Alumnus Brian Lochen, MD, credits his family medicine residency with preparing him for careers in emergency and addiction medicine.
“The residency prepared me for the practice of emergency medicine because of the broad range of clinical experiences provided,” shares Lochen.
Brian Lochen, MD
Initially taking a position in emergency medicine while looking for practice opportunities, Lochen found he enjoyed the ER and accepted a position at Reedsburg Area Medical Center where he ultimately became medical director of the Emergency Department and practiced for 35 years.
ER medicine also provided the opportunity to explore addiction medicine and Lochen served as medical director of Tellurian, an alcohol and drug treatment center in the Madison area, while continuing to work in the ER. As the center grew into Tellurian Behavioral Health, so did Lochen’s role. He joined the American Medical Society on Alcoholism, which evolved into the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), to better educated himself on substance use treatment.
His role at Tellurian expanded over the years to include overseeing the detox program for Dane County, providing medical care to patients in the Adult Residential Program and developing an outpatient practice of patients taking buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
“This field has been challenging, with losses of young people struggling with opioid addiction. But the rewards of being able to help people recover have been precious,” adds Lochen.
He’s grateful for addiction medicine fellowships like the one now offered by DFMCH and values his ability to provide clinical instruction to these fellows when they rotate through Tellurian during their training.
“The future of addiction medicine is bright with the brilliant young physicians I have the good fortune to work with,” says Lochen.
Reminiscing about his time at DFMCH, Lochen values the relationship he had with Dr. Jeff Patterson who served as a mentor, friend, and even as the physician who delivered all three of his children.
“He was the epitome of what a family physician should be,” adds Lochen. “He provided care for our entire family and saw us through some medically trying times. I miss him immensely.”
Now working as Tellurian’s medical director half time, Lochen and his wife Susie enjoy spending time with their children and five grandchildren, traveling, live music and visits to their little cabin in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“The 3 years I spent in the residency were special,” says Lochen. “I loved my time there. I had wonderful colleagues, mentors, teachers and friends. I think I’m still a pretty good doc and the residency deserves a lot of credit for that.”
Lochen sends greetings to all who have shared the experience of becoming better physicians because of the training provided by the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health!
Published: November 2023