3 minute read
Message from the Chair
I hope you have as much fun reading our Annual Report as we have had putting it together! Our faculty, residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and staff are easy to brag about as they have amazing talent, combined with a unique level of dedication – making Milwaukee medicine the best medicine in the world!
The last two Annual Reports commented on the challenges of the pandemic and how we tried to combine our efforts in clinical medicine, research and education with the reality of COVID-19. We are now beyond COVID and refueling for what will be the most transformational time in Milwaukee medicine. For example: in Cardiac Surgery we can now fix or replace almost any broken heart; in Pediatric Surgery we can operate on babies inside and outside of mom’s belly and provide the love and support that are needed for mom and dad; in Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Surgery and the Condon Hernia Institute, bring on the most difficult hernia or the most challenging digestive problem; in Colorectal Surgery, the advances in IBD and rectal cancer are improving the quality of life for our patients in ways never before imagined; in Surgical Oncology we have embraced the molecular revolution and have clinical trials available nowhere else in the world; in Trauma and Acute Care Surgery we are the safety net for all of southeastern Wisconsin, no one cares more; in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, we keep the blood flowing when no one else can; in Solid Organ Transplantation, we provide hope for a tomorrow which is only possible with the gift of life.
Most importantly, we have the greatest job on the planet – in no other field can we help people every day and bring the excitement of innovation and discovery into clinical medicine, research and education. Our support from the greater Milwaukee community and beyond has allowed us to fund the great thoughts which characterize the amazing minds of our faculty. The new faculty and residents that we have been fortunate enough to recruit bring novel ideas, diverse opinions and endless energy to what we do every day. Guiding us in our commitment to the patients of today and the patients of tomorrow are the core values of honesty, integrity, a commitment to open communication, an appreciation for the unique and diverse talents which all members of our department contribute to making the team so much more powerful than any individual, and a promise to do our very best even when the task at hand seems overwhelming. The Department of Surgery at MCW is proud of what we have accomplished and excited for what is possible – please join our team, the door is open and there is plenty of room!
Douglas B. Evans, MD. Chair, Department of Surgery; Donald C. Ausman Family Foundation Chair
