Residency - Rural Residency Track

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (UW Ob-Gyn) is proud to offer a rural residency training track - the first in the nation to offer specific training for rural women's health. The state of Wisconsin and the nation as a whole face an increasing shortage of physicians, especially in rural areas.

In response, UW Ob-Gyn has developed strategic partnerships with rural Wisconsin hospitals where rural-track residents will train to provide excellent specialty care to rural women. In line with the Wisconsin Idea - the principle that the university should benefit people far beyond the borders of our campus - UW Ob-Gyn is committed to improving the quality of life for women across Wisconsin and beyond.

Who should apply?

If you are inspired to practice medicine in rural areas in Wisconsin, you are encouraged to apply. Ideal applicants will have had meaningful experiences with rural communities and an enduring commitment to providing health care to women in rural Wisconsin. Applicants should have a solid record of community involvement and a strong interest in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The Rural Residency Track will be a separate MATCH from the parent program. You may apply for both programs if interested.

Rural Track Curriculum

Over the four training years, the rural track resident will complete approximately 20% of their training at three rural sites. Each rural rotation will be three weeks long, and you will be able to stay within that community.

The training sites include Baldwin, Monroe and Marshfield:

In Baldwin, residents train at Western Wisconsin Health. While in Monroe, residents train at SSM Health Monroe Hospital. During the Marshfield rotation, residents train at Marshfield Medical Center. Residents also rotate to Reedsburg, where they train at the Reedsburg Area Medical Center

Rural Residency in the News

Ob-Gyn residents host outreach session for SMPH students

On April 24, 2025, UW Department of Ob-Gyn residents hosted a diversity, equity, and inclusion session with UW School of Medicine and Public Health students. Around 20 students joined the session to learn more about DEI in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn residency and get some hands-on skills training from ob-gyn residents.Reside... more

Division of Reproductive Sciences brings research to 2025 SRI Annual Scientific Meeting

The Society for Reproductive Investigation hosted the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina March 25-29, 2025. Researchers from the UW Department of Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences led sessions, gave presentations, and brought posters to the conference. Jessica Vazquez, PhD, moderated the sessio... more

Grand Rounds: Pickus presents Climate Change – How to Think Global and Act Local as an Ob-Gyn

On April 3, 2025, Ben Pickus, MD, PGY-4 resident in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “Climate Change — How to Think Global and Act Local as an OBGYN.”In the lecture, Pickus examined the current stage of climate change and how it affects the patient population in regards to obstetrics and gynecol... more

Grand Rounds: Madde presents The Obstetrician and the Intensivist: A Systems-Based Framework for Maternal Critical Care

On April 10, 2025, Ankitha Madde, MD, PGY-4 resident in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “The Obstetrician and the Intensivist: A Systems-Based Framework for Maternal Critical Care.”In the lecture, Madde demonstrated the clinical utility in bedside screening and imaging to determine various mate... more

Bajpai, Rose publish article in Gynecologic Oncology Reports

UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Rusha Bajpai, MD, PGY-3, and Stephen Rose, MD, professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, co-authored a new study in Gynecologic Oncology Reports. Co-authors include Tammy Mundale, Natalia Gontarczyk Uczkowski, and Amy Godecker, PhD, MS.In “Adnexal mass referral patterns in Gynecologic... more