Local Researcher Named 2019 Cullen Healthy Heart Scholar; 23rd Annual Cullen Run Raises $41,285 for Cardiovascular Research

Alison Kriegel, PhD

Milwaukee, June 18, 2019 – Alison Kriegel, PhD, is the recipient of the 2019 Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Scholar Award to fund her research investigating the mechanisms by which chronic kidney disease (CKD) contributes to cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Kriegel is a member of the Cardiovascular Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), an associate professor in the Department of Physiology and an alumna of MCW. A total of $50,000 will fund her project to identify biomarkers in the blood that predict CKD patients at the highest risk of suffering cardiovascular events. The goal of the project is to identify new therapeutic targets to mitigate cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death amongst CKD patients.

For the grant, $25,000 comes from the Cullen Scholar fund, which honors the memory of former Milwaukee Alderman Steve Cullen who died suddenly of a heart attack at age 40, and another $25,000 from a grant awarded to the Cardiovascular Center by the Research Education Program Fund, a component of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment at MCW.

Established in 2015, the Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Scholar Award is a competitive annual research grant for cardiovascular research within the Cardiovascular Center. The $25,000 award comes from the Cullen Family Healthy Heart Research Program and proceeds of the annual Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Club Run & Walk.

Cullen Run Board Chair Gael Garbarino Cullen (center) and her daughters (from left to right) Colleen, Molly, and Annie, and her granddaughter present a $41,285 check to Dr. Ivor Benjamin, director of the Cardiovascular Center at MCW.

The 23^rd Annual Cullen Run & Walk in February 2019 raised more than $41,000. The remainder of the proceeds will support the training of the next generation of cardiovascular scientists through the Cullen Summer Research Fellowship for Medical Students, part of MCW’s Medical Student Summer Research Program, the Cullen Diversity Summer Research Fellowship, part of MCW’s Diversity Summer Health-Related Research Education Program, a research internship for undergraduate students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in biomedical science, the Cullen Summer Research Fellowship for 500 Stars Students, part of MCW’s Clinical & Translational Science Institute’s 500 Stars Summer Internship program, an internship offering hands-on experience working with faculty researchers and research teams conducting real-life studies, and the Cullen Research Opportunity for Academic Development in Science (ROADS) Fellowship, a part of MCW’s ROADS Program, a program designed to provide high school students with a meaningful experience in a research laboratory setting and to stimulate their career interest in science, medicine and biomedical research.

The 24^th Annual Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Club Run/Walk will be held February 15, 2020.

About the Cardiovascular Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin

The Cardiovascular Center, founded in 1992 at the Medical College of Wisconsin, serves more than 160 members from 21 departments and institutes on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Campus and surrounding community as it fulfills its mission to improve cardiovascular health in southeast Wisconsin and beyond through cutting-edge research, cost-efficient and high-quality healthcare delivery, rigorous training of the next generation of diverse cardiovascular scientists, and engaging the community to eliminate disparities in health outcomes. Directed by Ivor Benjamin, MD, over 32,000 square feet of space is dedicated to the center’s laboratories, offices, conference rooms, equipment cores and staff who promote its mission by management of core resources, acquisition and distribution of funds for meritorious cardiovascular research, education of its members, trainees and staff, and interaction with the community to understand its needs and alleviate the burden of disease in the heart and blood vessels.

About the Medical College of Wisconsin

With a history dating back to 1893, The Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,400 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, MCW-Green Bay, and MCW-Central Wisconsin. MCW’s School of Pharmacy opened in 2017. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY2016, faculty received more than $184 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 3,100 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,500 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 525,000 patients annually.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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