Medical College of Wisconsin President and CEO, Dr. John Raymond, Preparing for his Transition from Leadership Role in 2026
Dr. Raymond’s Leadership of MCW Will Have Spanned 16 Years, Significantly Grown Its Impact
John R. Raymond, Sr. Photo courtesy of the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Milwaukee – Jan. 28, 2025 – Today, Dr. John R. Raymond, Sr., president and chief executive officer of the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and professor of medicine (nephrology), announced that after fourteen and one-half years of leadership to the institution, it is time for him to prepare for his transition from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer, which he plans to do on or about June 30, 2026. He will then commit his time to MCW as a member of the faculty.
“After thoughtful consideration, I am making this announcement now to ensure a seamless leadership transition,” said Dr. Raymond. “My years of leadership at MCW have given me tremendous fulfillment, and I am deeply grateful for the trust, support, and collaboration that I have enjoyed throughout my tenure here. I look forward to achieving our strategic priorities and supporting the transition. I will focus my remaining time as President and CEO on strengthening our partnerships and ensuring a smooth and stable transition of leadership, and will continue to work toward opening new doors of opportunity for MCW.”
The MCW Board of Trustees will begin a national search for a successor in the months ahead to identify an exceptional leader to guide the institution forward.
“MCW is thriving and well-positioned for continued success and sustainability, reflecting Dr. Raymond’s excellent stewardship and visionary leadership. His deep-seated and unwavering belief in health for all has been a hallmark of his tenure at the helm of MCW. His leadership and dedication have helped to further strengthen and elevate the institution’s reputation throughout the region and state, and around the globe,” said Elizabeth (Betsy) Brenner, Chair of the MCW Board of Trustees. “Additionally, Dr. Raymond’s recognition as an influential executive leader in advancing health, new knowledge, and business innovation underscores the esteem in which he is held across a broad range of stakeholders.”
The theme of Dr. Raymond’s installation speech as MCW President and Chief Executive Officer in 2010 was “Strength Through Collaboration” – a theme which has coursed throughout his leadership tenure. Dr. Raymond’s commitment to strengthening MCW’s collaborative efforts has been critical to the institution’s numerous successes.
It would be impossible to recount Dr. Raymond’s many accomplishments since he joined MCW on July 1, 2010. Among his many achievements during his leadership tenure within MCW’s four missions of clinical care, research, education and community engagement are:
- facilitating MCW’s $5.82 billion direct operational impact on the US economy in fiscal 2023, in partnership with Froedtert Health, Children’s Wisconsin and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center
- doubling top-line revenue, from $798.4 million in fiscal 2009 to $1.61 billion in fiscal 2024
- increasing annual philanthropic support from $18 million in fiscal 2010 to $95.8 million in fiscal 2023 – totaling more than $700 million to date – an increase of more than 400 percent
- more than doubling research expenditures, from $157.0 million in fiscal 2009 to $346.7 million in fiscal 2024; and expanding total clinical trials funding five-fold, from $7 million in fiscal 2010 to $35.5 million in fiscal 2024
- tripling the number of annual patient visits, from 1.6 million in 2010 to 4.8 million in 2024
- facilitating an affiliation agreement among MCW, Children’s Specialty Group and Children’s Wisconsin that allows the partners to evolve the structure of the pediatric enterprise to collectively drive quality and outcomes, elevate the academic missions, and achieve growth
- implementing a novel vision for regional medical school campuses in Green Bay and Central Wisconsin to address the shortage and maldistribution of physicians (especially in primary care and certain specialties) in both rural and underserved areas; to date, the regional campuses have graduated a total of 284 physicians – 55 of whom have returned to Wisconsin to practice
- establishing a School of Pharmacy to address a need for highly-qualified pharmacists who could provide expanded services as part of a healthcare team as well as a need to address pharmacist maldistribution in underserved communities in Wisconsin; to date, a total of 209 students have graduated from five cohorts of the School of Pharmacy
- launching a joint biomedical engineering program with Marquette University and new master of science degree programs in genetic counseling and anesthesia
- addressing mental health and primary care provider gaps with new four-year rural psychiatry residency programs attached to MCW’s regional medical school campuses, and new family and community medicine residency programs in the Milwaukee area, Green Bay and the Fox Valley
- implementing a generational vision for the ThriveOn Collaboration, a joint venture among MCW, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Royal Capital that envisions a Milwaukee that is equitable, healthy and thriving for all – culminating in the opening in June 2024 of ThriveOn King, the partners’ foundational investment in the restoration and redevelopment of the iconic Gimbels-Schuster’s Department Store building in the heart of Milwaukee’s Historic King Drive district
- leading the development of a transformative partnership with the Kern Family Foundation that has empowered MCW to advance the concept of flourishing across medical education, both locally and nationally
- championing MCW’s role in helping to mitigate the cancer burden by facilitating the construction of a new cancer research building (which will open in summer 2025) that will serve as the only cancer-dedicated research facility in Milwaukee and eastern Wisconsin
- serving as Wisconsin’s trusted health leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, for which he was named ”Executive of the Year” in 2020 and “Health Care Leader of the Year” in 2021 by the Milwaukee Business Journal
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Raymond for his exceptional leadership, his compassion, his integrity, and his devotion to MCW and its vision and missions,” added Brenner.
PHOTO: John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, president and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin
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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