In 2023, April Hall, PhD, MS, CGC, assistant professor in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism, began work to assess the feasibility of bringing whole genome testing to more Wisconsin hospitals. This testing was only at Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee and American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison. About 2,000 infants are born each year in Wisconsin with rare genetic disorders. With a quick diagnosis, the correct treatment can begin. A grant from Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment made the work toward expansion of rapid genomic testing to more hospitals possible. The collaboration is called Baby Badger Network. “Bringing this capability outside the walls of Children’s Wisconsin and American Family Children’s Hospital could help improve the lives of these babies and their families,” Hall said.
Read the full story on the UW School of Medicine and Public Health website: “Newborn genomic testing expands with support from Wisconsin medical schools” was published on June 26, 2025.