Each year on July 1, the University of Wisconsin Pediatric Residency Program welcomes a new class of interns to join the PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents. The new academic year also brings about new resident leaders who will provide administrative, clinical, and educational leadership for the residency program. This year, Anna Uhing, MD, and Tyler Sternhagen, MD, will serve as co-chief residents of the Pediatric Residency Program. They jumped into their new roles with enthusiasm, welcoming the 2026–2027 class of interns with a week of orientation that involved simulation labs and a scavenger hunt. Read on for a Q&A with Uhing and Sternhagen.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in being a chief resident?
Tyler Sternhagen: As chief resident, I will be very involved in the education our residents receive. I am very excited to continue to work with our great group of residents and provide additional teaching on a daily basis.
Anna Uhing: I am so excited to be chief resident! While I am looking forward to so many parts of chief year, I think I am most excited to continue to learn from my colleagues and further hone my teaching skills. Throughout my residency, I have learned so much from everyone around me — my co-residents, attendings, nurses, and all ancillary staff. I see chief year as a way to give back to all of them.
Q: What’s one thing you hope your residents will learn from you?
AU: I hope that I continue to show residents that it’s all right to not always have the perfect answer, as long as you work hard to find it. One of the best parts of being a doctor is that you are committed to life-long learning. I hope that by vocalizing my own uncertainties and working hard to find answers for my own patients, it helps others do the same so they are able to grow to their full potential.
TS: My goal for all our residents is to learn how to persevere through the inevitable challenges of residency, and medicine in general, while maintaining their cheerfulness and positive outlooks.
Q: What career would you be doing if you hadn’t gone into medicine?
TS: If I wasn’t a physician, I think I would have become a teacher and coach.
AU: If I wasn’t in medicine, I think I would be a home renovator. My husband and I recently bought a house and have loved learning how to fix it up and make it our own. We still have a lot to learn, but it has become one of my favorite hobbies.
Q: What are you most likely to be famous for?
AU: I think I would be famous for setting the world record for consistently filling up the largest percentage possible of my car’s gas tank without running out of fuel (99.99999%).
TS: Part of residency is taking advantage of downtime, even on nights. I think I may be famous for the most hours of a TV show, “The Office,” viewed on a block of nights. I could watch that all day and night!
Q: Who inspires you?
TS: I’m inspired by the wide variety of patients and families that I get to care for at American Family Children’s Hospital. It is an incredible experience to celebrate life’s joys with families while also being there during the scary or nerve-racking moments of life.
AU: My husband, Dev, always inspires me! He is such a great example of hard work and always keeps his spirits lifted even when times are tough. His positivity and love for life is infectious.
Q: Why Wisconsin?
AU: When I toured UW–Madison for residency, it instantly felt like home. I immediately felt the kinship between residents, attendings, and all other staff members at American Family Children’s Hospital. I have also had the privilege to work hard and learn from everyone around me. I have been surrounded by amazing teachers who are invested in helping me become the best pediatrician I can be, and for that, I am forever grateful.
TS: Wisconsin has felt like home for my wife, Hannah, and me since our interview day back in 2019. We have felt welcome every day at work and have come to love our American Family Children’s Hospital family who has been a huge part of our lives including our engagement and recent marriage!
Follow @WiscPedsRes on Instagram and Twitter to learn more about the residency program. Read our recent article about Thank a Resident Day.