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
Tamara Bavendam, MD, MS, awarded a 2021 SUFU Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to Dr. Tamara Bavendam, MD, MS, NIDDK Program Director for the Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, for being awarded a 2021 SUFU Lifetime Achievement Award! The Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology …
April 14, 2021UW O’Brien Center researchers demonstrate that genetic factors serve as modifiers of responsiveness to T+E2
New research from investigators at the UW-Madison O’Brien Center demonstrates that genetic factors serve as modifiers of responsiveness to testosterone and estradiol implants (T+E2), establishing the need to control for genetic background in studies of …
April 14, 2021Former K12 Scholar, Dr. Heidi Wendell Brown, MD MAS FACOG, awarded a NIDDK R01 for “Tailoring Online Continence Promotion for Women”
Congratulations to Dr. Heidi Wendell Brown, MD MAS FACOG, Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Associate Division Director, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery, for her recent R01 award ‘Tailoring Online Continence Promotion for Women’! More than …
April 14, 2021Dr. William Ricke awarded a $2M R01 grant from NIDDk titled “Estrogen Pathways in the Development of Prostatic Fibrosis and Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction”
Dr. William Ricke has been awarded a R01 grant from NIDDK titled “Estrogen Pathways in the Development of Prostatic Fibrosis and Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction”. The $2 million grant, funded from 4/1/2021-3/31/2025, aims to establish …
April 14, 2021Dr. Debra Garvey, post-doc in Dr. Will Ricke’s lab, awarded a NIEHS R01 supplement to study estrogen receptor alpha in relation to the development of LUTD
Congratulations to Dr. Debra Garvey, Research Associate/Post-doc in Dr. Will Ricke’s lab, for being awarded a NIEHS R01 supplemental grant to study estrogen receptor alpha in relation to the development of lower urinary tract dysfunction under the …
April 9, 2021- More News