The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) is embarking on a journey to develop an inspiring and achievable strategic plan to focus and advance SMPH’s mission and set a trajectory as a national beacon for health care transformation, enabling us to elevate our impact on the state of Wisconsin and beyond.
Why Now?
- Developing a focused and distinctive strategy is critical to our sustained success. As we navigate a changing education and health care landscape, we are perfectly poised to capitalize on how we can lead into the future.
- This broader environment, along with recent leadership changes at our school and other units across UW–Madison, makes this an opportune time to examine and adjust our strategy and approach with fresh eyes.
Desired Outcomes
By Summer 2026, we aim to develop an inspiring and actionable strategic plan that helps SMPH achieve the following outcomes:
- Develop a plan for how to become a top-tier School of Medicine and Public Health.
- Assess SMPH current strengths and assist with aligning strengths with critical scientific opportunities. Leverage the integrated status as a school of medicine and public health and other areas of focus to implement an SMPH-specific vision of the Wisconsin Idea.
- Identify critical initiatives needed in the research, academic and clinical missions to reach defined goals, including a strategy to elevate our rankings, foster further industry partnerships, and attract philanthropy in order to continue to invest in our strategic priorities.
- Increase collaborations among the health professions schools, establishing a unified approach to “west campus” collaborations at UW–Madison.
- Enable financial sustainability through strategic decisions and a clear pathway to implementation.
Timeline and Phases
Our planning process began on Nov. 24, 2025, and the steering committee officially kicked off its work on Dec. 9 — and the process is anticipated to conclude in early July of 2026.
We have organized the effort into six phases:
- Preparation and Initial Planning (November–December)
- Information Gathering and Stakeholder Engagement (December–January)
- Data Analysis and Environmental Assessment (February–March)
- Development of Goals and Strategic Priorities (March–May)
- Review and Refine Strategic Plan (May–June)
- Finalization and Implementation Planning (June–July)
Opportunities for Participation
There will be several opportunities to participate in the strategic planning process over the coming months. Participation is limited to select community members, unless noted.
All welcome at All School Discussion Sessions
All are invited to join Dean Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA, SMPH leadership, and a representative from the Deloitte Consulting team, for opportunities to engage in the development of our school’s Strategic Plan. You’ll hear updates on the planning process and share your thoughts through Q&A and polling activities. Attend in person to enjoy snacks or join virtually. No registration is necessary. Virtual links will be shared when available.
- Held on Monday, Feb. 16 from noon-1 p.m. in HSLC 3rd floor Interactive Learning Center B (ILC) and online
- Monday, April 6 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in HSLC 3rd floor Interactive Learning Center D (ILC) and virtually on Zoom (password if needed: SMPHASDS)
- Thursday, July 9 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in HSLC 3rd floor Interactive Learning Center D (ILC)
If you need an accommodation to attend or participate in this event, please contact the SMPH signature events team at smphevents@med.wisc.edu. We ask that accommodation requests be made no less than two weeks before an event. We will make a thorough attempt to fulfill requests made after this date but cannot guarantee they will be met.
Summary of engagement opportunities
- Current State Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Strategic Visioning Session
- All-School Discussion Session*
- Strategy Design Workshops
- Working Groups to Refine Strategic Priorities
- Strategic Plan Review Sessions
- Implementation Plan Mapping
- Providing Feedback on Strategic Opportunities by Emailing strategicplanning@med.wisc.edu*
* Participation Open to All Community Members
Email us at strategicplanning@med.wisc.edu if you have specific questions about how you can get involved.
250+
Total stakeholders engaged in Early Discovery
55
Stakeholder interviews
23
Focus groups
Steering Committee
The steering committee is comprised of thirteen individuals who represent the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, other schools and colleges, UW–Madison, UW Health, industry, and philanthropy. This group will provide the executive sponsor, Dean Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA, with leadership, guidance and oversight throughout the strategic planning effort.
| Name | Position | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, PhD, MS | Director | School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences |
| Jon Audhya, PhD | Senior Associate Dean for Basic Research, Biotechnology and Graduate Studies | School of Medicine and Public Health |
| Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, PhD, MS | Vice Chancellor for Research | UW–Madison |
| Kyle Buchmann, BBA | Strategic Philanthropic Advisor, Senior Vice President of Development | Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association |
| Heidi Conrad, MBA | Chief Financial Officer | School of Medicine and Public Health |
| Josh Coon, PhD | Professor | Department of Biomolecular Chemistry |
| Carey Gehl, JD, MHA | Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer | UW Health |
| Allison Golden, MA | Chief of Staff | School of Medicine and Public Health |
| Benny Iskandar, MD | Professor | Department of Neurological Surgery |
| Erik Iverson, JD, LLM | Chief Executive Officer | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation |
| Hasmeena Kathuria, MD | Director | Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention |
| Elizabeth Petty, MD | Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs | School of Medicine and Public Health |
| Krishanu Saha, PhD | Professor | Department of Biomedical Engineering |
Core Planning Team
The core planning team is comprised of four UW School of Medicine and Public Health employees who work alongside the steering committee to organize the logistics, scheduling, convening and management of activities driving the strategic planning effort. The planning team collaborates with Deloitte Consulting to facilitate the planning process.
- Andrea Poehling, MS, Chief of Staff – Basic Research (Strategic Planning Project Manager)
- Ryan Browne, MFA, Administrative Assistant Director
- Allison Golden, MA, Chief of Staff
- Traci Wedekind, MFA, CMP, Director of Signature Events