Donn Fuhrmann is New President of Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association

Donn Fuhrmann, MD '76, became the 47th president of the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) on July 1, 2010.

You might say that he has been primed to take on the new leadership position - because he's been a leader all his life.

"I like to participate and try to make things even better than they are," says Fuhrmann, a self-professed optimist.

A "people person," Fuhrmann wants to develop stronger relationships and increase interactions among University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health alumni during his two-year term.

He also wants to significantly increase membership in the Middleton Society, following up on the goals of his predecessor, John Kryger, MD '92.

"I hope being president will allow me to contribute and effect change as much as possible," Fuhrmann says. "I want to involve more people and generate creative ideas and new programs."

Fuhrmann has served as a member of the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association board of directors for six years and has been a class representative "forever," as he says.

Volunteering to be class rep was a logical move, because he was president of his class for three of his four years of medical school. Before that, as a pre-medicine undergraduate at UW-Madison, he was president of his senior class.

During those college and medical school years, he took time to feed his passion for travel. For example, he lived with exchange students in South America, stayed with a UW School of Medicine and Public Health graduate in Thailand, visited Australia and shadowed a physician in a Scottish fishing village. But he ultimately ended up in New London, Wisconsin, the town where he was born and raised.

Fuhrmann has been a family practice physician there for 30 years.

"Some of my classmates thought I was a little crazy going back to practice in my hometown," Fuhrmann says. "But it's been a real joy. My patients include old teachers, neighbors and friends."

He and his wife, Audrey, are deeply involved in family and community activities, with a total of 10 children and 11 grandchildren between them.

In his practice at the town's six-physician clinic, Fuhrmann "does a lot of everything," seeing some 25 patients a day.

"I'm still working full-time, although I'm slowing down a little," he says.

Recent rotator cuff surgery slowed him down more than he expected it would, but he's just about back to full steam.

Even with his arm and shoulder demobilized in a sling, he gravitated in the evenings to the large garden behind his house, located just a block from the clinic, to weed and water rows of vegetables and flowers.

"Gardening is one of my favorite activities; I find it very therapeutic," he says. Fuhrmann is also an avid hunter and fisherman. And he begins most days with an early morning swim preceded by stretching and weight lifting.

Though he does all these activities for himself, Fuhrmann hopes his lifestyle sets a good example for his patients. He devotes an unusual amount of time talking to them about healthy living.

"I really am an aggressive advocate and promoter of wellness," he says. "If there's one magic pill, it's exercise. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is also helpful."

Fuhrmann urges patients to find the activities they love and then do them regularly. And he delivers the same message to physicians.

"Doctors don't take care of themselves as much as they need to," he says.

He's planning a "Wellness Cruise" on the Mexican Riviera for fall 2011, to which all School of Medicine and Public Health alums will be invited. It will include sessions on prevention and wellness in addition to time for exercising and, of course, having fun.

"The WMAA is encouraging all classes that will be celebrating reunions to consider joining us on the cruise," he says.

In addition to being concerned about physician health, Fuhrmann worries about the shortage of family practitioners in small towns across Wisconsin. It's something he thought a lot about when he was president of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians.

"Whether it's more student scholarships or loan forgiveness, we need to come up with ways to help medical students chose careers in primary care medicine," he says. "We will always need more of these doctors."

Fuhrmann is committed to trying to improve his community, no matter what that community may be -
hometown, university, medical school or specialty.

"I've been so blessed," he says. "I want to give back."

By Dian Land

This story appears in the summer 2010 issue of Quarterly.