Like Father Like Daughter: MCW-Green Bay Alumna Practices Alongside her Dad

Emily Dolan, MD ’18, says her father, Dr. Michael Dolan, never pushed her toward medical school or internal medicine.

“It all happened very naturally,” she says. “He really let me find my own career path.”

An internal medicine physician at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Dr. Michael Dolan is known for his decades of patient care and his leadership roles both inside and outside of the organization. He provided his daughter with an early and deep exposure to medicine. Still, without pressure to fulfill a predetermined path, she wasn’t sure where life would take her.

As it would happen, her career path led her right to him.

“My dad and I work in the same clinic at Gundersen in the exact same pod within general internal medicine and our offices are right next door to each other,” Dr. Dolan says.

It’s not uncommon for him to pop into her office to ask her opinion on something like a rash.

“My dad is at retirement age, so I think having me here will probably keep him working for a few more years, which I’m happy about,” she says. “He’s really good at what he does and really likes what he does.”

Road to Gundersen

As Dr. Dolan completed her undergraduate degree in biology on the East Coast, she knew the next step would be returning to the Midwest for medical school. Her top choices were the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her father earned his medical degree, or the new medical school program at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW)-Green Bay.

During the interview process there were many things that appealed to her about MCW-Green Bay, including its proximity to her family in Door County, the opportunity to be part of the inaugural class and its three-year program structure.

“As I learned more and met the people at the campus I thought, ‘Oh wow, there’s something special happening here,’” Dr. Dolan says. “I took a little bit of a leap of faith.”

She felt that MCW-Green Bay would provide a more personal educational experience and knew that as the first cohort of a its new three-year MD program, there would be many people and resources dedicated to ensuring her success.

“I never regretted my decision. I’m a proud graduate of MCW-Green Bay,” Dr. Dolan says.

During college, Dr. Dolan spent her summers at Gundersen doing research in infectious disease and pediatric hematology-oncology. Upon graduation, she went back to Gundersen to complete her residency. Even then, her father never urged her to continue her training there, but she knew it was the perfect place for her.

“I knew the culture of the organization, I knew I would be well-trained, and I knew it was going to be a great fit,” she says.

Dr. Dolan completed her three years of training and considered moving on to a fellowship in hematology-oncology. Instead, she realized her preference was to continue with general internal medicine at Gundersen.

“I decided to stay on as a general internist, which allows me the unique opportunity to work both in primary care and in the hospital,” she says.

Forging her Own Path

Although she followed her father into medicine, Dr. Dolan has been busy making her own mark in the field. Last year, she won teacher of the year from the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Gundersen. This year, she won teacher of the year from Gundersen’s Transitional Year Residency Program.

“My dad was the one that got me to the conference room where they surprised me with the award,” she says. “It’s just cool that he gets to be a part of my success.”

She has also taken over as section chair for internal medicine at Gundersen. Along the way, she’s had the opportunity to train and supervise MCW-Green Bay graduates in internal medicine.

“It’s amazing to see what stellar residents and doctors MCW-Green Bay is producing,” Dr. Dolan says. “They truly are our top performers.”

The school has made such an impression on her family that Dr. Dolan’s cousin, who volunteered at Gundersen, will also be attending MCW-Green Bay.

“She is an incredible person and is going to be an amazing doctor,” Dr. Dolan says about her relative. “There’s a part of me that would love for her to come back to Gundersen, but I have found so much appreciation for the freedom that my dad allowed me that I really want her to find her own career path like I found mine.”

As Dr. Dolan continues to accumulate accolades and guide the next generation of doctors, she can’t help but think about how rewarding it has been to work alongside her father.

“She has become a physician that I am truly proud of.  As a senior resident, I watched her talk to patients in a calm yet decisive way, all the while holding their hand and kneeling at their bedside, making them comfortable and giving them hope when it was possible.” says Dr. Michael Dolan. “It will warm my heart for many years to come.  Her patients are very fortunate to have her as their physician.”

“My dad has enjoyed getting to watch me practice medicine and develop into the physician and the physician leader that I am because in some regard he feels like he’s been there every step of the way,” Dr. Dolan says. “I would not be the person nor the clinician that I am today without him.”