Birkeland receives 2026 UW SMPH Dean's Teaching Award

Congratulations to Laura Birkeland, MS, assistant professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine! Birkeland was selected to receive the 2026 University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Dean’s Teaching Award. 

Birkeland, who is a certified genetic counselor, currently serves program director for the Masters of Genetic Counselor Studies (MGCS) program at SMPH.  In this role, she has developed and is implementing several initiatives to expand training opportunities for a variety of health professional trainees. She is extremely committed to education for genetic counselling students, extending to providing genetics education classes for UW medical students, and mentoring MFM fellows, Ob-Gyn residents and genetics lab fellows. 

Birkeland has also taken leadership in establishing an effective process for timely communication across prenatal genetics, laboratories, neonatology and pediatric genetics teams for coordination of care for newborns with a prenatally identified concern who are delivered at Meriter Hospital and transferred to American Family Children’s Hospital. This work has enhanced continuity of care and helped prepare learners to navigate uncertainty, apply genomics in clinical decision-making, and communicate collaboratively. 

Birkeland will be honored during UW SMPH Medical Education Day on May 28, 2026. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Laura!