WVU Medicine to Host 41st Annual Hal Wanger Family Medicine Conference

The West Virginia University School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine is hosting the 41st Annual Hal Wanger Family Medicine Conference Sept. 24-25, at the Clark K. Sleeth Family Medicine Center at WVU Medicine's University Town Centre, Morgantown.

The conference’s speakers will address a variety of topics of interest to family physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers. Among the more than 15 topics to be covered during the conference are: casting and splinting, migraine headaches, acute abdominal pain, diabetes, congestive heart failure, PTSD, viral hepatitis, drug abuse and weight loss. 

In keeping with the latest healthcare trends and national guidelines, Jeffrey V. Ashley, M.D., medical director of Adult Outpatient Services and associate professor and chair of the WVU Department of Family Medicine in Charleston, will present “Choosing Wisely.” Dr. Ashley will focus on reducing costs by evaluating unnecessary medical tests and procures. 

In addition, this year’s conference will feature a variety of hands-on workshops led by experts in their respective fields, including Introduction to Dermoscopy, Casting and Splinting, and a Central Appalachia Inter-Professional Pain Education collaborative. 

“This conference has been a wonderful tradition for 41 years, and we are looking forward to its continued success,” G. Anne Cather, M.D., co-director of the Hal Wanger Conference and professor in the WVU departments of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, said. “Each year, we bring to our colleagues up-to-date, evidence-based, clinical information that enables them to provide the best possible care to their patients in West Virginia. This year will be no exception.”

“The conference will also provide a unique opportunity for our alumni and friends to see one another, share pleasant memories from times past and tour the new Family Medicine Center,” Dana E. King, M.D., co-director of the Hal Wanger Conference and professor and chair of the WVU Department of Family Medicine, said.

The conference is named in honor of Halvard Wanger, M.D., who organized an extensive scientific assembly to celebrate the Eastern Panhandle Medical Association’s 50th anniversary in 1956. Dr. Wanger directed the annual Institute through 1974. When Wanger canceled the Institute in 1975 because of health reasons, the WVU Department of Family Medicine assumed responsibility for continuing the fall conference.

Pictured are Dr. John Traubert, center, enjoying his Hal Wanger apple, with Dr. David Hunter, left, and Wanger, right, at the 2nd Annual Hal Wanger Family Medicine Conference.

The deadline to register for the conference is Thursday, Sept. 17. For more information on the conference, including registration, lodging and continuing education, visit http://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/fammed/41st-annual-hal-wanger-family-medicine-conference/  

-WVU-