The Brief
Emplify Health by Gundersen received accreditation to launch its 10th residency program, focusing on psychiatry to address workforce shortages in behavioral health across the region.
The program will train three residents per year over four years, with primary training at Emplify Health in La Crosse and additional rotations at rural Gundersen locations.
Research shows that healthcare institutions with educational programs deliver improved patient care outcomes, and the program is expected to expand access to psychiatric services and reduce wait times.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Emplify Health by Gundersen has earned accreditation to establish a psychiatry residency program, marking a significant expansion of its medical education offerings and a direct response to the shortage of psychiatrists in the region.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved the program, making it the 10th residency program at the La Crosse-based healthcare system. The initiative, administered by the Gundersen Medical Foundation and supported by a state Department of Health Services grant, addresses critical gaps in behavioral health workforce development.
“We’re now accredited to start a psychiatry residency program. So people that graduate from medical school and have a decision about what specialty they want to pursue, they can choose any variety of things, and hospitals like Emplify Health have a variety of different options for different programs,” said Dr. Ben Jarman, Vice President of Medical Education at Emplify Health. “We have general surgery, internal medicine, family medicine, and some other fellowships as well. And so, psychiatry is a new program for us to start, and it will really impact the services provided at Emplify Health by Gundersen.”
Addressing workforce shortages and expanding access to care
The psychiatry residency program will train three residents per year over a four-year period, creating a pipeline of specialized mental health professionals for the region. At full capacity, the program will have 12 residents in training at any given time.
The program directly tackles two critical challenges facing healthcare systems nationwide: the shortage of psychiatrists and the growing demand for mental health services. By developing psychiatrists locally, Emplify Health aims to retain talent within the region while also training clinicians who will serve underserved and rural communities.
“When we have graduate medical education training programs, it helps us see more patients and helps our availability to see patients increase,” Dr. Jarman explained. “We also know that when we are involved in training of resident physicians that our quality is actually better. We know that from looking at national studies. So, just having people be around learners consistently and engaging those types of people that want to be in those roles, tend to provide cutting-edge care and improve the care that we provide.”
Building a comprehensive behavioral health team
Psychiatrists play a vital role within the broader behavioral health ecosystem. The new residency program strengthens Emplify Health’s capacity to recruit and retain psychiatrists while expanding its ability to provide comprehensive mental health services to the communities it serves.
“Behavioral health is a big umbrella of things that involves a variety of different providers. But psychiatrists are part of that team and a major part of that team,” Dr. Jarman said. “And so training psychiatry residents will increase our ability to recruit from that program, to sustain our workforce. And also just be able to provide better care for our communities.”
The program will create a structured pathway for medical school graduates to specialize in psychiatry while remaining connected to the region. This is particularly important for students who complete their undergraduate education at local institutions like the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and then pursue medical school elsewhere.
“The path for physicians is that they go to college and then they go to medical school. And so a lot of our medical students come from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. We’re the Western Academic Campus for that school. And so, we see a lot of medical students from there. But we also see medical students from a variety of schools across the nation as well,” Dr. Jarman noted. “It’s a big draw to our community and our system to provide that avenue. Once people are done with medical school and they graduate, then they go on to resident training. So, a student who’s at UWL may go to medical school somewhere and come back and be able to stay in our community.”
Training structure and community focus
Residents will receive their primary training at Emplify Health by Gundersen in La Crosse, with additional clinical rotations at rural Gundersen locations throughout the region. This structure ensures that trainees gain experience in diverse healthcare settings and develop skills applicable to both urban and rural practice environments.
The emphasis on rural training aligns with Emplify Health’s broader mission to serve underserved communities. All of the system’s educational programs incorporate a focus on preparing clinicians to practice in rural and underserved settings, ensuring that the psychiatry residency graduates will be equipped to address mental health needs across the region and state.
To achieve ACGME accreditation, Emplify Health met comprehensive program requirements covering personnel and leadership, faculty qualifications, learning and work environment characteristics, and detailed policies for curriculum, supervision, evaluation, and promotion. The ACGME is the primary accrediting body for physician training programs in the United States, and its rigorous standards ensure that graduates are well-prepared to deliver safe, high-quality medical care.
Commitment to medical education and mission
The psychiatry residency represents more than a single program addition—it reflects Emplify Health’s deep commitment to medical education and its mission to inspire lives through innovation, learning, and caring.
“I want the public to know that Emplify Health by Gundersen is uniquely devoted and energetic about fueling the next generation of providers and clinicians for our system,” Dr. Jarman said. “And the support we have within medical education to run these programs logistically with leadership and all the operational concepts that go on around them is really critical. We have that ability at Emplify Health. We have a longstanding history of providing educational opportunities like this. And for us to be able to add on this additional program that will ultimately involve three residents per year for a four-year program. So, at any given time, 12 additional learners. That support is just absolutely critical and really appreciated.”
The psychiatry program joins nine other residency and fellowship programs at Emplify Health: family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, optometry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pharmacy, podiatric medicine and surgery, sports physical therapy, and transitional year. Across all programs, Emplify Health trains more than 100 residents and fellows annually.
For more information about Emplify Health by Gundersen’s residency programs, visit gundersenhealth.org/medical-education/residencies.
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