Q&A with Amy Hanson, MD, assistant professor, Division of Critical Care
Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Educational/professional background: I earned my undergraduate degrees in Human Physiology (BS) and Spanish (BA) from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. I stayed at the University of Iowa for medical school (MD) and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, to complete my residency in pediatrics and fellowship in critical care at Indiana University.
Previous position (title, institution): Pediatric Critical Care Medicine fellow at Indiana University; Children’s Health Services Research (CHSR) fellow at Indiana University; Morris Green Physician Scientist Scholar
What is your field of research or area of clinical care, and how did you get into it? My clinical time will be spent in the pediatric/cardiac ICU at American Family Children’s Hospital. I chose critical care because I love caring for the “whole patient” and helping guide patients and their families through the most challenging times of their lives. I hope to continue to develop my research foci in both nephro-critical care (because I love working with nephrologists and exploring the complex and often neglected organ that is the kidney) and health equity (because health care should be a basic human right, not a privilege).
How would you describe your work to a 5-year-old? I work with a team of superheroes to take care of really sick kids when their organs aren’t working. A lot of times, the kids I take care of are too sick to be awake, so I give them medicines to help them sleep and feel more comfortable while they try to get better. Sometimes I even hook them up to fancy machines to try to help them get better!
What attracted you to UW–Madison? People don’t leave here; and if they do leave for a chapter of their training, they come back! You don’t see that often. I knew UW–Madison must be doing something (rather, a lot of things) right.
What is your favorite thing to do in Madison? I love playing outside with my family — hiking, biking, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, etc.
What’s one thing you hope trainees will learn from you and your work? I want trainees to learn how to empathize with patients and their families during what are often the worst moments of their lives. When kids aren’t going to get better, I want them to learn how to walk families through transitions in goals of care.
Do you feel your work relates to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how. My understanding of the Wisconsin Idea is that it is a belief that our work as part of the university should extend beyond the university and hospital walls. So yes, I feel my clinical research as part of the Worldwide Exploration of Renal Replacement Outcomes Collaborative in Kidney Disease (WE-ROCK) group is a good example of executing the Wisconsin Idea. The collaborative works to set standards for and improve the care of children with acute kidney injury requiring dialysis in ICUs around the world.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter during video chats and parties? Kidneys filter around 50 gallons of blood per day (about enough to fill a kiddie pool daily)!
What are some of your hobbies and other interests? Playing outside in any capacity, reading, and watching my daughter fearlessly explore the world.