To enhance its mission of empowering each person to live their unique, best life, ThedaCare is pleased to announce the creation of a new Graduate Medical Education (GME) program and welcome Christopher Stenberg, MD, as the program’s leader.
The goal of the GME program is to prepare physicians to care for tomorrow’s health needs and challenges by creating advanced training opportunities for individuals who have completed medical school, including residencies, fellowships, internships and other specialty programs. Initial residencies planned will support growing primary care and specialty physician needs of our communities.
Studies show nearly 55% of individuals who complete residency training remain in the community to practice medicine in which they train. Implementing a GME program at ThedaCare directly aligns with the organization’s commitment to enhancing access to care for the people in our region by recruiting and retaining highly trained physicians, from primary care to specialty care.
“To achieve our vision of reinventing health care and being proactive partners in health and well-being, we must change the way we deliver care and enhance the way we recruit and retain our physicians,” said Mark Cockley, MD, ThedaCare chief clinical officer and president of the ThedaCare Health Network. “This GME program will have a direct and positive impact on the health of our communities by ensuring the people of our region have access to care, close to home.”
Dr. Stenberg will serve as Vice President of the Graduate Medical Education & Clinical Research at ThedaCare, and have an appointment as Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education at Medical College of Wisconsin.
“My experience has been gained in different organizations and even countries,” said Dr. Stenberg. “This gives me a wide and deep understanding of the needs and challenges facing medical education and preparing learners for their careers. I bring dedication, innovation and team leadership to the table, and greatly look forward to shaping the future direction of the GME program and developing the infrastructure for the new residencies across ThedaCare.”
Dr. Stenberg is an experienced leader in the practice and management of medicine, with extensive focus on academic programming and graduate medical education needed to best serve our communities. Prior to joining ThedaCare, Dr. Stenberg most recently served as Vice President of Medical Education and system Designated Institutional Official at Nuvance Health. He has held numerous leadership, medical and educational positions at various health systems in New York and Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania and Australia.
He received his Bachelor’s and Medical degrees from University of Auckland, New Zealand; trained as a pediatric and neonatal registrar in Sydney, Australia; fellowship in neonatology in Rochester, NY; and pediatric residency in Portland, Maine.
Dr. Stenberg will begin his role at ThedaCare on September 18, 2023.
Through the planned coming together of ThedaCare and Froedtert Health, the combined organization and this GME program will work in concert with the partners at the Medical College of Wisconsin and amplify its mission of “education, research, patient care and community engagement”.
Serving across the entire ThedaCare system, the GME program will be housed at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. The space is currently under construction as part of the $100 million modernization of the hospital campus. Once complete, ThedaCare will be one of the first health systems in Northeast Wisconsin to offer an accredited GME program.
About ThedaCare
For more than 110 years, ThedaCare® has been committed to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 650,000 residents in 17 counties and employs approximately 7,000 providers and team members. ThedaCare has 180 points of care, including eight hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their unique, best lives. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand needs, finding solutions together, and encouraging health awareness and action. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts about a patient’s care. ThedaCare is proud to partner with Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network to enhance convenient access to the most advanced levels of specialty care. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care. For more information, visit thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on social media. Members of the media should call Cassandra Wallace, Public and Media Relations Consultant at 920.442.0328 or the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah switchboard at 920.729.3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.
