William Shainline Middleton William Shainline Middleton , M . D . , M . A . C . P . ( 7 January 1890 - 9 September 1975 ) was a prestigious American internist and military physician . He was one of the founders of the American Board of Internal Medicine and its first Secretary - Treasurer . Middleton was also the second Dean of the University of Wisconsin Medical School . Early life and education . Middleton was born in January 1890 in Norristown , Pennsylvania , to Daniel and Anne Middleton , the second of their four children . His father was a salesman for a candy company . Middleton entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1907 and obtained an M . D . in 1911 . Thereafter , Dr . Middleton served as an intern at Philadelphia General Hospital under the direction of Dr . David Riesman . Middleton later stated that his own practices in physical examination of patients , teaching of medical students and house officers , and ethics were derived from those of Riesman . Career at the University of Wisconsin . Middleton was invited to join the faculty at the University of Wisconsin ( UW ; in Madison , WI ) - then a 2 - year medical school - immediately after his internship . He moved to Madison in 1912 as a Clinical Instructor in Medicine , principally serving students at the fledgling UW student health center , along with its director , Dr . Joseph Spragg Evans . Middleton had broad interests regarding areas of clinical investigation , but they especially centered on sarcoidosis , pneumoconiosis , hematological disorders , infectious diseases and medical history . He steadily rose through the academic ranks , and when the medical school became a four - year degree - granting entity in 1924 and built a university hospital , Middleton emerged as a central figure in the education of third - and fourth - year clinical clerks as well as house officers in internal medicine . He was known for his mastery of the physical examination and for his consummate professionalism . A novel and innovative program of " preceptorships " was initiated in 1926 , wherein senior medical students were assigned to work with community practitioners throughout Wisconsin as a prelude to internship . That system of mentoring continues to this day . After the death of UW medical school Dean Charles Russell Bardeen in 1935 , Middleton was named as his successor . The deanship was a difficult position at that time , because of growing factionalism among academic departments and their faculty members . In spite of that problem , the school flourished under Dean Middleton ' s guidance over 20 years . He continued to teach actively and to pursue his own research interests despite the administrative demands on his time , ultimately producing more than 300 contributions to the peer - reviewed medical literature . In 1939 , the American Board of Internal Medicine was constituted under the aegis of the American Board of Medical Specialties . Middleton was asked to serve as one of the eight initial Board members , and was named Secretary - Treasurer of the organization . He was instrumental in formulating a national curriculum for residency training in internal medicine and a structured system of examination to achieve board - certification in that medical specialty . Military service . Middleton served as a general medical officer with the U . S . Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I , from 1917 to 1919 . He remained in the U . S . Army Reserve following the end of the war , and , after the renewed outbreak of world hostilities in 1939 , Middleton began to serve an increasingly active role as an advisor to the U . S . Army Medical Corps . When the U . S . entered the war , Middleton was recalled to active duty as Chief Consultant in Medicine , in the European Theater of Operations . He had an Army counterpart - consultant in surgery , Dr . Elliott Cutler , and , together , they shaped the process for the care of sick and injured American soldiers in Europe . In addition , Middleton was asked to care personally for several high - profile , high - ranking officers in both the American and British armies during the conflict . Middleton attained the rank of Colonel ( O6 ) in the Army Medical Corps . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal , the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster , the Croix de Guerre with Palm , and the Order of the British Empire . Service to the U . S . Veterans Administration . In 1955 , Middleton was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower as Chief Medical Director of the Department of Medicine & Surgery of the U . S . Veterans Administration . He relinquished his deanship and served the government in that capacity for eight years , but retained a presence at UW as well . Programs for veterans that were developed during his tenure included improved access to physical rehabilitation services , mental health care , and treatment for cardiovascular disease s . In recognition of that work , the Veterans Hospital in Madison was named the " William S . Middleton Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital " in the mid - 1970s . According to the Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development , the William S . Middleton Award is the highest honor awarded annually by their Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service " to VA biomedical research scientists in recognition of their outstanding scientific contributions and achievements in the areas of biomedical and bio - behavioral research relevant to the healthcare of veterans . " Professional honors and awards . Middleton received many professional accolades during his long career . He was given six honorary doctorate degrees , including the D . Sc . from Cambridge University . Middleton was an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine ( UK ) ; a Master and former President of the American College of Physicians ; a recipient of the Alumni Award of Merit from the University of Pennsylvania ; and a recipient of the UW Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching . Personal life . Middleton married Maude H . Webster in 1921 . She died in 1968 , and the couple had no children . In 1973 , Middleton married a second time , to Ruth Adams , who had been a member of his staff in the Veterans Administration . He was a fierce competitor in tennis and handball , and swam in Madison ' s Lake Mendota every summer morning until the age of 81 . Death . William S . Middleton died of pneumonia at the Madison Veterans Hospital in September 1975 , at the age of 85 . He is buried in Madison .