Just as the University of Wisconsin has grown from a small state institution to a great public research institution, so has our department. Founded in 1924, we now number just under 400 faculty, 115 advanced practice providers, and 1,200 total employees.

As the eighth Chair of the Department of Medicine, I am often asked to define who we are and what internal medicine is. Our field can be defined as "the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases in adults." Our department provides adult specialty and primary care in 11 academic divisions that range from general internal medicine to gastroenterology and hepatology, from hospital medicine to hematology and oncology.

But we are much more than a collection of specialties. We share a common goal of providing the best clinical care while maintaining our commitment to research and education. These three missions — patient care, research, and education — define everything we do, and they are all mutually dependent and complementary. We share our core values of professionalism and patient-centeredness.

And thanks to your support, we are not alone in these endeavors. Today marks the first issue of Philanthropy Pulse, a quarterly e-newsletter for generous supporters of the Department of Medicine. In this e-newsletter you will find out about who we are and what we do, including the impact of charitable gifts on medical advances and profiles of our faculty and their life's work. And I hope you will be inspired to learn even more. Your generosity has helped to advance important efforts and a shared, exciting future.

We are achieving great things, but we can't do it alone. Come join us as we approach the start of our second century of high-quality medical care, cutting-edge discovery and inspired education.

Warmest regards,

Richard Page, MD
George R. and Elaine Love Professor
Chair, Department of Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health