Dr. David A. Margolis Named Chair of Pediatrics
David A. Margolis, MD, was recently appointed Chair of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and will also serve as Pediatrician-in-Chief at Children’s Wisconsin (Children’s). In addition, Dr. Margolis will hold the Barri L. and David J. Drury Chair in Pediatrics and currently holds the David A. Margolis Chair in Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Research at Children’s.
“We’re grateful for Dr. Margolis’s leadership and unwavering commitment to providing the best care for kids and their families well into the future,” said Joseph E. Kerschner, MD, provost and executive vice president of MCW and The Julia A. Uihlein, MA, Dean of the MCW School of Medicine.
This appointment follows a comprehensive national search, as well as the demonstration of Dr. Margolis’s exemplary leadership in the roles of Interim Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Interim Pediatrician-in-Chief since 2020.
Dr. Margolis received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 1985 and his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in 1989. He served a residency in Pediatrics at Children’s from 1989-1992, a fellowship in Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology) at MCW from 1992-1995, and, from 1993-1999, was a postdoctoral trainee in the Molecular Genetics Laboratory at the BloodCenter of Southeastern Wisconsin.
Dr. Margolis joined MCW as an Instructor in 1992, served as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics from 1995-2001, and as Associate Professor of Pediatrics from 2001-2008. He was promoted to Professor of Pediatrics in 2008. He will continue to serve as Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant) and Program Director of the MCW Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.
His bibliography includes more than 70 publications, manuscripts, abstracts, chapters and reviews, and editorials. Dr. Margolis serves as a reviewer on several publications including Journal of Pediatrics, New England Journal of Medicine and Blood. He is a member of numerous national and international academic and professional organizations, including the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation. Dr. Margolis has also participated in more than 30 local, regional and national invited lectures and workshops, and has served as a mentor for many undergraduates, graduate students, residents and fellows.
Beyond academic medicine, Dr. Margolis is a champion of philanthropy and member of the Children’s Foundation board of directors. He has served as a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 1997, as a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation and is on the board of the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Milwaukee. Though Dr. Margolis has no formal role with the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund, because of his passion for philanthropy and the special relationship that exists among the MACC Fund, MCW and Children’s, Dr. Margolis is recognized throughout the community as a passionate advocate for this cause.
Among Dr. Margolis’s honors: the Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 (1998); the inaugural class of the Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame (2015); BizTimes Health Care Heroes Award (2019); the Driven to Achieve Award from the Donald Driver Foundation (2019); the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from the Arnold Gold Foundation (2022); the Dr. Bruno Lambert Jewish Good Guy In Sports Award from the Jewish Sports Heritage Association (2022); and the inaugural Sister Joanne Marie Kliebhan 2023 Service Award from the St. Francis Children’s Center (awarded jointly to Dr. and Mrs. Margolis).