header-logo
Mother Child W Physician
Pediatrics

A Message from our Chair, David A. Margolis, MD

David A. Margolis, MD

Dear Future Pediatric Physicians,

Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to explore our Pediatric Residency Programs. At the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin, we are committed to your education and career.

Our residency program is near and dear to my heart. I matched here in Milwaukee in 1989 and did my internship, residency, and fellowship here. I have chosen to stay at MCW/Children’s Wisconsin because we have wonderful people and programs that work together to care for children and their families. As we care together, we also learn together, have fun together, do scholarship together, and teach together.

We have implemented a vision at Children’s Wisconsin that we believe will lead to healthier children. To achieve this vision, our department actively leads across all four of our MCW Missions: patient care, education, research, and community engagement.

The quality of the people and their dedication to your education at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin guarantee the success of our pediatric residency programs in training you. At the core of their beliefs, there exists a commitment towards belonging, respect, family, and teamwork.

Evidence of these commitments includes recognition that pediatric institutions are embedded into our greater community. Our programs actively provide opportunities to practice advocacy and care of the underserved through strong primary care training in sites throughout our local community. We recognize the wider community by providing opportunities to participate in our Global Child Health Program that leverages multiple world partnerships.

These opportunities only scratch the surface of the depth and breadth of experiences possible through our residencies. Our department includes 25 pediatric divisions that provide rich and broad ambulatory as well as inpatient experiences including large pediatric and neonatal intensive care units. These units, as well as the Herma Heart Institute, MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and our Emergency Department, have earned national recognition based on their passion to create and translate knowledge into cutting-edge compassionate patient care.

Our Department is able to provide this wide breadth of experience because of the excellence of Children’s Wisconsin, The Children’s Specialty Group, The Children’s Medical Group, The Children’s Research Institute and The Medical College of Wisconsin.

As an investment for the community, the Children’s Wisconsin established the Children’s Research Institute in 2004. The Children’s Research Institute involves over 100 physician-scientists working in multiple pediatric programs of excellence. The mission of the institute is to develop thematic research programs that translate new knowledge from the basic sciences into improved care for children now and in the future. This investment has allowed our investigators to flourish.

Investing in the future of medical education and care is also an important component of our pediatric residency program’s vision for medical education. Evidence of this investment includes the following initiatives:

  • Our pediatric residency team has developed the infrastructure for 7 different training tracks. The hospital medical and global health tracks began in 2010. The primary care and subspecialty/research tracks began in 2012. The availability of the Children’s Research Institute is particularly important for the latter track. The Career Identification Track (for those residents uncertain of career path) and the hybrid tract (for residents who want to combine the best of multiple tracks) began in July of 2013. The Child Neurology track began in 2019 for residents in the 5-year Child Neurology program.
  • Our pediatric residency team has developed the SURFboards board review program (Strategic Unified Regimen For passing the boards), which contains 7 distinct elements providing a comprehensive boards preparation experience beginning in orientation and ending after you pass your boards.
  • Our pediatric residency team has tailored morning reports to your level of training (intern morning report and senior rounds). Intern morning report builds a basis of medical approach and care by teaching healthcare principles that hold true over time regardless of changes in technologies or population. Senior rounds are a unique experience imbued with a rich tradition facilitated by faculty including Chair Emeritus Dr. Bob Kliegman. Senior rounds are one of our residents’ favorite activities during their training.

Finally, congratulations on reaching this point in your training. You have chosen wisely to become a pediatrician. Being a pediatrician in the current era leverages advances in science and medicine while still having the opportunity to interact and make a positive impact on children and their families through old-fashioned compassion and caring.

I sincerely believe that our residency programs are well-poised to help you become the best pediatrician you can be. As the Chair of Pediatrics at MCW and the Pediatrician-in-Chief of Children’s Wisconsin, I am personally committed to our residency programs as I have witnessed and experienced the impact of training here. We look forward to welcoming you to Milwaukee!

Please feel free to reach out anytime to me: dam@mcw.edu | (414) 337-7770

I look forward to hearing from you and working with you now and in the future.

David A. Margolis, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Program Director, MCW Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) and Cellular Therapy Program
Medical College of Wisconsin

Pediatrician in Chief
David A. Margolis Chair in Pediatric BMT
Children’s Wisconsin

Go Bucks Go
#FearTheDeer
X: @drdavemke
Instagram: @davemargolis

© 2025 Medical College of Wisconsin.  All rights reserved.  | Terms and Privacy | Web Accessibility Statement

Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Legal Compliance Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, military status, or other legally protected classification. MCW maintains full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in pursuit of our missions. Consistent with federal guidance, we affirm our commitment to individual merit, fairness, and equal treatment in all aspects of academic and institutional decision-making.

MCW's policies, federal and state laws, and regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment. Employees, learners, students, applicants, or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.