Research undertaken at the UW-Madison George M. O’Brien Center for Benign Urology Research is dedicated to improving urologic health in aging men. The center is a multi-site research cooperative between the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Massachusetts-Boston, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our lobster and cheese insignia reflects the Wisconsin-Massachusetts collaboration.
CURRENT PROJECTS
In addition to building research tools and improving technology for benign urology research, the U54 O’Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research also supports basic science and translational research.
RESOURCES FOR RESEARCHERS
The U54 O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research provides funding opportunities, technical resources, and protocols for researchers.
SEMINARS AND EVENTS
Visit our Seminars and Events page for a full list of upcoming and past seminars and events hosted by the O'Brien Center.
MISSION
The O’Brien Centers were established by the NIDDK in 1987 as P50 programs and worked independently. They were converted to the U54 mechanism in 2012 to encourage collaboration between funded centers and sharing with the larger research community with the following mission:
- Support the next generation of urologic researchers by providing meaningful education, support, and mentoring
- Cultivate new research tools and ideas by expanding the collaborative network within and outside of the traditional urologic research field
- Enhance knowledge of mechanisms associated with normal development, function, and disease pathology related to the urinary tract, kidney, and prostate
- Translate knowledge and tools generated from our collaborations to the clinical setting to reduce the burden of benign urologic illness by developing and testing therapies to better treat, manage, and prevent these diseases
GOALS
The goals of the O’Brien Center are to:
- Identify factors that cause urinary dysfunction in aging men
- Build consensus around research approaches to model urinary dysfunction in rodents
- Provide opportunities for established investigators to transition into the field of benign urology
- Secure the future of urologic research by promoting development of the next generation of urologic researchers
- Disseminate urologic research knowledge through seminars, workshops and symposia
OTHER U54 O’BRIEN CENTERS FOR BENIGN UROLOGY RESEARCH
Columbia University George M. O’Brien Urology Center
The Columbia University O’Brien Urology Center brings together research programs in Human Genetics and Mouse models to address the causes of congenital urinary tract malformations.
University of Pittsburgh O’Brien Urology Research Center
The University of Pittsburgh O'Brien Urology Research Center's mission is to identify new targets for developing novel preventative & therapeutic treatment approaches for BPH.
Latest News
Recent O’Brien Center publication image featured on the American Journal of Pathology
An image from a recent O’Brien Center publication (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33039351/) has been featured on the cover of this month’s issue of the American Journal of Pathology!
January 8, 2021Dr. Petra Popovics, at UW-Madison O’Brien Center, has been awarded a K01 Research Scientist Development Award!
A huge congratulations to Dr. Petra Popovics, co-mentored by Drs. Will Ricke and Chad Vezina at UW-Madison O’Brien Center, for being awarded a K01 Research Scientist Development Award to study “Osteopontin: A Novel Mediator of Prostatic …
January 8, 2021Congratulations to SBUR Travel Award winners Anne Turco (Vezina Lab) and Diya Binoy Joseph (Strand Lab)
Congratulations to Diya Binoy Joseph and Anne Turco for being awarded #SBUR20 Virtual Travel Awards!
December 11, 2020Former SPUUR students Lucille Anzia and Cody Johnson publish their SPUUR project in Abdominal Radiology
Lucille Anzia and Cody Johnson’s SPUUR project ‘Comprehensive Non-invasive Analysis of Lower Urinary Tract Anatomy Using MRI’ has been published in Abdominal Radiology. Congratulations Lucille & Cody! Read the publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33040167/
December 11, 2020Thrishna Chathurvedula accepted into Mayo Clinic Graduate Research Education Program
Congratulations to Thrishna Chathurvedula from Dr. Chad Vezina’s laboratory for being accepted into the Mayo Clinic Graduate Research Education Program! She will study mechanisms of ALS in the laboratory of Dr. Ke Zhang in Jacksonville, FL. …
December 11, 2020- More News