NEWS
Marshall University Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine
The three-year gastroenterology fellowship is approved for up to three new fellows per year , with the first fellows beginning in July 2021 . The program will be led by gastroenterologist Wesam Frandah , MD , associate professor of medicine . Under the leadership of internal medicine chair Mehiar El-Hamdani , MD , the school of medicine has recruited new gastroenterology faculty members and designated as its division chief Ahmed Sherif , MD , a fellowship-trained gastroenterologist with 20 years of experience . Uma Sundaram , MD , vice dean of research and graduate education at the school of medicine and a practicing gastroenterologist , has grown the research and academics of the division with targeted research studies and clinical trials .
Marshall school of medicine conducts 41st graduation and investiture
Nearly 80 new physicians and researchers were awarded degrees from the Marshall University Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine during the school ’ s 41st annual graduation and investiture ceremony , held on Friday , April 30 , at Mountain Health Arena in Huntington .
Marshall President Jerome A . Gilbert , PhD , conferred 74 Doctor of Medicine ( MD ) degrees , four Doctor of Philosophy ( PhD ) degrees in biomedical research , and the school ’ s first combined MD-PhD degree . Every member of the graduating MD class matched to residency training programs , including matches to Brown University , Johns Hopkins University , Mayo Clinic , and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center . Additionally , eight MD students graduated with a 4.0 grade point average , earning the school ’ s prestigious Bertha and Lake Polan Award for academic achievement . Graduates of the PhD program are pursuing careers in teaching , post-doctoral research , and laboratory management at Marshall University and Liberty University .
C . Douglas Phillips , MD , a 1984 alumnus , professor of radiology , and director of head and neck imaging at Weill Cornell Medicine , delivered the keynote address to the class of 2021 . The ceremony also included recognition of Charles H . McKown Jr ., MD , as the Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine Alumni Association 2021 honorary alumnus . McKown served as dean of the school from 1989 to 2011 .
Image : Marshall University conferred 74 MD degrees , four PhD degrees , and the school ’ s first combined MD-PhD degree in April .
New fellowships for gastroenterology , neonatalperinatal medicine coming to Marshall
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has granted initial accreditation to the Marshall University Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine for two new fellowship programs in gastroenterology and neonatal-perinatal medicine .
“ We have been working toward this fellowship for a number of years ,” El-Hamdani said . “ Our gastroenterology division blossomed quickly under the leadership of Drs . Sherif and Frandah . This fellowship not only advances us in the realm of education and research but brings new innovations and opportunities to our patients right here at home . This growth is key to providing top-notch , evidence-based care .”
Neonatal-perinatal medicine provides intensive care for premature babies or critically ill newborns . The Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine has five fellowship-trained neonatologists on its clinical faculty who care for patients in the neonatal intensive care unit ( NICU ) at Hoops Family Children ’ s Hospital at Cabell Huntington Hospital ( CHH ). The three-year fellowship program will be led by assistant professor Cynthia Massey , MD , a neonatologist who joined Marshall ’ s faculty in 2017 . The neonatal-perinatal fellowship is approved for one new fellow each year , with the first fellow beginning in July 2022 .
“ This fellowship continues the NICU ’ s long history of excellence in patient care , research , and education ,” said Susan L . Flesher , MD , associate professor and interim chair of pediatrics . “ Babies cared for in our regional perinatal-neonatal care unit often receive care for being born early or with a lower birth weight , typically related to multiple gestation or maternal conditions . We have a busy service with between 600 and 700 admissions annually , including 80 transports from 29 counties in our surrounding tri-state communities . This provides the perfect setting in which to train future neonatologists .”
With approval of the new fellowships , the Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine now offers 10 accredited residency and 14 fellowship programs .
Marshall school of medicine , Quality Insights develop program to address addiction stigma
The Marshall University Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine and Charleston-based nonprofit Quality Insights co-developed a new program designed to target substance use disorder ( SUD ) stigma among healthcare providers in a hospital setting .
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