Featured alumni: Samantha Murray-Bainer, MD

February 28, 2024

Samantha (Sam) Murray-Bainer, MD

Internal medicine residency - 2018
Chief residency - 2019

What is your current position and organization?
I am an assistant professor (CHS) in the Division of Hospital Medicine within the UW Department of Medicine (DOM).

A family portrait of Dr. Murray-Bainer with husband, Kyle, and their toddler (Joshua) and baby (James) standing in a field in autumn. — *A family portrait of Dr. Murray-Bainer with her husband, Kyle, and their toddler (Joshua) and baby (James).*

I work clinically as a hospitalist caring for the inpatients at University Hospital and East Meriter Hospital, attend on GMed teaching service and also work on our procedure service. I have taken on an administrative and leadership role in my division as well as the clinical services chief, for which my duties include working with other divisions and departments regarding our various hospitalist services, creating the hospitalist schedule, and helping with recruitment and onboarding for our division as well.

I also have a role in the residency as one of the clinical coaches which means I get to work one-on-one with multiple residents helping to support their growth and learning in residency.

Dr. Murray-Bainer wears a black and white print dress and stands in the middle of a small group of her fellow graduating chief residents. — *Dr. Murray-Bainer, center-right, with her fellow graduating chief residents. From left:* *Matt Brunner, MD,* *assistant professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care;* *Ann Chodara, MD,* *assistant professor, Rheumatology; and **Brian Lewis, MD**.*

How did your time at the University of Wisconsin (UW) help prepare you for the medical career you have now?
My time in the UW IM residency prepared me quite well to be a hospitalist as I was exposed to the great breadth and depth of patients that the UW DOM serves. Also having been through the chief year (2019) gave me an understanding of how the department works behinds the scenes and also solidified my interest in future admin and leadership roles.

What is a funny or fond memory you have of your time with the Department of Medicine?
Partaking in the empathy course put on by the residency when we did improv training. I got to witness the comedic geniuses at work in my residency class, will call out a few of them—John Miller, Joe Longino and Dave Lewandowski.

Do you stay in touch with any of the DOM residents or fellows with whom you trained? Any faculty? If so, whom and why?
My best friends in Madison are all my former co-residents, and many have stayed on as faculty—Matt Brunner in Hematology, Ann Chodara in Rheumatology, and Dan Rosenberg in Allergy/Immunology. Our friends who left UW we still stay connected with as well and see as much as we can.

I’m forever grateful to UW IM residency for not only giving me excellent training but also very close friends.

Is there any other information you’d like to share to let your fellow alums know what you’re up to?
Beyond my work life, I’ve been keeping quite busy with our growing family. My husband (Kyle) and I have two sons, Joshua (3) and James (9 months).