Wisconsin Medical Society: Molli Rolli, MD, inaugurated president

MADISON — Martha “Molli” Rolli, MD, of Madison was inaugurated the 167 th president of the
Wisconsin Medical Society during the Society’s Annual Meeting April 13-14 in Madison. Doctor
Rolli succeeds Noel Deep, MD, FACP, of Antigo.

Doctor Rolli is a board-certified psychiatrist with additional certification is forensic psychiatry who
has practiced for more than 20 years in Wisconsin. She is currently the medical director at the
Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison and previously was director of psychiatry for the
Wisconsin Department of Corrections. She also served as associate professor in the Department of
Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and continues to
work with students and residents as volunteer faculty at both the University of Wisconsin and the
Medical College of Wisconsin.

During her inaugural remarks, Dr. Rolli talked about the importance of improving access to mental
health services in Wisconsin, and how it relates to addressing the opioid crisis in Wisconsin.
“It is not possible to separate the lack of access to treatment for addictions from the lack of access to mental health treatment in general,” she said. “There is tremendous overlap and most folks who
need treatment for opiate use disorders also need mental health services to be successful in their
recovery.

“I hope to focus much of my attention on improving access to high quality mental health care in
Wisconsin. The lack of easy access to mental health services in Wisconsin places a tremendous
burden not only on psychiatrists, but also on primary care physicians, Emergency Department
doctors and, of course, our patients, the citizens of Wisconsin,” she added.
Doctor Rolli’s career has allowed her to treat patients of all ages from all walks of life with serious
mental illnesses in a variety of settings, including private practice, community hospitals and prisons.
Recently, she has been very active in finding ways to improve access to mental health care, especially for those with serious and debilitating psychiatric illnesses. At the same time, she is
interested in how to reduce the stigma of mental illness in our communities, in health care and in
politics, and last year helped create and now chairs the Society’s Mental and Behavioral Health
Task Force.

“The task force is focused on three areas: reducing stigma, increasing the mental health workforce
and improving access to care; and I am confident we can move the needle on this important issue.
It is a lofty goal, but I have always believed that you get farther when you set your sites high,” she
said, noting that in Wisconsin, nearly 1.5 million people are dealing with a mental or behavioral
health condition, and Wisconsin has the 4 th highest prevalence of mental illness in the nation. That
includes addiction and substance abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and
personality disorders. At the same time, Wisconsin ranks 34 th in terms of mental health workforce
availability.

Doctor Rolli has been a Society member for over 15 years and served on the Wisconsin Medical
Society's Board of Directors since 2008 with five years as board chair. She is a longtime member and previous chair of the Society’s Council on Ethics. Doctor Rolli also served as president of the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association and the Dane County Medical Society

A 1992 graduate of Mayo Medical School, Dr. Rolli completed her residency at the University of
Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, where she served as chief resident.

With over 12,500 members dedicated to the best interests of their patients, the Wisconsin Medical
Society is the largest association of medical doctors in the state and a trusted source for health
policy leadership since 1841.