Joshua Gauger

Joshua Gauger, MD, MBA, serves as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He holds dual leadership roles as Medical Director for the BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department at UW Health University Hospital and Medical Director for Trauma at East Madison Hospital, driving operational excellence in high-acuity care delivery.

• Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Graduate (MBA): W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University
• Medical School: Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
• Residency: University of Cincinnati Medical Center

Dr. Gauger's research bridges clinical emergency medicine and systems optimization, with current projects targeting sepsis protocols, stroke pathways, and trauma response systems. His operational focus emphasizes human factors engineering in emergency departments to reduce errors while maintaining throughput. This dual clinical-administrative expertise positions him at the forefront of emergency care innovation.

His scholarly output (2012-2016) reveals an early-career trajectory from virology research (herpes antivirals) to public health investigations (asthma socioeconomic determinants and vaccine uptake), demonstrating cross-disciplinary analytical rigor later applied to emergency operations. The consistent thread is translational science—converting laboratory and population insights into clinical action.

Professional recognition includes:

• UW Health Physician Leadership Development Program Graduate (2023)

As lead for the emergency medicine residency quality improvement curriculum, Dr. Gauger mentors physicians in process optimization methodologies. His operational leadership secures institutional resources for sepsis and stroke initiatives, though specific grant mechanisms remain internal to UW Health. Current projects focus on real-time analytics for patient flow bottlenecks and trauma team coordination.

He directs clinical operations across UW Health's emergency network, integrating the BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department (University Hospital) and East Madison Hospital Emergency Department into a cohesive system. His teams implement standardized protocols for time-sensitive conditions while maintaining flexibility for complex cases, with monthly performance reviews driving continuous refinement.