses on environmental sustainability.
Now, RISE-THRIVE (THRIVE stands for Transforming Healthspan Through Research, Innovation and Education) seeks to leverage and enhance the University’s reputation as a global powerhouse in interdisciplinary health research that connects both medical discoveries and innovative social science approaches to healthier lives for Wisconsinites and people and communities around the world. The effort is focused on strengthening UW-Madison’s investment and leadership in two separate yet complementary areas: the science of immunology and the study of healthspan (the number of healthy years a person lives, not just the years they live).
“The University of Wisconsin-Madison is known worldwide for its research on the complex human immune system and healthy aging, as well as for its work seeking to better understand the social contexts and lifestyles that enable people to not only live but thrive,” said Mnookin. “RISE-THRIVE will strategically focus our investments in these areas to extend the human healthspan, building on our existing strengths to generate research that will yield important new treatments for a range of diseases from Parkinson's to cancer.”
University leaders envision RISE-THRIVE as a hub for campus-wide, interdisciplinary collaboration. At launch, 10 UW–Madison schools and colleges will contribute expertise and resources to advance research in several priority areas, including stem cell biology, immune system and microbiome interactions, social, economic and behavioral factors related to health and well-being, genomics and epigenetics, and the development of new technologies that support health and healthy living.
“Our ultimate goal is to develop holistic approaches to extending healthy lifespan,” said Robert N. Golden, dean of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “A better understanding of the human immune system is essential to developing new treatments for cancer, improving organ transplants, eradicating autoimmune diseases, and improving our ability to prevent infectious diseases. Increasing healthy lifespan will also require deeper scientific knowledge of the complex relationship between our bodies and the world around us.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has decades of global leadership in health research, spanning every field from demography to pharmacology, molecular biology to surgery, biomedical engineering and robotics.
For example, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched the field of embryonic stem cell research in the 1990s. More recently, they have developed innovative approaches to study and defend against old and new pathogens, including influenza and the viruses that cause COVID-19. In 2023, the National Institutes of Health selected the university to lead a nationwide, $150 million research initiative to investigate the neurobiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
“RISE-THRIVE brings together the depth and breadth of the University's world-class research community to deliver tangible benefits to Wisconsinites and the world, particularly in recognition that our health is not just a matter of biology, but also influenced by where we live, our access to nutritious food and the socioeconomic stresses we face,” said Eric Wilcots, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “What better way to embody the Wisconsin Idea than with results that lead to richer, healthier lives.”
By advancing research aimed at improving human health, RISE-THRIVE will “introduce new collaborators with cutting-edge ideas to the campus community and build on the University’s existing strengths,” said President Charles Isbell.
He adds, “Diseases and health conditions that shorten the number of healthy years lived pose a growing challenge for caregivers, healthcare professionals and policy makers. Helping individuals take control and improve their healthy lifespan is a complex challenge that requires a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, as embodied in RISE-THRIVE.”
Recruitment for the initiative begins immediately and will employ around 80 people over the next few years, half of which will be centrally funded through RISE-THRIVE and the other half from already planned recruitment by schools and universities. Find out more about other RISE initiatives, including RISE-AI and RISE-EARTH, online.
