December 2025
This issue of WMJ features research and commentary exploring a wide array of topics, plus an expression of gratitude for those who contribute to and support the journal, as well as a look at Wisconsin’s strengths and opportunities from the perspective of University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s new dean, Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA.
Download a complete PDF of the issue. Click here to view the WMJ archive.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
From the Editor
A Season of Gratitude: Honoring the Community That Sustains Us
Fahad Aziz, MD, FASN
As I See It
Navigating the Haze: Delivering Patient-Wanted Care Amidst the Uncertainty of Medical Cannabis
Michael Chen, MD
Commentary
Reclaiming Names, Establishing Identity: A Personal Journey in Medicine
Ankit Choudhury, BA; Sagar S. Matharu, BS
Dean’s Corner
Wisconsin’s Opportunity to Become a Beacon for the Nation in Advancing Health
Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA
Letter to the Editor
Vimkunya – Hope Against Chikungunya: Science, Safety, and Access
Muhammad Affan Abid, MBBS; Ashmat Naqvi, MBBS; Muhammad Taha Kamal, MBBS; Muhammad Ali Kamal, MBBS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Association of Frailty Score and Surgical Site Infection After Open Lower Extremity Revascularization
Andrew Edsall, MD; Andrew J. Borgert, PhD; Alec Fitzsimmons, MPH; Irina Shakhnovich, MD
Area Socioeconomic Status and Early Onset Rectal Cancer in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Evidence from Wisconsin
Lauren Giurini, PhD; Cibele Barbosa Carroll MD, PhD; Thomas Lawler, PhD; Jennifer M. Weiss, MD; Noelle K. LoConte, MD; Shaneda Warren Andersen, PhD
Barometric Pressure Drops and Premature Rupture of Membranes
Timothy E. Klatt, MD; Christy D. South, MD; Aniko Szabo, PhD
Characteristics and Predictors of Pediatric and Adult Patients with Inherited Retinal Degenerations: Tertiary Care Ophthalmology Clinic Data
Melissa A. Trudrung, BA; Matthew T. McLaughlin, BS; Caleb P. Ganansky, BS; Ayman W. Taher, BS; William Van De Car, MD; Jonathan Le, MD; Kyle D. Peterson, PhD; Kimberly E. Stepien, MD; Melanie A. Schmitt, MD
Conditions Conducive to the Screening Auditory Brainstem Response Test: A Pilot Study
Gretchen Sackmann, AuD; Marc Drake, MD; Cecille Sulman, MD
US Medical Schools Provide Limited Information and Coverage for Fertility Treatment and Preservation
Micaela Stevenson Wyszewianski, MD; Eliyah Stevenson, BS; Sarah Okeke, BS
Violence Against Emergency Department Health Care Workers and the Effect of Wisconsin Act 209
Lauren Nickel, PhD; Corey Sell, MD; Meredith Hiller, BA; Arthur Derse, MD, JD; Nancy Jacobson, MD; Christopher Torkilsen, DO; Jamie Aranda, MD; Bradley Burmeister, MD, MBA; Matthew Chinn, MD
Putting Out Fires: The Experiences of Wisconsin Rural Health Officers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Samantha Crowley, MD, MPH; Sarah D. Hohl, MPH, PhD; Hazel Behling; John Eich; Gary D. Gilmore, MPH, PhD, MCHES; Jonathan Temte, MD, PhD
REVIEW
Evidence-Based Heart Failure Management: A Practical Guide for Hospitalists
Jeffery Northway, MS; Farzana Hoque, MD
BRIEF REPORTS
Hepatitis C in Wisconsin Jails: Barriers to Testing and Treatment During Incarceration
Emily Hacker, MPH; Kailynn Mitchell, MPH; Caroline Mohr, MPH
The Demographics of Whole-Body Donors in Wisconsin
Sarah Traynor, PhD; Christine Egede, MD; Ryan E. Hillmer, PhD; Scott J. Hetzel, MS; Meghan M. Cotter, PhD
A Statewide Approach to Collaboratively Improve Access to Medical Genetics Services in Wisconsin
Sara Zoran MS, CGC; Jessica Scott Schwoerer, MD
Correlating Ultrasound Echogenicity of the Abductor Pollicis Brevis and Median Nerve Cross-Sectional Area in the setting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Pilot Study
Ragav Sharma, DO; Peter Kane Connelly, MD
The Impact of Individual Exercise Versus Large and Small Group Exercise in Community-Dwelling Adults
Reid Pietila, BS; Derek Olson, DPT
CASE REPORTS
Abdominal Cocoon Syndrome Secondary to Signet Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma: A Rare Diagnostic Challenge
Umbish Dino, MBBS; Ahamed Lazim Vattoth, MD; Jeremy Smith, MD
Choroidal Rupture Secondary to Treble Fishhook Ocular Injury
Patricia Siy, BS; Kevin Schneider, MD; Jennifer Larson, MD
Gender-Affirming Self-Orchiectomy in a Nonbinary Patient
Caitlin J. McCarthy, MD; Sara S. Lindeke, MD
Successful Treatment of Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia with Buprenorphine: A Case Report
Adam Clements, DO; Ben Kaster, MD, MPH; Phillip Hartfield, MD
PAPASH Syndrome: A Case Report and Lessons for Clinical Practice
Janvi Patel, BS; Farzana Hoque, MD, MRCP
A Case of VEXAS Syndrome
Stephanie Analytis, DO; Taha Kothari, BS; Janavi Wagle; KhouaNeng Thao, BS; Emre Ozcerkirdek, MD; Rizwan Ahmed, DO; Samantha Huether, DO; Lisa Baumann Krueziger, MD; Bailey Hutchison, MD; Pinky Jha, MD