Each academic year, our chief residents provide administrative, clinical and educational leadership for the residency program and help interns integrate into residency and new environs. Bradley LeVesque, MD, Alyssa McClelland, MD, and JD Page, MD serve as co-chief residents of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program for the 2026-27 academic year.
Read on for a Q&A with our chief residents!
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Q: What are you most looking forward to in being a chief resident?
LeVesque: I’m most looking forward to having the opportunity to advocate for my co-residents and help make positive changes within our program. I’ve really enjoyed being involved in resident wellness and program improvement throughout residency, and I’m excited to take on a larger role in making sure our residents feel supported and heard. Being chief gives me the opportunity to listen to what my co-residents need, bring their ideas and concerns forward, and work with our faculty and program leadership to find meaningful solutions. I’m also excited to continue promoting a culture where wellness is prioritized and residents feel like they have a strong support system throughout residency.
McClelland: I’m looking forward to helping create a residency environment where people feel supported, challenged, and valued. The residents ahead of me had a huge impact on my training, and I’m excited for the chance to pay that forward. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to support and advocate for our residents while helping strengthen the learning environment for the whole program. Some of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had during residency have come from mentorship and teamwork within our department, so I’m most excited to help junior residents grow clinically and feel supported personally and professionally.
Page: I’m most excited about the opportunity to help shape the residency experience for the people coming behind me. Residency is challenging, and I think small changes can make a big difference in how supported people feel day to day. If I can help make a tough year a little smoother for my co-residents and leave the program a little better than I found it, I’d consider that a success.
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Q: How do chief residents support their co-residents?
LeVesque: One of the most important roles of a chief resident is simply being someone that your co-residents can turn to. Emergency medicine can be an incredibly rewarding specialty, but it also comes with challenging cases, difficult outcomes, and stressful shifts. We try to be a source of peer support when a resident has had a particularly difficult patient or experience, whether that means talking through a case, helping them process an outcome, or simply being available to listen.
Chief residents also serve as a bridge between the residents and faculty. We advocate for the interests and concerns of our residents while also working collaboratively with faculty and program leadership to find solutions that work for everyone. I think that ability to understand both perspectives and help facilitate communication is one of the most valuable roles a chief resident can play.
McClelland: Chiefs support their co-residents as advocates — helping communicate resident concerns to program leadership and working to improve the training environment is a key responsibility of the role. They also prioritize supporting their co-residents by providing mentorship and guidance. I am looking forward to supporting our junior residents who may be adjusting to the clinical workload and new environment. Also, shaping a supportive culture of the residency promotes resident success. I hope to do this by being approachable, supportive, and fostering a positive team environment.
Page: I think a big part of the chief role is being available. Sometimes that means advocating for residents with program leadership, sometimes it’s helping someone navigate a difficult shift or tough patient outcome, and sometimes it’s just listening. My goal would be to help maintain open communication and make sure people know they have someone in their corner when things get challenging.
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Q: What is one thing you hope your co-residents will learn from you?
LeVesque: I hope my co-residents take away the importance of taking care of themselves throughout residency — not just clinically, but physically, emotionally, socially and financially. Residency is demanding, and it can be easy to put your own well-being on the back burner while focusing on becoming the best physician you can be.
I think there is tremendous value in intentionally building relationships with your co-residents, maintaining interests and relationships outside of medicine, finding a sustainable balance between work and home life, and developing good financial habits early in your career. I’ve become increasingly interested in financial wellness during residency because those decisions can have a lasting impact well beyond training.
Ultimately, taking care of yourself makes you a better physician. When you have the physical, emotional, social and financial stability to sustain yourself, you are better equipped to show up for your patients and your colleagues. I hope my co-residents leave residency not only as excellent emergency physicians, but also with the habits and perspective to have a long and fulfilling career.
McClelland: One thing I’d hope my co-residents would learn from me is the importance of approaching challenges with a growth mindset and a collaborative attitude. Residency can be demanding, and not every day goes perfectly. I think a lot of growth comes from being open to feedback, staying adaptable and supporting each other through difficult moments. I want people to know that they don’t have to navigate challenges alone — that asking questions, sharing knowledge and leaning on the team are strengths rather than weaknesses. I really value creating an environment where people feel comfortable learning, improving and helping one another succeed.
Page: I’d hope people see that being a good teammate matters. Emergency medicine works best when we look out for each other. Some of the physicians I’ve admired most aren’t just great clinicians, they’re people everyone wants to work with. I’ve always appreciated the people who make difficult shifts a little easier, and that’s the kind of colleague I try to be.
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Q: Is there any advice you would give applicants for interviewing or ranking?
LeVesque: My biggest piece of advice is to remember that there are a lot of excellent residency programs, and many of them will provide you with outstanding clinical training and opportunities. When you’re comparing programs, I think it’s easy to get caught up in comparing numbers, rotations, fellowships, procedures or other details. Those things are important, but I would encourage applicants to pay close attention to the people.
