Welcome to the 27th Annual
Layton F. Rikkers Education Retreat
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | 3:00-7:15 p.m.
Day of Agenda
*COMING SOON*
“Through education – the Department of Surgery is committed to training the next generation of surgeons and engaging learners from high school through fellowship, and to supporting life long learning opportunities for those already in practice.”
– Department of Surgery Strategic Plan 2020-2025
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
History of Education Retreat & Dr. Rikker's Legacy
History
About Dr. Rikkers
Dr. Layton F. “Bing” Rikkers is a native of Wisconsin and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After graduating from Stanford University Medical School, he completed general surgery residency at the University of Utah and two one-year fellowships at the Royal Free Hospital in London and Emory University in Atlanta. He spent seven years on the faculty at the University of Utah before serving as the Musselman Chair of Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center from 1984 to1996 and then the A.R. Curreri Chair of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin from 1996 to 2008. During his 12-year tenure as surgery chair at the UW, the faculty doubled in size and our NIH ranking rose to 13th in the nation, representing a significant increase in research funding. Dr. Rikkers established the annual Resident Research Day and the annual Education Retreat. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Surgery at Wisconsin.
Retreat History
The University of Wisconsin Department of Surgery Education Retreat was initiated in 1998 to offer a venue to recognize and support the educational efforts of the Department of Surgery. Initially dedicated to improving education within the department with a focus on medical student education, the event has evolved over the years. While the information transmitted during the retreat was likely helpful in improving the teaching abilities of those who attended, more importantly it was a yearly reminder that education was an essential component of the department’s mission.
In 2008, it was named the Layton F. Rikkers Education Retreat to honor our past Chair of Surgery who held the education of medical students and residents as a high priority. The surgeons who have served as visiting professors to the retreat are a virtual “who’s who” of surgical education in the United States.
Previous Speakers
1998 – Craig Gjerde, PhD
1999 – Deb DaRosa, PhD
2000 – Gary Dunnington, MD
2001 – Ajit Sachdeva, MD
2002 – Thomas Krummel, MD
2003 – Stephen R.T. Evans, MD
2004 – John Leeman Tarpley, MD
2005 – Richard K. Reznick, MD
2006 – Yolanda Becker, MD
2007 – Jo Shapiro, MD
2008 – Bruce L. Gewertz, MD
2009 – Mary E. Klingensmith, MD
2010 – David Rogers, MD
2011 – Ajit Sachdeva, MD
2012 – Carlos Pellegrini, MD
2013 – Julie Freischlag, MD
2014 – Frank R. Lewis, MD
2015 – Gerald M. Fried, MD
2016 – Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, MS
2017 – David R. Farley, MD
2018 – Gurjit Sandhu, PhD
2019 – Carol-Anne Moulton, MD, PhD, MEd
2020 – Karen Brasel, MD
2022 – Brigitte Smith, MD, MHPE, FACS, FSVS
2023 – Kevin Pei, MD, MHSEd, FACS
