Director's Welcome

Welcome to our Family Medicine Residency Program! We are proud to be a program where people come first—our patients, our residents, our faculty, and the communities we serve. We believe that excellent family medicine is built on strong relationships, curiosity, teamwork, and a genuine commitment to the well-being of others.

I have had the opportunity to work as an emergency physician in both inner-city and rural settings, hospitalist, laboratory director, urgent care physician, and family medicine physician before finding my way into residency education. I have also been fortunate to serve as an emergency medicine director, trauma director, and assistant program director. Each of these roles taught me something different about the challenges physicians face and the value of learning from every corner of medicine.

Of everything I have done in health care, coaching and training residents has brought me the greatest joy. I believe that in medicine, we are always both students and teachers. I have built my career around that belief, learning alongside the residents I work with just as much as I hope they learn from me.

With a long-standing tradition of supporting family medicine residents and serving the Milwaukee community since 1972, our clinic is rooted in excellence and community service. Our primary hospital partner, Ascension St. Joseph Hospital, combines academic rigor with a family-centered focus, offering residents a well-rounded clinical experience.

One of the greatest strengths of our program is our positive, supportive culture, where faculty are approachable and invested in resident growth. Our faculty also bring a wide range of backgrounds and interests, offering residents many perspectives on primary care — and that spirit extends beyond the clinic door. Through our community garden, teaching kitchen, and community partnerships, residents see firsthand how health is shaped by the environments where patients live and work. Our addiction medicine curriculum extends that same commitment, preparing residents to care for patients with substance use disorders with empathy and evidence-based skill.

Our curriculum embraces cutting-edge, active learning techniques. Rather than relying only on traditional teaching methods, we use gamification and simulation to make learning engaging and memorable — from live diagnostic games to interactive clinical simulators that let residents practice real-world decision-making in a low-stakes, high-engagement environment. (love this!!)

We want our graduates to leave residency not only as excellent physicians, but as curious lifelong learners, compassionate advocates, and trusted members of their communities. If you are looking for a residency where you can grow clinically, explore your passions, make meaningful connections, and become part of a supportive team, we invite you to learn more about our program.

Daniel Perrault, MD -- Ascension Wisconsin Family Medicine Residency Program Director