Regents approve Medical School name change, new sick-leave policy

Part of a decade-long process to expand the public health mission of the Medical School is reflected in a name change approved by the Board of Regents.

Beginning Nov. 11, the school will be known as the School of Medicine and Public Health, pending a board review of a report on collaborations with agencies in the Milwaukee area.

In approving the name change, regents included a provision by Regent Danae Davis to ensure the UW–Madison school is responsive to the health-care needs of citizens in the state’s largest city.

The board will require that UW–Madison officials initiate a “good faith” dialogue with officials in Milwaukee and UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago, toward future collaborations on public health education, research and service.

That requirement followed testimony from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and state Sen. Lena Taylor, who offered accounts of Milwaukee’s health-care needs. They had asked regents to consider locating a school of public health in Milwaukee instead of Madison.

“I hope this will be seen as an honest attempt for the UW Medical School to have more of a presence in Milwaukee,” Regent Michael Spector said. “People in those communities are most affected by the health problems and must see that the university cares.”

Chancellor John Wiley said it was important that the regents not lose sight of the 85 percent of the state’s population who live outside of Madison and Milwaukee, while still balancing the needs of these cities.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the room who would disagree that the future of the state of Wisconsin is inherently tied to the future of the city of Milwaukee,” Wiley said.

Medical School Dean Philip Farrell said the school is seeking to fulfill its public-health mission through “synergistic” partnerships and private dollars intended for that purpose. The school has programming in place to address public health concerns throughout Milwaukee, notably the Center for Urban Population Health. The school also directs programming and field study in the state’s more rural areas, he added.

“We are a statewide medical school, and we will be a statewide school of medicine and public health. The people of Milwaukee are as important to us as the people of Madison, and the rest of the state,” Farrell said. “We are eager to close the so-called gap between medicine and public health. This is really the Wisconsin Idea in action.”

Farrell said UW–Madison has the connections, infrastructure, faculty, staff and students to properly support and grow a school of public health.

Regents also directed officials to consider the merits of establishing a Milwaukee branch of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and reiterated the understanding that the UW Medical School would not object to a future Ph.D. program in public health at UW-Milwaukee.

“We are telling Milwaukee that we are here to help,” said Regent Chuck Pruitt. “It is critical that we look wherever we can to do more.”

Personnel policies addressed

In an effort to address employment practices and policies in the UW System, the board approved a resolution to require system employees to provide a health professional’s certification when taking more than five days of sick leave.

Pruitt, chair of the Business and Finance Committee, said that measure matches policies often found in the private sector.

But Regent Elizabeth Burmaster noted that representatives of UW-Milwaukee and UW-River Falls testified that current policies are effective and fair and that requiring a health professional’s certification could place a financial burden on employees.