Announcements
Voting now open for annual Best Hospitals rankings
Each year US News & World Report issues their rankings of best hospitals and children’s hospitals. 2018 will once again include a reputation component in the scoring methodology. Over the past several years, the weight given to the reputation scores has decreased with more emphasis placed on actual quality metrics such as mortality, patient safety, and technologies. In recent years, the survey method has also changed to include an online survey administered via Doximity. Doximity is an online network of over half a million US Healthcare professionals.
WVU in the News: Black Lung Disease Comes Storming Back in Coal Country
Dr. Carl Werntz, associate professor in Occupational Medicine at WVU, offers expertise regarding black lung disease in the New York Times.
Immunology and Medical Microbiology students awarded research internships
The Immunology and Medical Microbiology (IMMB) program recently selected four sophomore students to participate in a research internship program offered by the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology.
CDC to offer continuing education course on vaccine immunization in Morgantown
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering a continuing education course titled CDC Pink Book Training: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases on April 10-11, 2018, at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place in Morgantown, West Virginia.
WVU researcher wins national award; examines use of multiple medications among older cancer survivors
Traci LeMasters, assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, is a recipient of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s New Investigator Award, which grants funding to early-career faculty to jumpstart independent research programs. She is one of only 16 people nationwide to receive the award this year.
Under the Dome: WVU Legislative Update
Under the Dome is an update on actions and activities of the West Virginia Legislature, provided during the regular legislative session, interim sessions and special sessions for West Virginia University faculty and staff by WVU’s Office of State and Local Relations.
WVU women’s basketball players visit cancer patients
Several members of the WVU women’s basketball team made a surprise visit to the WVU Cancer Institute in Morgantown this past week. It was an opportunity for them to talk with patients in the infusion center and present each with a silk rose.
January Faculty Arrivals
COMMUNITY PRACTICE Binu Chacko, MD is a new primary care physician with the WVU Medicine Community Practice division. He was most recently the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster, MD.
WVU Medicine hosts inaugural Prescribing Policy Summit
Representatives from insurance companies, WVU Medicine physicians, and employees met recently at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital to discuss policies and procedures about the treatment of acute and chronic pain and options of how to treat pain with non-pharmacological methods.
WVU Occupational Medicine experts react to rise in black lung cases
New information from researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has identified 416 cases of advanced black lung disease among coal miners in Appalachia. Drs. Anna Allen and Carl Werntz, associate professors in Occupational Medicine at West Virginia University, explain what causes this debilitating disease.