Medical College of Wisconsin Inaugurates Dr. Shekar N. Kurpad as President and Chief Executive Officer

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), recognized as one of the nation's leading academic medical centers and the third-largest private medical school in the United States, inaugurated Shekar N. Kurpad, MD, PhD, as its seventh President and Chief Executive Officer. The ceremony took place on September 17, 2026, at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in downtown Milwaukee.

The event was attended by hundreds of MCW faculty, staff, learners, alumni, trustees, local health system and higher education leaders, elected officials, and business and community leaders from Wisconsin, all gathered to honor Dr. Kurpad and celebrate this significant moment in MCW's history. Attendees also viewed messages from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Greater Milwaukee Committee President and CEO Cristy Garcia-Thomas, along with remarks from colleagues, friends, and mentors extending their congratulations to Dr. Kurpad.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Kurpad outlined an ambitious vision aimed at positioning MCW and its health system partners as a national destination for world-class care, advanced medical education, and groundbreaking research. He expressed his commitment to enhancing MCW and the greater Milwaukee region as a leading innovation hub that attracts talent and investment, fostering a healthier Wisconsin and world.

Dr. Kurpad stated, "Our opportunity is to connect our strengths in new ways: to move faster, act bolder, and turn collaboration into momentum. If we do this together, we will become a destination for health, built on discovery, dedicated to care, powered by education, and strengthened by community partnerships, with one shared purpose: improving health for all."

Dr. Kurpad, a neurosurgeon with over two decades of service at MCW, succeeds John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, who previously served as MCW's President and CEO for 16 years.