Michael and Patricia Lucey Visiting Professorship launches with generous division support
When Michael Lucey, MD, stepped down after 22 years as chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine, the division’s faculty, fellows and alumni enthusiastically came together to honor his legacy.
“Michael is a true triple threat,” says Patrick Pfau, MD, professor, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and a longtime mentee of Dr. Lucey. “He grew our clinical footprint, increased our research, and made education of trainees central to our mission.”
Together with Deepak Gopal, MD, professor, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dr. Pfau led a successful effort to crowdsource funding for a new Michael and Patricia Lucey Visiting Professorship.
Dr. Gopal and Dr. Pfau share the story in this video:
The Inaugural Professorship
On March 17, 2026, many of the division’s members came out to support the Inaugural Lucey Visiting Professor, Norah Terrault, MD, MPH, who is chief of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California and an internationally recognized authority on hepatitis.
“Bringing renowned experts like Dr. Terrault to the university allows us to learn from cutting-edge ideas,” says Lisa Strate, MD, MPH, professor and current chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. “I can’t think of a better inaugural speaker.”
Dr. Terrault spoke about advances in the management of severe alcohol-associated hepatitis—a research area Dr. Lucey pioneered.
“Having the chance to hear visiting speakers expands what I think of GI and Hepatology around the country,” says Molly Ryan, MD, a first-year GI/Hepatology fellow who attended the lecture and dinner afterwards with Dr. Terrault and the Lucey family. “It was also great to hear about how Dr. Lucey influenced the speaker's career and how she climbed her way to being a leader in the field.”
“Michael has always been very supportive of younger people and their career aspirations,” Dr. Gopal notes. “That was true when he recruited me to University of Wisconsin twenty-four years ago and remains true today!”
Future funding
If you would like to contribute to funding the Michael and Patricia Lucey Visiting Professorship through the UW Foundation, please contact Pete Schmeling, CFRE, associate vice president of development, at [email protected].