Retirement honor: Joel Miller, DO

Photo of Dr. Joel Miller, in center, with his General Internal Medicine colleagues Betsy Trowbridge, MD, Kenneth D. Skaar, MD, Chair of Primary Care and division chief, on left, and Lisa Grant, DO, MSW, clinical professor, on right.

The Department of Medicine (DOM) is proud to honor Joel Miller, DO, clinical professor, General Internal Medicine, who will retire in November 2025.

Dr. Miller completed his doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) at the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa, and his residency in internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

He joined the DOM faculty in 1992. For over 10 years, he has served as the medical director for the UW Health Beaver Dam Clinic.

Learn more about Dr. Miller in the Q&A below.

What do you consider your most significant accomplishments during your time in the department?

My most significant accomplishment was providing high-quality primary care to thousands of people in the Dodge County area, hopefully improving their health and well-being for over thirty-three years. I created many, many patient-doctor relationships and cultivated the trust of my patients to do what was best for their health. 

For most of my career, I provided both their acute care in the hospital as well as their chronic longitudinal care in the clinic. I still believe that model offers the best patient care, but it’s no longer the reality—and honestly, I’m not sorry to be done with four-night call rotations, ER admissions, and working every weekend.

What have been the most personally gratifying aspects of your work?

The most gratifying aspect of my work was definitely the long-term relationships I built with my patients, as well as the relationships with coworkers. I’ve been blessed to work with many good doctors, advanced practice providers (APPs) and other support staff over the years. It takes so much more than physicians to make a health care organization run well.

Any particularly fond memories?

I have fond memories of our time in the old hospital clinic when I was first recruited to Beaver Dam by Dr. Sharon Haase. 

I remember the excitement of a new hospital and clinic being built in 2006. 

I recall taking my children to work on the weekends for hospital rounds when they were young and just wanted to spend time with dad. I remember my pride when my daughter decided to follow in my footsteps and enter the medical profession. 

I remember certain cases that have stuck in my mind over the years because they were challenging, but also the excitement of figuring out a difficult case and seeing the fruits of a successful diagnosis and treatment. I could go on for some time about some of those, but won’t for brevity's sake.

What are you looking forward to in retirement?

I am looking forward to relaxing in retirement, not feeling the burden of being responsible for so many people’s health and well-being. 

I plan on playing a lot of pickleball, fishing, picking golf back up, doing some woodworking, maybe getting proficient at the acoustic guitar, and traveling. 

I hope to do some volunteer medical work in Africa and Central America.

Banner: Dr. Joel Miller, in center, with his General Internal Medicine colleagues Betsy Trowbridge, MD, division chief and Kenneth D. Skaar, MD, Chair of Primary Care, on left; and Lisa Grant, DO, MSW, clinical professor, on right. Credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine.
Matt Mallum, MFA