SAMANTHA CART
CHRIS GOSSES [ community ]
An Interview Sharp
with
Shooter
Steven Eshenaur , D . O ., MBA
With a career that included serving as the state surgeon for the West Virginia Army National Guard ( WVARNG ), deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan and community service contributions such as developing local paramedicine programs and other rural health initiatives , Steven Eshenaur was an obvious choice when he was selected as a member of the Sharp Shooters Class of 2018 .
Soon after his selection , Eshenaur retired following a 30-year career with the WVARNG and was promoted from emergency department physician to medical director of the emergency department and clinics at WVU Medicine Jackson General Hospital . Despite his busy schedule , Eshenaur also earned an executive MBA from West Virginia University this year to complement his bachelor ’ s degree in biology from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and medical degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine .
His career journey came full circle in June 2022 when he was named the executive director and public health officer for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department ( KCHD ).
“ After serving as an emergency department director the past four years , I missed being involved in public health as I had been as the state surgeon for the WVARNG ,” he says . “ When I was selected to serve Kanawha County and Charleston as health officer , my primary concern was for the health of our entire community . The KCHD team strives
every day to prevent disease , educate our citizens and protect our community from the myriad of disease outbreaks we have been subject to . The past few years have really highlighted the challenges to public health and the need to prevent disease .”
While Eshenaur has focused on the treatment of disease over the past several years in the emergency room ( ER ) setting , his current work is focused on the primary prevention of disease and illnesses , and he is proud of the KCHD ’ s commitment to public safety .
“ I appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of Kanawha County . As a lifelong West Virginian , I take very seriously the health and needs of my community .”
“ We are committed to several public health fronts , including disease prevention through immunization and education , protecting public health through restaurant and sanitation inspections , tracking and isolating disease through epidemiology and leading the HIV Task Force for Kanawha County ,” he says .
Despite the adversity of the past several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Eshenaur had no reservations about returning to the field of public health .
“ As an ER physician , we had a number of significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic that included critical patients , limited ER and in-patient beds and staff shortages . Those are some of the most difficult challenges for a physician ,” he recalls . “ Public health is not only a battle against disease ; it is also a public information battle to try to convince as many individuals as possible to prevent disease and not end up in the ER .”
Eshenaur ’ s diverse background has created a strong skill set , making him the perfect person for this position . In the WVARNG , he oversaw medical readiness , immunizations , medical retention and domestic response planning while practicing military medicine abroad , and he has served as a community paramedic program leader and medical director for multiple organizations across the Mountain State , including The Summit Bechtel Reserve .
“ I appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of Kanawha County ,” he says . “ As a lifelong West Virginian , I take very seriously the health and needs of my community .”
Despite having traveled extensively across the globe as a WVARNG soldier , Eshenaur says there is nowhere else on earth he would rather live and work than the beautiful Mountain State .
“ The people here are friendly and caring . When I am here , I am home ,” he says . •
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