News & Information

An important research project studying structural racism in Milwaukee County’s African American community is underway. The project, named D.R.IV.E Together (Dismantling Racism In Vigorating Equity), is being led by the Social Development Commission (SDC) and will include a survey of Milwaukee County residents to gather information about individual life experiences, their health status, and their living environment.

“You can’t take the person out of the context of their lived experience when treating them,” said Dr. Terri deRoon-Cassini, a professor in the Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a principal investigator on the new study. “Not everyone has the same lived experience. If we’re going to achieve equity in health outcomes, we need to understand the different environments and different experiences that everyone has in life and the impact those differences have on people and their health.”

The project is being supported by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The two-year project is being funded with a $200,000 grant from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. The research effort is unique in that it has been three years in the making and is the result of ongoing conversations between the SDC and its academic collaborators at Marquette, MCW, and UWM regarding solutions to the traumatic stress commonly found among urban residents in Milwaukee and other cities. Those discussions led to ideas on how to approach the issue more strategically, incorporating efforts to address the structural causes of traumatic stress.

Download a full report of this project for more information, or visit the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the Institute on Poverty and Structural Racism for more information on this and other related community initiatives.

Is your practice interested in improving the cancer diagnostic process for your patients who receive some or all of their care via telemedicine? AHRQ is recruiting practices for a free 18-month program to improve diagnostic verification, timeliness, and communication with patients. Practices will receive training and one-on-one expert coaching to implement sustainable improvements to effectively close the loop at critical points in the cancer diagnostic process. Learn more and sign up for an informational webinar on the program website: safetyprogram4telemedicine.org.

The Medical Society of Milwaukee County will  be hosting 2 tables at the 2023 WMS Foundation Event (April 14).  The event will be held at the Monona Terrace in Madison, and highlights 2-days of “Health & Harmony”.  The Annual Event also features the presidential inauguration of MSMC member, Dr Don Lee.  So join us for this special opportunity to connect with others and celebrate Dr Lee’s inauguration! Register now to attend.

As announced in December 2022, Joy Tapper will be leaving the role of Executive Director of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership (MHCP) in the fall of 2023. A Search Committee comprised of representatives from MHCP member organizations has been formed to fill the impending vacancy, ideally by September 1, 2023. The Search Committee is looking for an experienced, mission-driven leader who can take the 16-yearold, nationally recognized, and impactful public/private health care consortium to the next level as we continue to work together to advance our shared purpose – to improve health care for low income and disadvantaged populations in Milwaukee County.

Ascension Wisconsin serves as the “backbone” organization for MHCP, and Suzanne Spellman suzanne.spellman@ascension.org, Talent Acquisition Partner, from Ascension Human Resources is supporting the search process. Please feel free to direct any questions to Suzanne. A more detailed job description and information on applying are available online.

MSMC members joined the team of physicians and staff from Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) to visit Washington, D.C. as part of the American Medical Association’s National Advocacy Conference. The group urged Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation to support smart health care policies such as ensuring patients have access to physician-led care, supporting increases to the number of Medicare-supported Graduate Medical Education residency slots and reversing an alarming decrease in Medicare funding for physician services.

“It’s important that our Congressional offices hear directly from Wisconsin physicians about what we’re experiencing on the ground while taking care of patients,” said WisMed Board of Directors Chair Jerry Halverson, MD. “Physicians are proud to always have patients as our top priority – and you can tell during our visits that our elected officials appreciate that.

“Nobody understands what’s happening in health care quite like physicians do, and we’re glad that access to high quality health care is really a nonpartisan issue,” Dr. Halverson said. “That said, there’s important work that needs to be done to support physicians and our patients. We all must make sure that the folks we elect to these positions are listening and acting on what’s needed.”

The issues discussed in Washington, D.C. also resonate with WisMed priorities at the state level, including combating needless prior authorization requirements, recognizing the need for programs supporting physician wellness and ensuring our state maintains a workplace environment conducive to a long, rewarding medical career. (See this January 12, 2023 Medigram story for more on WisMed’s 2023-24 state legislative priorities.)

“Our meetings in all Congressional offices went great and we shared our messages as patient advocates,” said WisMed President-elect Don Lee, MD. “All WisMed members should utilize our advocacy resources as a way to help our federal and state elected officials know what’s important for good health care.” 

The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation is proud to honor Karen Watson, MD, FACOG, with the Superhero of Medicine Award during its Annual Dinner, Health and Harmony, on April 14 in Madison at Monona Terrace. The Superhero of Medicine Award is presented annually to recognize physicians who go above and beyond the call of duty to improve the health of their community.

Dr. Watson is an OB-GYN at Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - St. Joseph’s Campus and leads efforts for continuous improvement regarding maternal and infant health and has implemented innovative models for hospital-based care for obstetric patients. She is well respected by her peers for promoting and sustaining clinical excellence, performance improvement and patient safety. Dr. Watson is a hero for her championing of Blanket of Love (a social-support program that helps expectant mothers and families from pregnancy to beyond their baby’s first birthday), her efforts that led to a reduction of primary c-sections reducing complications, injuries and deaths and her generosity in sharing her time and expertise with health professionals across the state to improve the care and treatment of OB-GYN patients.

This award comes with a donation made in honor of the recipient to the non-profit of their choosing. The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation is pleased to present a donation in honor of Dr. Watson to Bread of Healing Clinic, a free medical clinic designed to serve low-income people who experience barriers to accessing ongoing health care. Barbara Horner-Ibler, MD, M.Div., MSW, Executive Director and Physician of the Bread of Healing Clinic was thrilled to hear that Dr. Watson would be recognized for her work. She notes, “We take our clinic name from the Hebrew Scriptures, ‘Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.’ (Ecclesiastes 11:1) It is a recognition that we all give and receive from the waters of life. Dr. Watson’s designation of the Bread of Healing Clinic as the recipient of her award dollars is an example of one such gift! We will hope to use it well to make more gifts available to others downstream.”

Mark your calendar for Friday, April 14, 2023, to hear from Dr. Watson and celebrate her profound work. The theme for our event is Health and Harmony. In addition to the award recognition, there will be a great social time with colleagues, a lively raffle and wine pull and time to tap and sing along to the fabulously fun and talented, Piano Fondue, Dueling Pianos. We will recognize several other notable physicians in the state, including incoming Wisconsin Medical Society President Don Lee, MD. Dr. Watson will also be participating on a panel about Maternal and Infant Health Inequity during the CME portion of Health and Harmony.

Proceeds from this event support health initiatives across the state and our well-trained and dedicated physician workforce in Wisconsin.  To partner with the Foundation as a sponsor, click here or contact Mikaela Powers.  To purchase individual tickets, click here.