Medical College of Wisconsin Announces Dean of the School of Medicine
Brett Kissela, MD, GME ‘96, MS, named Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Brett Kissela, MD, GME ‘96, MS, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and the Julia A. Uihlein Dean of the School of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, with campuses in Milwaukee, Central Wisconsin, and Green Bay.
MILWAUKEE – Sept. 1, 2026 – The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is proud to announce that, effective today, Brett Kissela, MD, GME ‘96, MS, has been appointed Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and the Julia A. Uihlein Dean of the School of Medicine. A nationally recognized neurologist, stroke epidemiologist, and clinician-scientist, Dr. Kissela brings extensive leadership experience in academic medicine, research administration, and health system strategy to one of the nation’s largest private medical schools.
As Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the MCW School of Medicine, Dr. Kissela will define and execute a bold strategic vision for the School of Medicine that furthers the shared goals of MCW and its clinical partners. Additional key priorities include advancing scientific research excellence, maintaining the highest quality education for the health science workforce of the future, strengthening financial growth and sustainability, and deepening MCW’s community impact and engagement across Wisconsin.
“Dr. Kissela’s proven record of success will position him well to navigate the complexity of academic health systems, foster alignment and collaboration across multiple constituencies, and build the infrastructure and leadership necessary to ensure sustained excellence at MCW and our School of Medicine,” said Shekar N. Kurpad, MD, PhD, MCW’s president and chief executive officer and the Dr. Bill and Marlene Listwan Leadership Chair for Caring and Character in Medicine. “Following a robust and comprehensive national search, we’re pleased to welcome Dr. Kissela back to the Medical College of Wisconsin to lead our School of Medicine.”
Dr. Kissela most recently served as Executive Vice Dean of the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, Chief of Research Services for UC Health, Director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute, and Professor of Neurology, with a focus on building high‑performing teams, strengthening governance, and delivering measurable outcomes in complex, matrixed environments.
“The foundations of the Medical College of Wisconsin are strong, and our opportunity to lead is extraordinary,” said Dr. Kissela. “We have the potential to be the most trusted, community-connected, AI-enabled academic health system in America. Where discoveries move faster to patients, physicians are trained differently, and geography no longer predicts outcomes. I want all of these. For us. For our health partners. For our communities.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Kissela has operated at the intersection of academic strategy and health‑system execution, creating cohesion across education, research, and clinical operations. While at UC, he led a transformation of the clinical research enterprise that reduced median clinical trial activation times from more than 200 days to less than 90 business days, expanded the active clinical trial portfolio to more than 700 studies, and drove significant growth in sponsored and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Additionally, Dr. Kissela co-led the UC College of Medicine’s strategic plan (research pillar), chaired its Liaison Committee on Medical Education Continuous Quality Improvement Committee, and partnered on philanthropic efforts that raised more than $100 million for the neurosciences.
With a long-standing record of NIH-funded projects, Dr. Kissela also maintains an active research program focused on stroke causes, outcomes, and recovery. His scholarly work reflects sustained contributions to stroke epidemiology and outcomes, as well as translating discoveries into practice. He has authored nearly 300 peer-reviewed publications, contributed 22 book chapters/reviews, participated in 130 invited lectures and presentations, and mentored more than 230 residents and fellows.
Nationally, Dr. Kissela has served on the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) Board of Directors and currently chairs its artificial intelligence workgroup. He serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the AAN Institute. Dr. Kissela has also received numerous honors such as the Daniel Drake Medal (UC College of Medicine’s highest honor) and the American Heart Association’s Creighton B. Wright Leadership Award. His professional memberships include the American Heart Association, Stroke Council, Fellow American Academy of Neurology, and the Fellow American Neurological Association.
Dr. Kissela earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry/molecular biology from Marquette University in 1991. He received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in 1995 and completed an internship in internal medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals (1995-96) before pursuing a residency in neurology at the University of Michigan Medical Center (1996-99) and a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease at UC Medical Center (1999-2000). He also earned a Master of Science in epidemiology from the UC College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, in 2009.
Dr. Kissela succeeds Deborah Costakos, MD ‘98, MS, who has served as Dean of MCW’s School of Medicine since January 2025 and plans to retire after more than 17 years of dedicated service to MCW.
About the Medical College of Wisconsin
With a history dating back to 1893, the Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research, and community engagement. More than 1,700 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical, graduate and pharmacy schools at campuses in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Central Wisconsin. MCW’s School of Pharmacy opened in 2017. A major national research center, MCW ranks in the top 4% of U.S. research institutions (InCites Essential Science Indicators Dataset), is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and is the largest private research institution in Wisconsin. Annually, our faculty direct or collaborate on more than 5,100 research studies, including clinical trials. In the last 10 years, MCW faculty have received nearly $2 billion in external support for research, teaching, training, and related purposes. Additionally, our more than 1,900 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine, annually fulfilling more than 5.7 million patient visits.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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