Member Testimonials

The Wisconsin Medical Society and Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation feel like my home away from home. I have such wonderful friends and colleagues through these organizations. They represent avenues for me to efficiently and effectively participate in advocacy, leadership, teaching and philanthropy. They are highly respected organizations in our state and across the country, and it makes me proud to be a member.

Claudia L. Reardon, MD
President, Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation
Madison

Being a part of the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) is an opportunity for physicians to come together and leverage a unique skill set to better serve our community and their needs through creative solutions. It is essential that the physicians have a way to share their unique voice and advocate, and the Society provides that pathway for all of us.

Pamela Wilson, MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
President, Medical Society of Milwaukee County
Milwaukee

As physicians and surgeons, we endeavor to provide the best care for our patients and be their advocates. Our practice in the profession is becoming ever more complicated, with more and more constraints, competing priorities, regulations and less autonomy. As we got busier, we began to spend less time with our patients, our colleagues and our families. Having been a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) for over 5 years now, I have witnessed the diligent efforts of the Society to help its members and bring back joy to our profession. Even at a county medical society grassroots level, physicians can unite and become a force to be reckoned with. The Society continues to surprise me with their efforts to unite physicians and medical students from across the state, enabling us to share our thoughts, collaborate and move forward together with our common goals and ultimately achieve better care for our patients. We have many opposing forces that threaten the wellbeing of our patients and even our own. A growing anti-vaccination movement, anti-masking groups and lobbyists who put profits before people. Let’s rise to these challenging times together, your membership is your voice and your contribution to innumerable worthy causes.

Ali Al-Hilli, MD
Marshfield Clinic Health System
Marshfield

Membership in Brown County Medical Society and the Wisconsin Medical Society allows physicians to have a unified voice from a local level on important policy initiatives. In addition, it allows for social interaction amongst physicians from different organizations which would never otherwise happen.

Robert Moyer, MD
Brown County Medical Society, Board Member at Large
HSHS St Mary's Health Center
Green Bay

Membership in the Wisconsin Medical Society provides me a direct connection to other local physicians who are also working to provide excellent patient care – both at the bedside and through advocacy work. I would strongly encourage all early career physicians to pursue membership as it is a wonderful way to get involved and serve your community.

Sarah Yale, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Medical College of Wisconsin/Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Milwaukee

Physicians need an organized voice to protect the health of our patients. The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) empowers me to connect with thousands of physicians around the state on the issues that matter to me so we can work collectively to improve the health of the public. Since medical school I have appreciated how the Society actively encourages participation not only in setting Society policy and the direction of its work but also in executing that work. I've found the Wisconsin Medical Society staff to be continually available and helpful when I need guidance in that work. Now more than ever, physicians need to speak with a collective voice to protect the health of our patients and the community. The Wisconsin Medical Society helps us do that.

Joel Charles, MD, MPH
Soldiers Grove

I have really enjoyed being involved with the Waukesha County Medical Society and the Wisconsin Medical Society. I have met so many physicians outside my specialty and outside my home institutions. I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to meet these people and enjoy the camaraderie developed with my fellow physicians. I have become a more well-rounded physician thanks to these interactions with my peers.

Tracy McCall, MD
Past-President, Waukesha County Medical Society
Former Vice Speaker of the House, Wisconsin Medical Society
Lake Country Plastic and Hand Surgery SC
Waukesha

The most important reason to me to be a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society is advocacy. Every day there are people lobbying against the interests of physicians and the ability for us to provide care to our patients. We must be at the table and have a strong voice!

Brad Burmeister, MD
Brown County Medical Society, Board Member at Large
Green Bay Emergency Medicine Services SC At Bellin Hospital
Green Bay

I believe it is important for physicians to have a voice and advocate for the physician-patient relationship. Additionally, Brown County Medical Society has an important role in our community through our charitable efforts.

