University of Wisconsin–Madison

OUR PEOPLE

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

Elisabeth Salisbury-Afshar

Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH

Program Director

As the Program Director, I draw from my experiences working in public health and leadership roles, including serving as Medical Director of Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore, Medical Director of Behavioral Health at the Chicago Department of Public Health, and Director of the Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions at the American Institutes for Research. I am board certified in preventive medicine/public health, family medicine, and addiction medicine, and my expertise lies at the intersection of these fields. Much of my work focuses on expanding access to evidence-based interventions to the opioid overdose crisis. In addition to my role as Program Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency, I also serve as the Medical Director of Harm Reduction Services with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Public Health, and as Core Faculty in the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

My goal as Program Director is to support residents in their exploration of the many different career paths available within preventive medicine, to help them hone their areas of interest, and to develop skills that will lead to successful and fulfilling careers.

Full bio

Photo of Parvathy Pillai

Parvathy Pillai, MD, MPH

Associate Program Director

As the Associate Program Director, I bring my previous training in pediatrics and infectious disease into my preventive medicine training. Prior to my work at UW-Madison, I served as a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer, and worked at the Wisconsin Division of Public Health in a post EIS practicum designed to bridge healthcare and public health.

Since 2014, I have served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH). My work focuses primary on public health workforce development, specifically through the integration of public health into medical education. In addition to helping establish the current UW Preventive Medicine residency program, I have led the development of the public health thread of the UW SMPH MD curriculum and currently to direct the Public Health, Scientific Inquiry and Evidence-Based Medicine threads within the MD curriculum. I helped establish and lead the Public Health Leadership in Teaching and Engagement (PHLITE) clinical faculty development program in public health at UW SMPH. Additionally, I serve as the Faculty Director of the Path of Distinction in Public Health Program for medical students and as core faculty within the UW SMPH MPH program. My academic interests include examining best practices in the integration of emerging public health topics into medical education and in community-engaged medical education.

In my role as APD, I oversee the program’s didactic curriculum for the UW Preventive Medicine residents, which promotes ACGME milestones progression, board review and leadership development. I support residents interested in public health teaching and serve as a faculty mentor for residents in the MPH program.

Pat Remington, MD, MPH

Emeritus Program Director

I served as the Program Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program for eight years, from 2014-2022. In 2023, I reduced my role and now serve as a program faculty and mentor to residents.

As a mentor to residents, I draw upon my experience practicing public health and developing educational and other programs. My experience at the CDC, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, and UW School of Medicine and Public Health provides me with a solid understanding of role for physicians in efforts to improve the health of populations—focusing on public health and health equity. My own research focuses on the interface between science and practice and has culminated in a model for public health surveillance for engaging communities in broad-based efforts to measure health and mobilize communities toward action. In addition to my work with our residents, I teach courses to undergraduate, public health, and medical students.

Kelly Coffey, MS

Program Manager

In my role as the Preventive Medicine Residency Manager, it is my great pleasure to be a source to residents as they navigate their two years in this program.

In addition to working with the residency, I coordinate a medical student education program called the Path of Distinction in Public Health.