Executive Director's Message

Read the latest message from Karen Peterson, director of the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association. Her message appears in each issue of the Quarterly magazine.

Greetings, medical alumni! We recently said goodbye to another academic year and welcomed 146 new alumni into our family.

The Class of 2010 graduated in style with a recognition ceremony at the Union Theater, followed by the campus commencement ceremony at the Kohl Center.

In the evening, the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) and the medical school co-sponsored a celebration for the graduates and their families and friends. Some 600 people turned out for this special occasion.

View pictures and a complete list of graduating class members, and where they've gone for their residencies.

Alumni Weekend was filled with festivity. We honored the Class of 1960, recognized award recipients and celebrated four class reunions. Alumni had the opportunity to interact with students and take tours of the Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC), American Family Children's Hospital and the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research.

As fun as it was, Alumni Weekend was also bittersweet. It was the time when we honored and thanked Dr. John Kryger ('92) for serving as WMAA president for the last two years. John has an innate ability to engage each group of constituents, making them feel proud of their medical school and "part of the family."

He has made the WMAA strategic plan a priority, constantly reminding board members of its goals. John has done so much to cultivate our students and involve them in the WMAA. The good news is that he will stay very involved with the WMAA as a member of our executive, student and awards committees.

And there is more good news! We enthusiastically welcome Dr. Donn Fuhrmann ('76) as the new WMAA president for the 2010-2012 term. Donn has a great interest in "physician wellness" and is already organizing a cruise to the Mexican Riviera that will focus on wellness. We hope you can all make the cruise, which will take place in November 2011.

The WMAA staff is busy planning many fall events. We hope to see you at as many of the following as you can make.

Fall Reunions

Plans are under way for reunions for the classes of 1965, '70, '75, '80, '85, '90, '95, 2000 and '05. Class representatives for these classes have made the decision to celebrate in the fall in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend, October 8 and 9.

Homecoming

The WMAA will host its annual homecoming dinner on Friday, October 8, at the Memorial Union. The HSLC atrium will be filled with excitement on Saturday morning as we host the tailgate party prior to the UW vs. Minnesota football game. Game tickets for medical alumni will be available through the WMAA office. Priority will be given to WMAA members and class reunion attendees.

UW Hospital and Clinics Resident Event

The WMAA looks forward to hosting a tailgate party for residents on November 13, prior to the Wisconsin vs. Indiana game. This is one way we continue to build strong connections to UW Hospital and Clinics house staff.

Stay in Touch

As always, please feel free to contact me with your ideas, questions and concerns. You can e-mail me at kspeters@wisc.edu, phone me at (608) 263-4913 or write to:

Karen S. Peterson

Assistant Dean for Alumni/External Relations

Director, Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association

750 Highland Avenue

Madison, WI 53705