What You'll Find in the Recent Stories and Upcoming Events Sections of mcw.edu
Updated
The Recent Stories section on mcw.edu is a news feed of institutional updates: patient and family journeys, research findings, awards, and leadership news. Upcoming Events highlights gatherings such as MedMoth, a storytelling night that invites participants to share personal stories. Together, the two sections show how MCW presents itself as a community-engaged academic medical center, pairing research and education news with public-facing events. The descriptions below reflect what the homepage currently displays; the feed rotates, so specific items change over time.
Recent Stories: What the Section Covers
The stories on the homepage fall into a few recognizable categories. Each item includes a headline, a short summary, and a date, with a link to the full story.
| Category | Example on the page | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Patient and family journeys | "The Michels Family's Why: Sophie's Journey and a Commitment to Future Patients" (October 13, 2026) | A childhood cancer diagnosis that led a family to invest in cancer care and research |
| Research findings | "MCW Researcher Harnesses AI to Pinpoint Mental Imagery in the Brain" (October 8, 2026) | fMRI data combined with AI-generated images to identify a brain network for visual memories |
| Research findings | "MCW Researcher Finds Cosmic Radiation Damages the Heart Long After Exposure" (September 30, 2026) | A study suggesting a Mars trip may lead to heart disease months later |
| Research findings | "Unlocking the Body's Defenses Against Microsporidia and Other Infections" (September 24, 2026) | Using C. elegans worms as a model to study how the body fights pathogens |
| Community and storytelling | "Medical College of Wisconsin MedMoth Provides a Night of Powerful Storytelling" (October 1, 2026) | An event where participants share science-related or personal stories to build connection and wellbeing |
| Institutional news | "Shekar Kurpad Inaugurated as MCW's Seventh President" (September 21, 2026) | The inauguration ceremony and early priorities for the institution's future |
| Awards and alumni | "Celebrating the 2026 Zeit Society Award Winners" (September 18, 2026) | How alumni support helps students grow into community-focused health leaders |
The mix is deliberate. Research stories sit next to human ones, and institutional milestones sit next to alumni giving. A reader scanning the feed gets a sense of MCW's three-part mission—medical education, research, and patient care—without leaving the homepage.
How to Use the Feed
- If you're following research: scan headlines for study-related phrasing (for example, "researcher finds" or "harnesses AI") and open the linked story for details.
- If you're considering MCW or exploring its culture: the patient and family stories and the alumni award stories give a clearer picture of institutional values than mission language alone.
- If you want the full archive: the section includes a "View All Stories" link that leads to the complete list beyond the homepage highlights.
Upcoming Events: What the Section Highlights
The events section surfaces public-facing gatherings rather than internal academic calendars. The clearest example on the page is MedMoth, described as "a night of powerful storytelling" where participants are invited to share "a story, big or small, sciences-related or not." The stated aim is to elicit emotions and connections and to promote wellbeing.
That framing tells you what kind of events to expect: community-oriented, storytelling-driven, and open to varied voices rather than purely clinical or academic sessions. If you're planning to attend, check the event listing itself for date, location, and registration details, since the homepage summary doesn't carry logistics.
Why These Two Sections Sit Together
Placing news and events side by side reflects a specific editorial choice. Recent Stories documents what MCW has done—discoveries, care milestones, leadership changes. Upcoming Events points to what the community can join next. For a prospective student, a patient family, or a local resident, the pairing answers two different questions in one place: "What is happening at MCW?" and "How can I be part of it?"
The MedMoth story is a useful example of the overlap. It appears as a news item in Recent Stories and points to an event in Upcoming Events, showing that the two sections feed each other rather than operating separately.
Practical Notes
- Story dates on the page run from mid-September to mid-October 2026, so the feed is updated regularly; expect the specific items to change between visits.
- Headlines and summaries are visible on the homepage, but full details require following the story link.
- The page does not list ticket prices, registration requirements, or access restrictions for events; confirm those on the individual event pages.