Quarterly Magazine

To encourage dialogue about race in health care systems, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health offered an inaugural Diversity Summit in early 2018. The central topic surrounded concerns among academic medical centers nationwide, including the School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health, which are grappling with recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

"Someday, these young surgeons may be taking care of us, and we all want great people taking care of us," says Bruce A. Harms, MD, MBA, about the need to support excellence in research, education and patient care in the field of surgery, and particularly colorectal surgery. To that end, he and his wife, Judith, have established a professorship in colorectal surgery.

Stephen Meyn, MD, PhD, recently joined the School of Medicine and Public Health to lead the UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine. Meyn is developing a strategic vision for the center, guiding the formation of its clinical and academic programs and crafting its long-term mission to become an innovative global leader in genome-based precision medicine.

In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day 2018, the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association staff hosted a gratitude-filled event, drawing medical students to write thank-you notes. Enthusiastic students gathered to share words of praise with the many donors who support the missions of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and its alumni association.

Spend a few minutes talking with physician educators Kyla Lee, MD ’98, and Kimberly Lansing, MD, PhD, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: There is a great deal more to teaching medical students than meets the eye. Based at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, they have close ties to the campus in Madison and have been intimately involved in the development and implementation of the school’s new ForWard Curriculum, now in its second year.

In May, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Master of Genetic Counselor Studies program will graduate its 40th class. It’s a major milestone by any standards, even if you consider that UW-Madison’s program was the first in the Midwest and the eighth in the United States.