Originally from Fall River, in southern Wisconsin, a small, rural town with a population of 1,800, William Bull always knew he wanted to be involved in medicine and sports. While a student at Edgewood College, William played on the men's basketball team and worked at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in both
the Radiology and Anesthesiology departments. William says that it was at this moment in his life he decided he wanted to pursue a career as a physician.
When he was accepted at the
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH), because of his rural upbringing and passion for rural health, William applied to become a member of the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) program, a competitive program that only accepts 26 new students per year and focuses on developing skills to meet the needs of rural communities. Through the WARM program, William has completed the majority of his medical training in northern, rural Wisconsin at the Marshfield
Medical Center, located in Marshfield, WI.
On rotations at this medical clinic, William witnessed firsthand the healthcare disparities prevalent in rural communities. "Despite the numerous
positive attributes associated with living in a rural community, many rural Wisconsinites experience significant health disparities," says William. "Some factors that contribute to these disparities include limited access to healthcare specialists, transportation limitations, geographic isolation, limited access to healthy foods, and overall lower socioeconomic status." William reports that many of the patients he has worked with drive multiple hours to their medical appointments simply because
there is a lack of specialty physicians where they live. "Others do not seek out management of their chronic medical conditions due to these barriers in accessing care, often leading to worse health outcomes," Williams adds. "Furthermore, significant disparities in mental health outcomes exist between rural and urban areas despite a similar prevalence of diseases. Previous studies have noted that roughly 17% of rural counties have no behavioral health practitioners; 80% of rural counties lack a
psychiatrist; 61% lack a psychologist; 35% lack a social worker; 91% lack a psychiatric nurse practitioner; and 24% lack a counselor (Moran, 2017)."
To gain even further understanding,
William chose to pursue a path of distinction in public health at UWSMPH to investigate the disparities and perform a research project with the state health department and the Internal Medicine department exploring services and interventions most needed by people who utilize injection medications in rural settings.
William is currently in his fourth, and final, year at the UWSMPH and is in the process of applying to residency programs in the field of Internal Medicine. During this year,we are honored to have presented to William the Debra Wendorf Boyke WROF, Inc. Board Scholar Award to help him achieve his goal of serving rural Wisconsin by helping them maintain their health and
well-being. Thank you, William, for all that you have accomplished, thus far, in helping overcome health disparities in rural Wisconsin.