Think about whether these are people you could see yourself working with at 2 a.m. on a difficult shift, learning from, laughing with and relying on when things get tough. The people you train with become an incredibly important part of your life during residency.
I’d also encourage applicants to think about how a program fits into their life outside of medicine. If you have a partner, children, family or other important relationships, those considerations matter. Residency is a significant commitment, and finding a place where both you and the people important to you can be happy is incredibly valuable. Ultimately, choose the program where you can see yourself thriving — not just as a physician, but as a person.
McClelland: I’d encourage applicants to consider the culture of the residency program. The relationships you build with your co-residents and faculty can really shape your residency experience. I think it’s important to rank programs where you feel supported, valued and able to grow. This can be questions like, “What do residents at your program do for fun outside of the hospital?” My answer would be, you can usually find us out at trivia together, enjoying the lakes or out grabbing food and drinks together!
Page: Every residency will train you to be a competent emergency physician. What really differs is the culture and the people. I’d encourage applicants to pay attention to how residents interact with each other and whether they can picture themselves being part of that community for the next few years.
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Q: Do you have a faculty mentor(s)? How do they support you as a resident?
LeVesque: I’ve been fortunate to learn from many of the faculty and staff with UW Health Med Flight, all of whom have played an important role in my clinical development. My experience with Med Flight has given me the opportunity to care for critically ill patients in an extremely low-resource and austere environment, which has significantly increased my comfort and confidence managing challenging patients and high-acuity resuscitations.
One of the things I value most is learning from physicians and nurses who have extensive experience caring for critically ill patients in this unique environment. They’ve taught me how to approach complex resuscitations when resources are limited, how to anticipate problems before they arise and how to remain calm and methodical in high-stakes situations. Those lessons extend far beyond the prehospital environment and have directly influenced how I approach resuscitations in the UW emergency department, the ICU and community EDs.
The Med Flight simulation program has also been an incredible learning opportunity. Through simulation, I’ve been able to become more comfortable managing patients with ECMO, balloon pumps, Impella devices, LVADs, complex ventilator needs, and neonatal and pediatric critical illness. I’m incredibly grateful to the Med Flight faculty and nursing staff for the time they’ve invested in my education and for the opportunity to learn from such an experienced and dedicated team.
McClelland: This is a very tough question as there are too many to name! I will say I feel incredibly lucky to have received mentorship focused around my interest in critical care. For example, Dr. Joshua Glazer, one of our EM/critical care faculty, helped me get involved in research regarding our ECMO cannulations in the emergency department. I even had the opportunity to present at a national conference very early intern year thanks to his guidance. Whatever your interests are, there are faculty here who enjoy mentoring junior learners as they grow into emergency medicine physicians throughout residency.
Page: I’ve been fortunate to have several mentors during residency, particularly within EMS. Dr. Michael Lohmeier has been especially influential in fostering my interest in EMS and has been very generous with his guidance and opportunities to get involved in prehospital medicine. One of the things I’ve appreciated most about UW is that faculty are approachable and genuinely want to see residents succeed, whether that’s in EMS, academics, fellowship training or community practice.
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Q: Living in Madison: great or the greatest?
LeVesque: Madison has an incredible combination of everything I could want in a place to live during residency. There are so many opportunities to get outside, whether that means camping, canoeing, biking the extensive trail system or spending time on one of Madison’s many lakes. When you want something a little more relaxing, there’s nothing better than grabbing a bite to eat and spending an afternoon on the Memorial Union Terrace. And you can’t talk about Madison without mentioning Badger sports. As a UW–Madison lifer (undergrad, med school, and residency), I am biased; but in my opinion, there is no better game day town than Madison, Wisconsin.
What I’ve enjoyed most is that Madison gives you so many ways to get away from the hospital and recharge. Residency is demanding, so having access to the outdoors, great community spaced and plenty of things to do outside of medicine has made Madison an incredible place to spend these years.
McClelland: Honestly, the greatest! Madison has a very unique balance — it has the energy, food scene and activities of a bigger city, but it still feels very welcoming and livable. There are fun things to do year-round. Between the lakes, farmers’ markets, local restaurants and coffee shops, outdoor activities, festivals and Wisconsin Badgers sports, there’s always something happening without it ever feeling overwhelming or congested. It’s a place where it feels easy to build both a fulfilling professional life and a really enjoyable personal life. For me, that combination makes Madison pretty hard to beat!
Page: The greatest. Madison has been an incredible place to live during residency. It’s big enough that there’s always something to do, but small enough that getting around is easy and it still feels like a community. Between the lakes, bike paths, restaurants, farmers’ market, Badger sports and outdoor activities, there’s plenty to enjoy outside of work. It’s one of those places that grows on you quickly, and I’ve honestly enjoyed living here more than I expected.