MADISON, WI (September 12, 2024) — The University of Wisconsin–Madison and its many life-changing ties to the La Crosse area were highlighted in a daylong celebration of the school’s 175th anniversary on September 11, 2024.
“We all want to work to make this state as strong as it can be," said UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin in a media interview leading up to the celebration. "We want to create opportunities for students from all across the state to get an amazing education and then to go contribute and give back to their communities in the world in so many different ways."
Through several events, the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association and UW–Madison honored how the university is making a difference in the Coulee Region.
It all started with a breakfast celebrating the partnership between UW–Madison and Bellin and Gundersen Health System, becoming Emplify Health. Both organizations are working together to solve the rural health care crisis.
“More than 80 percent of Wisconsin counties are designated as partially or totally medically underserved,” said Heather Schimmers, Emplify Health’s Gundersen Region President. The Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM) is part of the solution. Administered by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Doctor of Medicine program, WARM is addressing physician shortages in rural areas by admitting and training medical students committed to improving the health of rural communities. WARM medical students participate in an integrated rural core curriculum during all four years. For 28 months, WARM students relocate to one of the school's statewide academic campuses, including Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. “They are training local, they are staying local, and our patients and our communities are the great beneficiaries of that,” added Schimmers.
JP Antonelli joined other UW medical students for a panel discussion to share their experience in the WARM program. “Rural medicine means not only being a doctor, but also a leader in your community,” said Antonelli. “Doctors in rural hometowns like my hometown of Black River Falls — not only are they doctors, but they're community leaders and they are baseball coaches. They are football coaches. They read at church, and they have a huge impact on their local community,” he said. “And so being a WARM student, we are put in positions where we have a lot of leadership and community-building experience.”
Elizabeth Petty, senior associate dean for academic affairs at UW–Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health, said the relationship between Gundersen and UW–Madison began nearly 100 years ago. “Building a program that allows our students to be engaged in our Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine is essential for the future of our health care in Wisconsin,” Petty stated. Gundersen hosts 20 UW–Madison medical students per year, and it is one of three hospitals sponsored by the WARM program.
That afternoon, the celebration moved to Onalaska and the Central Animal Hospital, where an event highlighted the need for more veterinarians, especially in rural Wisconsin. UW–Madison is "a premier research institution," said Dr. Douglas Kratt, a UW–Madison alum and Central Animal Hospital veterinarian. "If there are certain things we need more information about, we can reach out to the specialists at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine [and] the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. They can help us up here, or we can refer cases down there, that may be outside the scope of some of the things we can deal with."
Dr. Jonathan Levine, the newly appointed dean of the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, shared plans for future curriculum changes to help students gain knowledge faster and more efficiently. "One of my missions is to learn more about our external stakeholders, our communities in Wisconsin," he said.
The day ended with a community celebration at the Hatchery Riverside Event Center. UW–Madison representatives served free Babcock Dairy ice cream from a vintage ice cream truck, a big hit on a warm September day. Guests also had the chance to play a trivia game for a chance to win Wisconsin Badger home football game tickets. UW–Madison provost Charles Isbell Jr. thanked everyone for joining in the 175th anniversary festivities.
