University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Dean's Welcome
Every seven years, we welcome the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the official accrediting body for all United States and Canadian medical schools. The accreditation process allows us to review our progress and accomplishments, and to evaluate our strengths and challenges.

This particular visit provides a unique opportunity to showcase our transformation to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH), a new integrated approach that addresses the evolving health and health care needs of Wisconsin, and serves as a "revolutionary model that unites public health and medicine."

In January 2009, we created five self-study subcommittees and began the preparation of our self-study databases. The composition of our five subcommittees includes basic and clinical science faculty, medical students, staff, alumni and administrators from UWSMPH, UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Medical Foundation and UW-Madison.

Over the past three months, the subcommittees have gathered, analyzed and highlighted our strengths and challenges. They have also made recommendations for addressing problematic areas where there could be noncompliance with accreditation standards. As required by the LCME, a separate UWSMPH Student Subcommittee, composed only of medical students, created and distributed a questionnaire, and analyzed and presented their findings in a separate report.

The UWSMPH Steering Committee is synthesizing the subcommittee reports into a comprehensive assessment that addresses the questions in the Self-Study Guide and focuses on noteworthy accomplishments and challenges. From these analyses, a final summary report will be written and submitted with other requested information to the LCME.

Finally, an LCME team will meet with faculty, students, chairs, course directors and administrators at the official site visit on November 15-18 to review and discuss further the institutional self-study. After the visit, the LCME will determine the status of the UWSMPH accreditation.

The work of the self-study teams has been an open and thoughtful exchange of ideas. It is also an opportunity to evaluate and reconfirm our core values in teaching, research and patient care, and to assess our progress. We are deeply indebted to Dr. Patrick McBride for chairing the process, and to the numerous individuals who have contributed significantly to the self-study and the entire accreditation effort.

Facts and Figures
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison has consistently ranked among U.S. News and World Report's best medical schools for primary care and research. Here's a quick look at this world-class institution.

History:
At the beginning of the 20th century, Charles R. Van Hise vowed that the impact of the University of Wisconsin would be felt at the very boundaries of the state. This "Wisconsin Idea" has been expressed in many ways but nowhere more vividly than through programs of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

With a mission to meet the health needs of Wisconsin and beyond, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health established a statewide campus extending to every corner of Wisconsin, bringing better health care to all our communities.

The UW School of Medicine and Public Health was envisioned in 1848 when Governor Nelson Dewey included a medical school in his plan for the newly created University of Wisconsin.

In 1908, eight students matriculated in the new College of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin. The two-year curriculum consisted entirely of basic science classes. A handful of faculty members - either "borrowed" from the College of Letters and Science or recently hired for the new college - taught the students anatomy, physiology, physiological chemistry, pathology and pharmacology.

From those humble beginnings and in an eventful span of a little more than 100 years, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has evolved. Take a walk through the UW School of Medicine and Public Health history with the video retrospective above, which discusses the school's mission and vision from its 1907 inception to its current charge under the leadership of Dean Robert Golden.

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has, over the years, broadened its scope to include programs in public health, physical therapy, physician assistant and genetic counseling. These programs have consistently achieved high acclaim and supply needed health professionals to Wisconsin and beyond.

We have continuously emphasized research as a vital component of our mission. The School of Medicine and Public Health offers more than a dozen doctoral programs covering the full spectrum of basic, clinical, translational and population health sciences.

Statewide Campus
In keeping with the Wisconsin Idea, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison sees the borders of the state as the dimensions of the medical school.

Hundreds of physicians throughout the state volunteer their time and expertise by serving as community faculty and mentors to students in the MD Program. In each of their four years of training, medical students have educational experiences with community faculty at hospitals and clinics throughout Wisconsin.

Beginning in the fall of their first year, medical students at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health start to develop their doctor-patient communication skills as they learn to obtain a history from patients in clinics in Madison and surrounding counties. They also develop physical examination skills at community sites in their first and second years.

During the third year, medical students receive clinical training in rotations not only at Madison sites, but also in La Crosse, Marshfield, Milwaukee and other Wisconsin communities.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Degree Programs :

Medicine

Allied Health Science

Public Health

Health Sciences

Video Presentation

UW School of Medicine and Public Health 2009 Match Day Ceremony

Highlights from the 2009 Match Day ceremony at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health,