Dr John R Raymond Sr

Dr. John R. Raymond Sr. wants to make Milwaukee one of the nation’s healthiest and safest cities, and a unique partnership forged with the help of his leadership seeks to do just that.

The ThriveOn collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Royal Capital is the first partnership of its kind in the nation. It unites a private medical college, a community foundation and a leading innovator in urban development under a shared vision to eliminate racial, health, economic and social disparities in Milwaukee by making investments in the well-being of its communities.

Raymond serves as president and CEO of MCW and is a professor of medicine. Under Raymond’s guidance, MCW is a leader in the education and development of the next generation of physicians, scientists, pharmacists and health professionals. As an institution, MCW discovers and translates new knowledge in the biomedical and health sciences, provides patient care of the highest quality and improves the health of the communities it serves.

Raymond’s vision has led MCW to educate more students and help address Wisconsin’s pending physician shortage through the creation of regional medical school campuses in Green Bay and Central Wisconsin and a School of Pharmacy on the Milwaukee campus. MCW trains more than 50% of Wisconsin’s physician workforce.

“My influence in healthcare and education is a reflection of MCW’s commitment to innovation, consistently delivering maximum value to our communities, and our investment in catalytic partnerships,” Raymond said. “I will continue to make those themes my personal drivers.”

The MCW Graduate School recently welcomed its inaugural class in the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling program, one of two such programs in the state and one of only 51 in the U.S. The program aims to address the shortage of genetic counselors in the state and to prepare the next generation of genetic counselors to be leaders at the forefront of precision health. MCW also recently added a unique physician assistant training program that allows students to specialize in specific areas such as pediatrics, genomic medicine, cancer or behavioral health.

Raymond’s leadership was instrumental in establishing the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education in 2017. The Institute is transforming how medical professionals are trained and aims to create a new foundation for medical education based on character, competence and caring. Raymond spearheaded the effort to secure a philanthropic gift of $37.8 million from the Kern Family and The Kern Family Foundation to establish the Kern Institute.

For his work during the pandemic, Raymond was named Public Health Leader of the Year by the Milwaukee Business Journal in 2021. Additional honors include being named the 2021 Person of the Year by the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, the 2021 Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter and receiving the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce’s 2021 Champion of Commerce Award.