Annual Report FY16 (2015/2016)

Valerie Gilchrist, MD – Chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

Welcome to the DFMCH’s FY16 annual report, a summary of our faculty and staff activities from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.

In FY16, we provided care for 394,230 patient visits in our 20 statewide clinics, plus 32,067 patient visits at UW Health urgent care sites. As the UW Health primary care redesign initiative completed its rollout, we continued to improve patient care quality through role optimizations. We also took steps to embed more ancillary services in our clinics and to better manage patients with opiate addiction.

We remain committed to educating much-needed primary care providers for Wisconsin. Of our 37 residents who graduated in 2016, 22 (60%) entered practice in-state—above the national average of less than 50%. Of the 44 PA Program students who graduated in 2016, 23 (52%) entered practice in-state and 15 (24%) entered primary care. We also taught 669 UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) students, and for the second year, the American Academy of Family Physicians named the SMPH’s Family Medicine Interest Group a Program of Excellence.

• Executive Summary: UW DFMCH FY16 Annual Report (2.4 MB)
• Full UW DFMCH FY16 Annual Report (4.2 MB)

In FY16, our dually accredited statewide residency programs were among the first 13 family medicine residency programs in the nation to receive Osteopathic Recognition from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). We also formalized a new academic partnership with Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation; the La Crosse Family Medicine Residency Program at Gundersen Health System welcomed its first class of residents in July 2016.

Our researchers received $7.5 million in grant awards in FY16, including 27 new awards from external funding sources. The DFMCH ranks seventh in NIH funding among departments of family medicine in U.S. medical schools.

Finally, we completed our first year as the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. In that time, we’ve worked to improve community health through conferences; service days; diversity awareness; curriculum improvements; faculty development; community partnerships; and advocacy.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the amazing skills and tremendous efforts of our faculty and staff. Our people are what make our department great, and I thank everyone in the DFMCH for their energy, skill and dedication.

As the next year unfolds, we’re excited to strengthen our community health endeavors, further improve how we care for our patients, expand our research and educate even more primary care providers for the state, nation and world. Because health lives here, in Wisconsin.

Valerie Gilchrist, MD
Millard Professor in Community Health
Chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Key Facts: UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

• Chair: Valerie Gilchrist, MD

• People: 908 employees (including 165 faculty) plus 358 clinical adjunct faculty statewide (FY16)

• Budget: $110M (FY16)

• Medical student education: In FY16, Office of Medical Student Education taught 669 UW School of Medicine and Public Health students through courses, clerkships, preceptorships, workshops and summer experiences.

• Residency: In FY16, dually accredited three-year residency programs were offered in Baraboo, Eau Claire/Augusta, Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau; 37 residents graduated, 22 (60%) of whom entered practice in Wisconsin. Through the DFMCH’s academic partnership with Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation, the La Crosse Family Medicine Residency Program at Gundersen Health System launched in FY17.

• Fellowships: Academic, addiction medicine, complementary and integrative health research (CIHR) research, integrative health, primary care research and sports medicine fellowships offered.

• Physician Assistant (PA) Program: Two- to three-year campus- and community-based MPAS program In FY16, 44 PA students graduated; 23 (52%) entered practice in Wisconsin; 15 (34%) entered primary care.

• Patient care: 20 statewide clinics; 394,230 patient visits in FY16 (155,167 total patient panel).

• Research: $7.5M in grant awards in FY16. Focus areas include alcohol/substance abuse; complementary and integrative health; and nutrition/obesity prevention. Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN) also conducts research in partnership with primary care clinicians and communities statewide.