Across Wisconsin, 50 physician preceptors in 35 communities are mentoring the next generation of doctors in the Ambulatory Acting Internship (AAI), showing University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health medical students how clinical knowledge translates into patient care.
In May 2026, representatives of the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) and the school honored Jessica Schmid, DO (PG ’16), and Anna Svircev, DO, MPH — primary care physicians at Southwest Health, Platteville, Wisconsin — with the Max Fox Preceptorship Award for their outstanding service.
“Preceptors are uniquely qualified to assess whether medical students have the skills and professional judgment needed for quality patient care,” notes Paul Hunter, MD ’89, professor of family medicine and community health and AAI director. “They help fulfill our vision of ‘healthy people and healthy communities.’”
Schmid and Svircev have taught 25 students through the AAI since 2018. Students praise them as generous mentors who create learning environments that balance autonomy with support and emphasize teamwork.
Svircev is widely admired for her leadership and organizational skills, as well as the encouragement she provides to students.
Similarly, Schmid’s students express immense appreciation for her kindness and trust — values she cultivates throughout her clinic.
They share a commitment to community-centered care.
Svircev has fond childhood memories of visiting University Hospital, where her mother was an anesthesiologist. After an eyelid surgery at age 3, Svircev dreamed of becoming a physician. She earned bachelor’s degrees in zoology and psychology at UW–Madison, followed by a master of public health degree at Emory University in Atlanta. She worked in public health, yet the call to become a physician remained strong, leading her to earn her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree at Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Next, she completed a family medicine residency at the University of Colorado.
She was surprised by how much she enjoys practicing medicine in a small community.
“Family medicine is where I am meant to be, and it is among the reasons I mentor students,” Svircev says. “We build such meaningful relationships with patients, and students see that.”
A former chief of staff at Southwest Health, Svircev is the physician lead for the Quality Leadership Council and Primary Care Quality Committee. She also is the medical director of student health at UW–Platteville.
While growing up in a rural setting, Schmid loved going to the doctor and found medical procedures fascinating.
“Our doctor was everything,” she reflects. “I wanted to be that kind of doctor.”
After earning a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, Schmid completed a family medicine residency at Aurora St. Luke’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the chief of staff for Southwest Health and the medical director of its Anticoagulation Clinic and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program.
Schmid and Svircev hope their enthusiasm for medicine will inspire students to pursue meaningful careers in patient-centered care.
Receiving the Max Fox Preceptorship Award is a testament to their deep commitment to their field and their mentees. The award is given annually by WMAA and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Elizabeth Petty, MD ’86 (PG ’89), senior associate dean for academic affairs, Sarah B. Rothschild, executive director, WMAA, and Hunter presented the awards at a ceremony at Southwest Health.
