Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program (WRPRAP) is a grant from the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health that funds health systems, residency programs, fellowship programs, and state agencies seeking to enhance rural graduate medical education in Wisconsin communities.

The program accepts ongoing funding requests for Rural Rotations — defined as at least 8 weeks of continuous or cumulative training — with funds used to cover operational costs of the rural rotation experience. The program also accepts renewal grant applications annually, with September as the encouraged submission window. Grant renewal applications are accepted, and the deadline for the next cycle is September 14, 2026.

Eligible applicants include health systems, residency and fellowship programs, and state agencies pursuing qualifying rural medical education activities in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program (WRPRAP) Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program (WRPRAP) Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program (WRPRAP) walworth 2025-07-16T14:55:22-05:00 Upcoming Grant Application Deadline: Grant renewal applications are encouraged for submission in September. Accepting funding requests for Rural Rotations * on an ongoing basis, pending available funding.

* Rural Rotations: at least 8-weeks of continuous or cumulative training, and funding can only be used for supporting operational costs of the rural rotation. Refer to Rural GME Operational Grants for more information.

Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program (WRPRAP) promotes collaboration among Wisconsin health systems, residency and fellowship programs and state agencies that aim to enhance rural graduate medical education (GME) and make rural Wisconsin a healthier place to live, work and play.

In order to provide technical assistance to our rural communities, WRPRAP helped establish and continues to work with and fund the Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural GME (WCRGME). WRPRAP and WCRGME are available to provide information and resources to organizations interested in initiating or continuously improving Wisconsin GME programs and tracks with a rural focus.

Rural GME Operational Grants » The Rural GME Operational Fund supports quality improvement and continuation of current rural GME programs. Activities may include rural rotations, curriculum development, technical assistance for rural residency programs, and more. Rural GME Transformational Grants » The Rural GME Transformational Fund supports innovation and planning for future rural GME initiatives.

These activities may include developing a new rural residency program, developing a new rural track to enhance an urban residency program, and other pilot studies associated with rural GME training positions in eligible residency program specialties.

* In 2014 the Health and Medicine Division (previously the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine published a report on Graduate Medical Education That Meets the Nation’s Health Needs . This report recommends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) create one GME fund with two subsidiary funds.

WRPRAP adopted HMD’s recommendation to distribute its primary Rural GME Fund into these subsidiary funds, titled and outlined as Rural GME Operational Fund and Rural GME Transformational Fund . Current (Fiscal Year 2024) UW DFMCH RHET-Rural Pathway Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural GME Ashland Memorial Medical Center Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Medical College of Wisconsin UW Dept.

of Obstetrics and Gynecology UW DFMCH RHET & Rural Pathway Track Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural GME Examples of Current and Previous Grant Projects ACGME and AOA accredited new rural residency programs Rural track within urban residency program Emergency Medicine Fellowship Women’s health curriculum and ultrasound training for residents Contact WRPRAP@fammed. wisc. edu with questions or intent to apply for funding.

2024 WRPRAP Annual Report 2023 WRPRAP Annual Report 2022 WRPRAP Annual Report For program inquiries please contact: UW Dept. of Family Medicine