Chair’s Welcome
I am excited to share some highlights of the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. We have approximately 200 faculty in 18 clinics providing state-of-the-art care to the communities of Wisconsin. We have a growing research team that achieves more than $8 million in annual grant funding. We rank 14th in the country in federal National Institutes of Health awards per the 2025 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings. We have a dynamic education program that resulted in family medicine being the highest chosen specialty in our medical school in 2024. We train and support 163 family medicine residents in the state with approximately 60% remaining in Wisconsin. Our department has one of the largest fellowship training programs in the country, including fellowships in academic faculty development, primary care research, integrative health, sports medicine, addiction medicine, LGBTQ+ health, and rural family medicine obstetrics.
The medical culture of the past has been successful in finding the causes of diseases and treating them. The medical culture of the future will utilize salutogenic science to guide interprofessional teams to support people in prolonging their health span. Now is the time to develop value-based delivery strategies that open the doors for equitable access to everyone.
Shifting medical culture towards a better balance between disease and health needs the support of good people, and we have plenty. Our leadership team guides our work in support of the Wisconsin Idea. This process includes listening to the wants and needs of our communities and then applying science and strategy to improve the health of those we serve. There is no better time or place to reinvigorate, if not reinvent, our discipline towards this ideal goal.
Our mission centers around doing good work through and with other people. If we can help you fulfill your calling to research, teach, and deliver healthy outcomes, we will all thrive.
I am so excited to get to work with you.
With gratitude,
Dave Rakel, MD
Esther Millard Endowed Professor and Chair
Our Mission
We strengthen personal and community health through education, clinical care, research, community engagement, and advocacy to transform health care for all.
Our Vision
Our department is unified by bringing joy and compassion to our collective work in partnership with patients, families, and communities. We honor the histories of those around us while co-creating new ways of thriving.
Our Strategic Priorities
- Grow relationally-driven primary care teams that achieve sustainable clinical practices and high-value outcomes for patients.
- Enhance the health of defined communities through community-engaged advocacy, interventions, and research.
- Increase the family medicine workforce in Wisconsin.
- Expand research impact to advance salutogenic innovations, affect meaningful improvements in health, and promote health equity for all patients.
- Assure that the department is a place where everyone feels engaged and connected and has opportunities for professional development.