Impact
In keeping with the Wisconsin Idea, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health is improving lives beyond the boundaries of the university by advancing health and health equity through education, service and research. We are dedicated to educating and training health professionals to provide outstanding and innovative health care that is informed by groundbreaking research and clinical trials.
Meeting Health Care Needs Through Education
The Rural MD track focuses on underserved rural populations and under-resourced settings.
NACHP mentors and supports indigenous health professions students with a goal of reducing health inequities facing Native people.
The Urban MD track focuses on care of underserved urban populations and improving health equity.
Community Service Initiatives
MEDiC is an interprofessional student-led organization that runs four free health clinics and partners with three other free clinics in the Madison area.
GoBabyGo is a free program, hosted by UW’s PT, OT and engineering students, that modifies toy ride-on cars for children with mobility impairments.
Doctors Ought to Care (DOC) is a nationwide group of physicians and medical students dedicated to working with young people to promote healthy lifestyles.
Historic Breakthroughs
We continue to produce world-changing discoveries, helping shape the practice of medicine and nurturing leading scientists.
James Thomson, cell biologist, led the first research team in the world to derive human embryonic stem cell lines, in 1998. The five stem cell lines Thomson derived are still used today by scientists and students around the world.
Howard Temin, geneticist, virologist and 1975 Nobel Prize co-recipient, discovered reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that explains how retroviruses cause cancer and AIDS, one of the most important discoveries in modern medicine.
Virginia Apgar, who trained in anesthesiology at the UW Hospital in the 1930s, created the Apgar score, a health assessment for newborns that has helped reduce infant mortality and is still used around the world.
Helen Dickie, pulmonologist, Wisconsin native and advocate for women physicians, became a leader in preventing, diagnosing and treating tuberculosis and farmer’s lung disease.
Joshua Lederberg, molecular biologist who launched the UW Department of Medical Genetics in 1957, received the Nobel Prize in 1958 for his research on bacterial genetics and antibiotic resistance.
Medical researcher Folkert Belzer and biochemist James Southard developed a liquid solution to preserve pancreases awaiting transplantation. The “UW Solution” remains the go-to choice for organ preservation.
A Bold Future for Biohealth in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s designation as an Economic Development Administration (EDA) Regional Tech Hub for biohealth is driven by a collaborative consortium of industry leaders, public and private partners, and community organizations, with UW–Madison helping lead the way. This federal designation positions our state as an innovation hub, elevating our reputation through achievements in research, innovation and education. Together, we are making Wisconsin a global hub for personalized medicine.
Jennifer M. Mnookin, University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor
Points of Pride
*2024 US News & World Report. University Hospital is a primary teaching hospital for our academic medical center.