Welcome!
Laura Hernandez, PhD
Program Director
Manish Patankar, PhD
Associate Program Director
The Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology (ERP) Graduate Training Program is an interdisciplinary endocrine program with an additional longstanding focus on reproduction. Our faculty’s research predominantly relate to NIH focus areas of NICHD, NHLBI and NIDDK, i.e., reproductive biology and physiology, maternal health, and fetal health at the level of intrauterine programming, and the adult endocrine diseases to which they relate (hypertension, obesity, diabetes).
We use a variety of multidisciplinary approaches in our research, from stem cells and cellular/molecular biology, to comparative physiology, to translational work in humans. We are able to provide such diversity in research opportunities by pulling together endocrine researchers from all over campus. We have 49 faculty trainers drawn from 15 departments across 5 schools and colleges, with a variety of backgrounds including PhD, DVM/PhD, MD, and MD/PhD. Our program has helped facilitate a marked increase in human translational studies by multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams (MD and PhD) over the last several years. In addition, we have seen a dramatic increase in MD and MD/PhD trainers interested in reproduction as well of the study of related adult diseases, which themselves may lead to complicated pregnancy. Details on our training program and environment can be found here.
The end result of the ongoing evolution of the ERP program is a strong, vibrant training environment which is more conducive/supportive of translational research. This blended training environment is very much needed if we are to maintain a future pool of interdisciplinary translational research team members to pursue the research and translational goals of NIH to improve public health in the 21st century, and especially where it relates to complications of pregnancy and reproduction.
We hope you find our website helpful. If you have any other questions, please contact our Program Coordinator, at charden@wisc.edu or call 608-265-5838.