From left: Students Alisha Khosla (SMPH), Adam Hoppe (Pharmacy), Calen Bernbeck (Law) and Anna Field (SMPH) with the Dean’s Cup trophy. (Photo by Maddy Andresen)
Founders of the Dean’s Cup are thrilled that the annual 30-year-old tradition continues and proud that the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) won the fall 2025 competition.
Reflecting on helping launch the event in 1995 as second-year medical students, Anish Desai, MD ’98, and Tim Richer, MD ’98 — along with Tim Stewart, JD ’97, then a UW School of Law student, and many others — said a friend at the University of Miami encouraged them to model the competition after one there between medical and law students.
During a trip to Florida, Stewart, Desai, and fellow travelers gathered ideas. With others from the Medical Student Association and counterparts at the law school, they planned 10 days of tournaments plus a charitable twist. Richer and Stewart received approval from the respective deans for the activities and purpose: to foster camaraderie between medical and law students while making important contributions to local charities.
“The entry fee was at least one item for a food pantry,” said Desai, now a gastroenterologist in Atlanta. “Dan Schraith [MD ’99 (PG ’03)] designed a t-shirt that we sold and split the proceeds between the Dane County Rape Crisis Center and Red Cross.”
“One contest was a Red Cross blood drive, and I remember law students complaining, in a friendly way, that medical students were more likely to donate blood,” he said. “But we responded, ‘There are more law students than medical students, so you need to get your team to donate!’”
Noting that the endeavors also included football, basketball, ultimate frisbee, tennis, volleyball, ping pong, and trivia, Desai said, “I was surprised by the intensity to win. I had to remind students that this was for charity!”
The fact that we were able to raise $1,000 for charities, in addition to donations of blood and food, made us proud.
- Tim Richer, MD ’98
According to Richer — a pediatrician in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and the Class of 1998 co-representative with Ann Liebeskind, MD ’98 (PG ’02) — the medical school won the first year with about 55 students participating from each school.
“The fact that we were able to raise $1,000 for charities, in addition to donations of blood and food, made us proud,” said Richer, adding that the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association and UW Law School Alumni contributed money for a trophy.
About a culminating event, Desai reflected, “Everyone had fun playing tag, watching a charity softball game between the faculty of the law and medical schools, and presenting the trophy to Dean Farrell.”
Since then, the trophy has moved approximately equally between the two schools’ deans, including UW School of Medicine and Public Health Deans Philip M. Farrell, MD, PhD (PG ’72), Robert N. Golden, MD, and Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA.
“I have great memories of the Dean’s Cup,” said Farrell. “One of our graduates and his wife, a law school graduate, thanked me for bringing them together during a competition that led to their relationship. I later learned that many ‘matches’ have emerged from these activities, proving that the events added personal value for students at both schools.”
Golden also has fond memories of the competition, including a recurring baking contest.
“I was invited to serve as a judge, which involved a blinded sampling of a large array of delicious dishes,” he noted. “After my first year, I learned to take very small samples, which was difficult considering my fondness for sweets.”
Over the years, Dean’s Cup activities have expanded and contracted in scope and sometimes included other health sciences programs and schools. The COVID-19 pandemic caused cancellation of the 2020 event, and since 2021, the UW School of Pharmacy has participated in the three-school competition. Each school solicits one or more student planners.
UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s current representatives are Anna Field and Alisha Khosla, second-year medical students. Along with representatives from the law and pharmacy schools, they conducted polls, formed committees, and held the following fall 2025 events:
“We received positive feedback about all these events, as people appreciated the opportunity to mingle with students from other schools,” said Field. “And, of course, we are happy that our school won.”
This marked the 30th anniversary of the Dean’s Cup, but it was the first for Ahuja. She was thrilled not only with the outcome but also with the impact.
“I love the tradition of the Dean’s Cup, especially because it builds camaraderie among our students, not only in the school but across campus,” she said. “What could be better than a friendly competition to outdo one another in making a positive impact in our community? I look forward to next year’s event and cheering on our medical students’ generosity and team spirit.”