John Hartman, MD
Treasurer, Brown County Medical Society
Board Vice Chair, Wisconsin Medical Society
Green Bay

As a student representative, I believe membership with the Wisconsin Medical Society is important because it gives me the opportunity to shape what the future of medicine will look like for our community. It is an avenue that allows me to be a part of a collective voice that advocates for the implementation of equitable health initiatives within our community.

Megan Barthels
Medical College of Wisconsin – Green Bay Medical Student
Brown County Medical Society Student Liaison/Representative
De Pere

I am a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) because I believe that now more than ever, physicians need a strong voice in health care and in our communities. From the COVID-19 pandemic to affordable insurance to equitable access to health care, the Society has consistently led with science, compassion and integrity. The Society supports our patients, amplifies the physician’s role as a trusted advisor and unites the physician community for a higher purpose.

John R. Raymond, Sr., MD
President and CEO, Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee

My name is Erik Gundersen. I am a family physician in La Crosse and have been in full time practice for over 25 years. I first joined the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) as a Medical Student. I became involved with the Society Task Force on Health Care Reform and have been active ever since. I have served on the Medical Society Board of Directors, the Society Foundation Board of Directors and am now the current President of the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Membership in the Society puts you on a course of lifelong professional development. There are opportunities for continuing medical education, leadership development, political advocacy and personal growth. The people you meet along the way perpetually remind you why you entered the profession of medicine. There is a positive energy to make a difference and improve the health of the people of Wisconsin.

As a physician, you are in a very unique position. You are on the front lines of patient care most every day. The needs of your patient transcend your specialty affiliation or hospital group. Physicians know first-hand the struggles of their patients. The Wisconsin Medical Society is especially focused on advocating for improving the health of the people of Wisconsin. In order improve the delivery of care, physicians must be heard, be strong and be secure. Your membership in the Wisconsin Medical Society helps you take better care of your patients and achieve your professional goals.

Erik Gundersen, MD, MA, FAAFP
President, Wisconsin Medical Society
La Crosse

To my physician colleagues in Wisconsin:

I am writing to you to endorse the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) and to encourage your membership in this critical organization for the future of our profession here in Wisconsin. I realize that there are many demands on your time and resources and “belonging to yet another group” may not be highest on your priority list, especially in these extremely challenging times. However, the Society is the singular organization in Wisconsin, and really the nation, that understands the needs of Wisconsin physicians. The Society has advocated in numerous ways for Wisconsin physicians and has brought great value to the practice of medicine in this state. As the Dean of the School of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin I have personally been a member of the Society because I recognize its importance and because I know they are committed to the future of our profession. I hope you will join me as a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society!

Joseph E. Kerschner, MD
Dean of the School of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee

The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) unites physicians from different regions and various specialties into a collective voice for our profession. The Society offers leadership opportunities, camaraderie and advocacy at a local and state level. It is a unique and valuable resource for physicians in our state. Together our voices are stronger!

Alicia Arnold, MD
Incoming President, Wisconsin Medical Society
MD Interpretation 
Eau Claire

One of the very first things I did after moving to Wisconsin in 2006 (after getting my driver’s license, but even before registering my car) was to join the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society). Why? Because while the adage “all politics are local” might be a bit of an overstatement, I believe that state public policies have an enormous impact on our patients, and on our capacity to serve them. The Society has a long and effective tradition of advocacy in support of the patients and populations that Wisconsin physicians serve. At the time, I had not yet learned what I soon discovered: that our Medical Society also is incredibly important in supporting the training of our future physician workforce, with an impressive array of services that benefit medical students at both the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and at the Medical College of Wisconsin. For these, and other reasons, I encourage all Wisconsin physicians to join me in joining the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Robert N. Golden, MD
Dean, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin
Madison

There is a great sense of isolation today in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation for physicians was already an issue due to increasing professional stress. Where does a doctor find support for the rigors of medicine? The Wisconsin Medical Society was created for that role. Take advantage of being the focus of an established advocate for physicians and join the Wisconsin Medical Society.

George “Chip” Morris, MD FAAN
Immediate Past President, Wisconsin Medical Society
Milwaukee