Dr. Susan Behrens Badger Girls State Scholarship Fund

Dr. Susan Behrens (class of 1967) was the first woman graduate of Brodhead High School to become a physician and surgeon. She was also the first inductee into the Brodhead High School Wall of Fame.

In high school she excelled academically, musically, and in public speaking, being the first student in Wisconsin to win four-As in the State Forensic Contest. She was also active in bands, chorus and as an instrumental soloist and accompanist of all the high school choruses. She was honored to attend Badger Girls State and recognized that it was a fantastic week of learning and growth. As an adult she has sponsored girls to attend, and this endowed scholarship makes it possible for her to continue this sponsorship.

She was the first woman to establish a surgical practice in Wisconsin (at Beloit Clinic and Beloit Memorial Hospital in 1980), was the first woman to become Chairman of the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, which licenses physicians, and the first woman elected as National President of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States. She also was a member of test committees for the National Board of Medical Examiners. In this capacity she wrote and reviewed test questions for the examinations which doctors must pass before they can be licensed to practice.

She was also an active volunteer in Beloit, where she practiced medicine, and served these groups in many leadership roles.

She has been a mentor and role model for girls and young women who were interested in studying medicine and science. It is her hope that the young women who attend Badger Girls State will use their experiences and talents to help make this world a better place.