Medical College of Wisconsin Announces New Wausau Locales for Community Medical Education Program serving Central Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) today announced that its Board of Trustees has approved a change in venue for the Wausau location of the MCW’s community medical education program serving Central Wisconsin.

In the fall of 2012, MCW representatives were approached by business and community leaders in Wausau to consider the use of the iconic former Wausau Liberty Mutual Insurance headquarters as the home for MCW’s community-based medical education program. A detailed analysis undertaken in the past few months subsequently determined that the Liberty Mutual Building was too large for MCW’s purposes, and alternative locations were sought.

On June 21, the MCW Board of Trustees approved a plan to establish the initial years of the medical education program in shared space in existing medical and educational facilities in Wausau. Aspirus Wausau Hospital will house the medical education program’s classrooms and administrative offices, and Northcentral Technical College will share anatomy and simulation space.

“We strongly considered the use of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Building and are extremely grateful for the assistance of Liberty Mutual’s executives as well as numerous community leaders,” said John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of MCW. “We regret that ultimately the beautiful building was just too large for the needs of the program.”

“The success of our community medical education program will rely upon our valued clinical and academic partnerships, regardless of the physical location of these program components,” said Joseph E. Kerschner, MD, Dean of the Medical School and Executive Vice President. “Medical students will frequent hospitals and clinics owned by Ministry Health, Marshfield Clinic, Riverview Hospital and Aspirus during their early clinical experiences and clinical rotations, and they will engage with faculty and students from UW-Marathon County, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Marshfield/Wood County, and Northcentral Technical College throughout the course of their study.”

The community medical education program addresses the need for providers in underserved communities across Wisconsin and employs an immersive teaching model in which students receive core basic science and clinical experience in the community, teaching an interprofessional team model with other practitioners, and encouraging students to practice in the communities where they are training. Student recruitment will begin in spring 2014.

MCW shortly will begin design development for the facilities within both Aspirus and Northcentral Technical College.