Nicole Hemkes

Nicole Hemkes practices family medicine at Advocate MD East Clinic in Madison. Born and raised in Orlando, she left Florida for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with distinction in biology. She then earned her medical degree from the University of South Florida before completing her family medicine residency at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

Her first decade in practice took her through emergency departments, hospitalist work, and outpatient clinics, in settings ranging from inner-city Chicago to rural Alaska. That range, she believes, sharpened her skills and deepened her empathy for patients. After ten years as an employed physician, she moved to direct primary care, drawn to a model that empowers physician and patient alike and lets her advocate for every patient the way she would for family.

Hemkes lives in Madison with her two young daughters, Margo and Mona. She spends her free time running, doing pilates, gardening, and exploring the state she now calls home.