The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved a name change of the UW Medical School to the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, making it the first school of public health in the state.

The board approved the change at its last meeting, Nov. 10 and 11. The move leaves the possibility for future developments in Milwaukee open.

“It’s a good goal to work towards,” said Randy Lambrecht, dean of UWM Health Sciences, discussing the possibility of a school at UWM. “(But) you build up to it, you don’t just plop it in.”

As a base toward building a School of Public Health in Milwaukee, UWM is working with the Medical College of Wisconsin to establish a doctorate degree in public and community health. The program has been in discussion for more than a year and a report detailing the project is scheduled to be released in December.

The concern over the future establishment of a school of public health in Milwaukee came after the UW Medical School announced a desire to change its name at the Oct. 7 Regent’s meeting.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago expressed concern that Madison’s name change would eliminate Milwaukee’s chances of developing a school in the future, but discussions over the past month have remedied their concern.

The main obstacle to the establishment of a school of public health in Milwaukee is lack of resources. The UW Medical School didn’t solicit any additional funding, it merely asked for a name change to reflect a new direction for the school.

If UWM established a school of public health, it would cost more than $1 million annually plus the original cost. Currently, there are no available sources of funding.

According to the Regent’s report, possible financing for a future school of public health in Milwaukee could come from the state general purpose revenue, the UW System or Blue Cross/Blue Shield funds, which were evenly distributed between the Medical College of Wisconsin and the UW Medical School when they transformed from a non-profit to a for-profit agency.

But there are problems with each of those funding options. The state and UW System are pinched for resources, and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield funds are regulated by a five-year-plan and are buried under several layers of oversight.

When the plan expires in March 2009, it would be possible to plan a school of public health into the funding, but that would lessen the funds available to other public health groups, including those in Milwaukee.

According to a 2003 Institute of Medicine report, less than 7 percent of the public health work force has any kind of formal education in public health.

A school in Milwaukee would increase that figure, but, “it’s a misconception that you need a school of public health to do some quality things in public health,” Lambrecht said.

In 2004, the UW Medical School Oversight and Advisory Committee, which determines the distribution for Blue Cross funds, spent more than $870,000 on Milwaukee programs, according to the Regent’s report. Those programs dealt with public health issues such as minority pregnancies, homicides, childhood obesity and intimate partner violence of pregnant women.

The UW Medical School annually provides $500,000 toward medical student programs in Milwaukee, $300,000 for programs through the Center for Urban Population Health and $80,000 for an outreach program with the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Total annual funding current projects in Milwaukee is $1.75 million and, through discussions, there is potential for $920,000 in annual increases, which includes a Milwaukee site for the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Network for Health Research.

While it is uncertain when increased funds will generate into a School of Public Health for Milwaukee, Lambrecht said, “No doubt there will be a (Milwaukee) school of public health eventually.”

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