Surgery Rural Residency Track

There is an increasing need for general surgeons in rural areas of Wisconsin. With this need in mind, a Rural Track was established at MCW in 2017. Rural Track residents spend 2 months of each year at Aspirus Medical Center in Wausau, Wisconsin. During their time at Aspirus, the rural resident is the only surgical resident at the hospital, and so participates in varied surgical specialties. The opportunity to combine this experience with 10 months of rotations each year at Froedtert and MCW, ensures that our residents finish the program prepared to deliver the highest standard of care to patients in rural settings.

Rural Residency at Aspirus Wausau Hospital

Zoe Lake, MD, General Surgery Chief Rural Resident

Five years ago, I became the first resident in the rural track and would represent MCW on a new endeavor. I knew Wausau, WI. I grew up in a similar community 90 mileswest in Eau Claire. I lived in New York City for 10 years, but the more time went by, the more I longed to come back to the Midwest. This was why the rural track appealed to me. I wanted to live and work in a community similar to where I grew up and give back by caring for those people close to home. When I arrived at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, the staff were extremely welcoming and excited to have a surgical resident on campus.

The surgeons embraced their new role as educators and proved to be quite natural at it; however, the experience was not without its difficulties as we all adapted to our new roles. It was a humbling but extremely rewarding experience; and through these difficulties, we worked together to create an even better track for the residents who were to follow.

Now 5 years later, the rural track is complete with residents of each year and a newly matched intern who will not know me personally. I will only be the first and as time goes on, my name will fade. What I wish to leave behind is an improved track. I hope the residents learn to value the independence that the time away provides, and through this experience, grow in their technical skills but also as clinicians and humans. I hope that they learn to connect with people of different backgrounds and bridge the gap between them. It is one thing to learn an operation, but it’s a whole different challenge to establish a trusting relationship in the span of a clinic visit. In these ways, I hope to leave a legacy on this program that will endure for many years to come.

I would like to thank Dr. Douglas Evans and Dr. Matt Goldblatt for entrusting to me the responsibility of being the first rural resident. I would also like to thank Dr. Gary Sweet, Dr. Steve Weiland, the rest of the Surgical Associates group as well as the entire staff of Aspirus Wausau Hospital from the surgical first assists to the APPs who have contributed more to my education than words can describe.

Resident Research Fund

Mary F. Otterson, MD, MS Professor, Division of Colorectal Surgery

Robert Condon, MD was Chair of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin for a quarter of a century and had an enormous impact on the school as well as surgery locally, nationally and internationally. He initiated a system which allowed surgical residents to do research during their training based on his own experience with Dame Sheila Sherlock in London. He believed that research allowed residents to become an expert in a field, present their work and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the medical literature. Research enhanced resident education, and allowed them to improve their job prospects and fellowship opportunities. He considered himself to be a talent scout as he strove to match those he taught with opportunities.

Since Dr. Condon’s time, resident funding mechanisms have changed and, to continue this tradition at MCW, an endowed resident research fund has been established. This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the education of the next generation of surgeons and to give forward. This fund enables residents to focus on the future, whether they choose to utilize research time to establish an academic career, learn about an aspect of surgical science in depth, or have a less stressful break in a very busy schedule. We hope that you will consider a pledge or donation to the Resident Research Fund.

To donate, visit mcwsupport.mcw.edu/residentresearchfund. For questions regarding philanthropic donations, please contact Jason Kraiss, jkraiss@mcw.edu.