The University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Rural Health Equity Track (RHET) was included in the Rural Medical Training Collaborative’s 2025 List of Featured Programs with a Proven Track Record of Producing Rural Physicians. This list recognizes residency programs that have at least 35% of graduates enter rural practice as their initial placement based on a three-year rolling average. The SSM Health Monroe Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, sponsored by the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health since 2023, also made the list.
“Watching our residents come in with a rural interest and connection, grow that through the leadership and advocacy curriculum, and then go to practice in rural Wisconsin has been a living example of the Wisconsin Idea. Often these residents have returned to the communities they grew up in, which adds a deep sense of place to the broad range of skills they bring to practice,” said Jensena Carlson, MD, FAAFP, associate professor of family medicine and interim director of RHET.
The Rural Health Equity Track prepares residents to become leaders in improving rural health care. With a customizable community focus and a strong emphasis on health equity, RHET equips residents for rural practice and advocacy. The program facilitates rural rotations and encourages resident engagement in rural Wisconsin communities. RHET residents develop skills to address needs that often go unmet in rural areas, such as providing medications for opioid use disorder.
The Rural Medical Training Collaborative works to “sustain health professions education in rural places through mutual encouragement, peer learning, practice improvement, and the delivery of technical expertise – all in support of a quality rural workforce.”
Published: October 2025