Our faculty members have a long-term commitment to our residents and the traditions of family medicine education. We have a great mix of age, gender and expertise (geriatrics, sports medicine, women’s health, etc.). Our new program director has been with the program over 17 years, having been a graduate of the program and serving as faculty for the last 13 years, prior to his role as program director. Among our seven family physician faculty, we have many years of combined teaching experience.
Welcome to the Family Medicine Residency at Mayo Clinic in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I believe we have one of the finest family medicine residencies in the country. Wisconsin was recently ranked as the fourth best state in the nation in which to practice medicine by Wallethub. We are celebrating 43 years of training competent, caring family physicians. I invite you to come and visit to see for yourself. You will receive an excellent education here while enjoying life in one of the best small cities in the country. La Crosse is nestled among the bluffs of the mighty Mississippi and offers a small town feel with most of the attractions of a bigger city. Come visit us, and you will see why many refer to this area as "God’s Country."
I want to thank you for your interest in our program, and I look forward to meeting you.
John Merfeld, M.D.
Program Director
Associate Director
Faculty member since 2007
Dr. Cowan received her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 1981. She completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Wisconsin Fox Valley Family Medicine Residency in Appleton. Dr. Cowan previously worked in Decorah, Iowa, and at Luther College Health Service. Her special interests include adolescent medicine, medical education, and the patient-centered medical home.
Assistant Director
Faculty Member since 2022
Dr. Dargel, a Wisconsin native, received her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is a 2006 graduate of Mayo Clinic's Family Medicine Residency program in La Crosse and practiced at Mayo Clinic Health System in Onalaska for 16 years.
Behavioral Science Director
Faculty member since 2017
Dr. Goulet received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from West Virginia University in Morgantown. She completed her advanced postdoctoral fellowship in women’s health through the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Associate Director
Faculty member since January 2012
Dr. Malone earned his medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois. He is a 1995 graduate of the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency program in La Crosse. His professional interests include inpatient medicine, obstetrics, and sports medicine.
Associate Director
Faculty member since July 2016
Dr. Morcomb earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in the Twin Cities, but really is a small-town girl at heart, growing up not far from La Crosse in Rushford, Minnesota. She is a 2016 graduate of the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency program in La Crosse. Her interests in medicine include just about everything since she did choose to practice Family Medicine after all, but she is especially fond of geriatrics, obstetrics, and hospital medicine.
Associate Director
Faculty member since September 2017
Dr. Schlecht earned her medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine in Grand Forks. She completed her family practice residency through the University of North Dakota in Minot. Prior to joining the residency, Dr. Schlecht was the associate director at the University of North Dakota Center for Family Medicine in Minot. Dr. Schlecht is certified by the American Board of Family Practice. She is board-certified in hospice care in palliative medicine and is an instructor for advanced life support in obstetrics.
Assistant Director
Faculty member since July 2019
Dr. Stacey is a graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri. He completed his residency in family medicine at the Peak Vista Family Medicine Residency Program in Colorado Springs. Dr. Stacey was active in the military as a flight surgeon, battalion surgeon, and paratrooper.
Terry completed her certification program of Physician Assistant Training at University North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences-Grand Forks in 2004. She began her career with internal medicine practice, specializing in nephrology/dialysis care, in rural northern Wisconsin. She then provided both acute inpatient hospital and home-based primary care for Veterans at the Tomah VA Medical Center before joining Mayo Clinic in 2012. In her current practice, Terry provides routine/regulatory and special/urgent issue care issues in skilled nursing facilities across western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. Terry is a passionate patient advocate and strives to combine Mayo Clinic Excellence and the ultimate essence of humanity with compassion and a sense of humor.
Dr. Perkins, an Iowa native, received his undergraduate degree at Central College of Pella, Iowa, and received his medical degree from Des Moines University. He is a 2008 graduate of the University of Iowa–Broadlawns Medical Center Family Medicine Residency of Des Moines, Iowa. He practiced 11 years in rural Iowa for Mayo Clinic Health System in a full-spectrum practice and currently practices at the La Crosse clinic in Family Medicine.
Dr. Rushlow is a board-certified family medicine physician and serves as chair of Family Medicine for Mayo Clinic Midwest. He received his undergraduate degree from UW–La Crosse, medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and residency training in the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency in La Crosse. After residency, he practiced family medicine in Shawano, Wisconsin. He then returned to La Crosse as a faculty physician for the residency program. He became the chief medical officer for Mayo Clinic Health System, Southwest Wisconsin Region, until his transition to the Family Medicine Department chair role.
Dr. Schrunk graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency through the UMN in Mankato, MN. She then completed a fellowship in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville, KY. After training with several D.O. mentors who were passionate about osteopathic medicine, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to share their knowledge and techniques.
Dr. Sebranek received her medical degree from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. After graduating from the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency program in La Crosse, she returned to her hometown of Richland Center, Wisconsin, with her husband to practice family medicine at a private practice. She enjoys teaching residents to think like a small-town doctor.
Dr. Van Manen is a graduate of Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center and went on to complete a fellowship in Neuromusculoskeletal/Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville, KY. She is passionate about osteopathic medicine, hands-on care, and treating the root cause of illness, not merely the symptoms. She trained with several D.O. mentors that were foundational in the osteopathic field and feels privileged to pass on that knowledge and legacy.
