Judie Charlton, M.D., has been named chair, Department of Ophthalmology, WVU School of Medicine. Click here for more information.

The Department of Emergency Medicine recently increased the number of faculty in the Eastern Division’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. This addition is part of the $4.6 Million expansion of Jefferson Memorial’s Emergency Department. Click here to read more about this expansion.

The Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry residency program, the only program in the state, recently filled both of its positions in the match for the July 2008 cycle. Out of the 100 programs that participated in the match only 61% filled all their positions and out of the 319 positions offered only 81% were filled in the match. For more information on this residency program click here.

The Department of Community Medicine is one of the sponsors of the School of Medicine’s Alcohol Education Program. The program recently sponsored a “Think Before You Drink” poster contest and the winners have been announced. For more information on this poster contest or the Alcohol Education Program click here.

Schools in the Chicago suburb of Lemont, Illinois, have started implementing the interactive video game “Dance Dance Revolution” into their physical education curriculum based on the results from the study at West Virginia University. For more information on the Lemont schools’ physical education curriculum click here.

The 10th annual WVU Children's Hospital Kids Fair is scheduled for Saturday, April 12th, 10am-5pm, Morgantown Mall. The theme for this year's event is: "Go Green This Spring." Kids will learn about caring for their bodies, and the earth, at Kids Fair 2008. For information on creating a booth/exhibit or to volunteer at the fair contact the WVUH Community Relations Office at 598-2103. The registration deadline is February 8.

Medical Students will be collecting recycling bins on Tuesdays at the HSC. Contact Elliot Palmer at epalmer1@mix.wvu.edu for more information.

COMING

J. Richard Casuccio, M.D. has joined the Morgantown Division of the School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Casuccio specializes in plastic surgery.

John Ward, M.D. has joined the Morgantown Division of the School of Medicine in the Department of Orthopaedics as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Ward specializes in tumor and joint surgery.

GOING

Franklin Scheibel, M.D. is leaving the Morgantown Division of the School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery.

William Tarry, M.D. is leaving the Morgantown Division of the School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery.

Lisa Costello, M.D. Degree class of 2011, recently was a guest columnist for the newspaper ‘Herald Star’. In this article Lisa expresses her opinions on how important the pediatric unit is to her hometown hospital and how her education at WVU is important in reaching her goals.

The Charleston Division Class of 2009 have been cooking dinners for families staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Charleston. They are also raising awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Department of Exercise Physiology is the largest division of the School of Medicine with approximately 800 students enrolled. It is the only program in the School of Medicine to offer bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees.

In 2002, the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center won the largest Federal grant in the history of the Health Sciences Center ($11m) to build the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence. The MBRCC continues to grow and provide the people of West Virginia with the best cancer treatments available.

Can you guess who these two faculty members are?

(Click Images to enlarge)

The answers will appear in next month’s issue.

Mark Bates, M.D., Professor, Department of Surgery, Charleston Division, is a cardiovascular surgeon who encountered problems that did not have readily available solutions. So, Dr. Bates decided to do something about that and created a company to conduct research and develop products to help patients. To read more about the discoveries of Dr. Bates’ company click here.

Mitchell Finkel M.D., Professor, Department of Medicine, and Anthony Morise M.D., Professor, Department of Medicine, are explaining why some Americans have bad circulation and the health problems that can ensue. Drs. Finkel and Morise also explain how circulatory problems can be treated. For more information on this health topic click here.

John Linton Ph.D., Professor, Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, Charleston Division, recently served on a state panel which made recommendations for regular behavioral health screenings for state troopers. Click here for more information on the health recommendations from the panel.

Larry Rhodes, M.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics, is encouraging children with congenital heart disease to enroll in a summer camp called Camp Mountain Heart. Dr. Rhodes has volunteered at this camp almost every year since it was created. For more information on Camp Mountain Heart click here.

Rebecca Schmidt, D.O., Professor, Department of Medicine, recently received a lifetime achievement award from the American Kidney Foundation. Dr. Schmidt works in several nephrology outreach clinics within the states of West Virginia and Maryland. For more information on the American Kidney Foundation’s awards click here.

Governor Joe Manchin III has created a new program called “Bucks for Jobs" which will help fund research and create new research positions at WVU and Marshall University. WVU will receive $35 Million and be required to raise an equal amount for this endowment. Click here for more information on this new research funding program.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health recently gave a $1.7 Million T32 training grant to the School of Medicine. This T32 training grant will help recruit some of the nation’s best students to be trained in pulmonary and cardiovascular disease research. For more information on this grant click here.

Making it work- that’s an everyday responsibility of the Health Sciences Center faculty, administrators and staff. Collectively, we appreciate the benefits provided to all who seek services here.

As a team, much is accomplished. As team members, we can find additional ways to extend these benefits. One option is to consider including a gift provision in your will or revocable trust when the time is right for estate planning.
The provision should be worded “to the West Virginia University Foundation for the benefit of the School of ____/ Department of _____” to carry out your dream. You can specify that the gift fund will be endowed to last forever and provide annual income or can be used on an expendable basis to meet the greatest needs at that time.

Many support options are available, and the Development Office (304-293-3980) can assist you to make it work.