Ascension Wisconsin has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to launch an Internal Medicine Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, providing clinical training to resident physicians.
Launching in July 2025, this program will train the next generation of physicians while expanding access to high-quality primary and specialty care. The three-year program will educate 36 internal medicine residents, with 12 residents per class, under the supervision of experienced Ascension physicians.
Residents will provide ambulatory care at the Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Family Health Center in Milwaukee, a vital resource for comprehensive primary care services. In addition, they will gain diverse clinical experiences through rotations at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital – Milwaukee Campus, Ascension St. Joseph Hospital, and other Ascension Wisconsin sites, ensuring well-rounded training in both hospital and outpatient settings.
“Wisconsin – and indeed, the entire nation – is facing a worsening physician shortage and a lack of access to primary care,” said Sriram Darisetty, MD, FACP, Chief Academic Officer, Ascension Wisconsin. “As healthcare providers, we have an obligation to use our resources to recruit and train tomorrow’s physicians. Historically, most residents remain in their communities when they become physicians, so this program is a critical step toward expanding access to care for the people of Wisconsin.”
The new internal medicine residency joins Ascension Wisconsin’s assembly of medical education programs which currently include pharmacy, family medicine, and podiatry. Ascension Wisconsin is also making plans to launch a Gynecology and Obstetrics residency in the near future. Plans for additional graduate and undergraduate medical education programs in other specialties are also on the horizon.
“Operating our own medical education programs enables us to recruit resident candidates meeting our standards of desired qualities, skill sets, and cultural fit, and to have increased oversight over residents’ training,” said Dr. Darisetty. “This also gives Ascension Wisconsin the flexibility to shape and expand our program, including growing various specialty programs to best meet the needs of our patients and communities.”
Ascension Wisconsin’s medical education program is led by a team of experts with decades of collective clinical education management experience, including Dr. Kevin Casey, Chief Clinical Officer; Dr. Sriram Darisetty, Chief Academic Officer; Dr. Lisa Casey, Associate Designated Institutional Official and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education; and Dr. Grace Greist, Designated Institutional Official. The Program Director for the new Internal Medicine Residency is Dr. Vaishnavy Bhaskaruni, and the two Associate Program Directors are Dr. Nicole Decredico and Dr. Jon Zlabek.
“This accreditation marks a significant milestone in Ascension Wisconsin’s commitment to growing and supporting our clinical workforce, academic excellence, and training the next generation of outstanding physicians,” said Daniel Jackson, Ministry Market CEO, Ascension Wisconsin. “This expansion of our programs into internal medicine also helps us better achieve our goal to reduce health disparities and improve the health of our communities, especially those most vulnerable.”
A medical residency is a training program for doctors after they graduate from medical school. Before entering into practice, medical school graduates train at accredited sites for three or more years in a particular specialty, learning from more experienced ‘attending’ physicians while providing supervised patient care.
Visit https://medicaleducation.ascension.org/wisconsin/residency-programs to learn more about Ascension Wisconsin’s medical education programs.
