Helping transplant patients thrive: Dr. Kevin Gregg joins the Division of Infectious Disease

For Kevin Gregg, MD, visiting professor, Infectious Disease, the most rewarding parts of his career have been helping transplant patients stay healthy and advancing quality improvement (QI) efforts that improve care for all patients. 

Now, after 15 years at the University of Michigan, the Madison native and University of Wisconsin–Madison alumnus brings his expertise and commitment back home. 

Dr. Gregg joined the Department of Medicine in July. Learn more about his research, his passion for QI and what led him back to Madison in the in the Q&A below.

Your work focuses on infection prevention and treatment in transplant patients. Why is that important?

My clinical expertise is in transplant infectious disease: caring for patients who are awaiting or have received a solid organ or bone marrow transplant. Because these patients have altered immune systems, they often require intensive monitoring and different treatment approaches. 

My research focuses on identifying the best treatment strategies for the highest-quality care. For example, one study investigated whether immunocompromised patients benefit from longer courses of COVID therapy. Another is evaluating whether a vaccine given before transplant can help protect liver transplant patients from cytomegalovirus infection after transplant. 

This field is particularly rewarding because you see patients regain a quality of life they thought they'd lost. It's also highly collaborative—everyone is working toward the same goal.

You also have expertise in QI and patient safety. How do you hope to apply that here?

I became involved in quality improvement and patient safety at the University of Michigan, where I served as the Division of Infectious Diseases quality lead for about 10 years. One of the most fulfilling parts of that work was helping teach quality improvement to medical students and giving them opportunities to tackle real clinical challenges.

I've learned that quality improvement doesn't have to come from one dramatic change. More often, it's a series of small, incremental changes that add up over time. One area I'm especially interested in is diagnostic stewardship: making sure we're ordering tests for the right reasons and using healthcare resources as effectively as possible.

I'm especially interested in diagnostic stewardship: making sure we're ordering tests for the right reasons and using healthcare resources as effectively as possible.

Kevin Gregg, MD

Why did you decide to come to UW–Madison?

My wife and I were very happy in Michigan, but this opportunity felt like a great fit for us. My wife was recruited as the new chief of pediatric endocrinology, and for me it was a chance to come home. I grew up less than a mile from campus, attended West High School and earned my undergraduate degree at UW-Madison.

Madison has many of the qualities we loved about Ann Arbor, and there are things that are done exceptionally well at both institutions. I've been especially impressed by how welcoming people are, the smooth onboarding and the resources available to providers. 

What is the most interesting thing people should know about you?

I'm a member of the U.S. medical soccer team and have participated in the World Medical Football Championship since 2018. It's essentially a World Cup for physicians and has given me the chance to build friendships with doctors from around the world.

I'm also excited to be part of UW. After 15 years at Michigan, it's energizing to meet new colleagues, learn a new institution and become part of a new professional community!