About Us
Since we began our academic mission of training ob-gyn physicians in 1929, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has set the standard for reproductive health education, research, clinical care, and advocacy. Today, we continue that legacy of excellence as a department of physicians, advanced practice providers, researchers, trainees, and staff who are all unified in leading reproductive health forward. As leaders, our vision is of a department propelled by a shared commitment to improving reproductive health across each of our mission areas. We recognize that connection and collaboration between disciplines is crucial and that success in any one mission area contributes to success in the others.
Together, we provide a comprehensive educational experience, motivating our medical students, graduate students, residents, and fellows to be lifelong learners. This department’s dedication to training the next generation of ob-gyn professionals means that every year, we send a new class of physicians and reproductive health researchers out into the world equipped with the skills, knowledge, curiosity, and humility needed to provide high-quality care and advance our understanding of reproductive health.
Together, we achieve outstanding basic, clinical, and translational research through departmental collaboration, integration, and support. Our researchers’ efforts to understand today’s most pressing issues – from the foundations of pregnancy-related conditions, to reproductive cancers, to Wisconsin’s widening health disparities, to the individual and societal impacts of reproductive health policy – help pave the way to advances in education and clinical care.
Together, we embody patient-centered care, service, and advocacy for reproductive health beyond existing structures and boundaries. The Department affirms the autonomy and dignity of every patient we serve and places the needs of our patients at the forefront of all we do, making sure they receive the best possible medical advice and care. Our work in clinical spaces helps inform the latest research happening in the department and ensures learners are well prepared for their future careers.
Together, we live the Wisconsin Idea by serving in local, statewide, or regional reproductive health organizations; leading advocacy actions for health policy and research funding; sharing expertise in the media, and more, to help individuals better understand their own health and to shape the future of clinical care, education, and research in Wisconsin and across the nation.
The people of the UW Department of Ob-Gyn are what set us apart. We work tirelessly to build a welcoming, inclusive community, with a focus on supporting individual and departmental wellbeing, centering anti-racism in every aspect of our mission, and intentional investment in career advancement for members of the department. I am grateful to lead such a comprehensive, creative, caring department on an unstoppable upward trajectory.
Ellen Hartenbach, MD
Ben Miller Peckham, MD, PhD Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology