Professor, Family Med Assistant Dean for Student Services

Rosie Cannarella was born, raised and educated in West Virginia. Other than her 4 high school years when she attended an all-girls school in Philadelphia, she has lived all her years in this wonderful WV. After attending WVU and WVU medical school, and completing her Family Medicine residency in Morgantown, she and her husband Ralph, both an environmental engineer and a lawyer, decided to settle in the eastern Panhandle for their practices – his in law and hers in Family Medicine. At the time she began practice, she had two children, 5 month old, Adam and 3 year old Jason. She joined Dr. KC Nau, a residency mate, and together they built a practice in Family Medicine, which eventually evolved into the 17 provider practice known today as Harpers Ferry Family Medicine and affiliated with WVU and the Rural residency. Teaching medical students and residents has been part of her life for over 20 years.

Rosie felt that raising her children in Harpers Ferry allowed her the perfect blend of small town life with nearby big city amenities for the kids as they grew up ( Baltimore Orioles games as well as the Smithsonian Institution were only 75 minutes away). Small town boy scout activities and little league games were complimented with field trips to the Zoo, concerts and US world cup soccer games available near-by. The patient mix was socio-economically diverse with home visits made to shelters/homes without running water and one electric skillet serving as the “stove”, to homes belonging to those retired from the Supreme Court and from government service overseas. Working in a small hospital brought practicing medicine to a comfortable level, while assuming tremendous responsibilities for patient care with help from specialists in the next town as needed. Her passion for health promotion, public education and disease prevention was a continual theme in her free time. In 1994, Rosie went back to school, and over a 5 year period while still seeing patients and teaching, earned her Master’s in Public Health and assumed the role of Public health Officer as well. One of her first projects was the immunization of a cadre of health professions workers in a tri-county area for smallpox.

Since 2002 and the creation of the Eastern Division of WVU, Rosie now splits her time a couple of ways. She serves as the Assistant Dean of Student Services for the medical school, sees patients in HFFM four half-days per week and works as County Health Officer and sees patients at county health dept ½ day per week. Teaching and serving are major pleasures and maintaining an active patient base herself as well. Modeling for young physicians the balancing act of medicine and outside interests remains a constant challenge. Hopefully those young residents will enjoy the same balance that she has achieved with her family and her work.