NEWS
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Li Receives NIH R01 Grant to Study Mechanisms of Thrombosis
Wei Li, MD, PhD, FAHA, associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, has been awarded a Research Project Grant( R01), one of the most competitive grants issued by the National Institutes of Health( NIH), to investigate the mechanisms driving increased risk of thrombosis in patients with heart failure and those with fluctuations in sex hormone levels.
School of Medicine Approved to Launch Anesthesiology Residency
The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to establish a new anesthesiology residency program. The four-year program was approved for a full complement of 16 resident physicians and will provide comprehensive clinical training in all aspects of anesthesiology.
The four-year, $ 1.96 million grant will explore how a key plasma membrane protein, sodium / potassium ATPase, regulates platelet activation and contributes to blood clot formation. The study may lead to new therapeutic targets to reduce thrombosis risk and improve patient outcomes.
Image: Dr. Wei Li.
Rural Surgery Residency Earns Continued Accreditation Status
The Rural General Surgery Residency program at the Marshall Community Health Consortium has successfully advanced from initial accreditation to continued accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This milestone affirms the program’ s strength in providing high-quality surgical training tailored to the unique needs of rural communities. Since launching the rural surgery residency in 2023, Marshall is now home to two additional rural residencies in internal medicine and psychiatry.
“ Anesthesiology is an exciting addition to our graduate medical education offerings,” said Jay A. Shepherd, MD, associate professor and chair of anesthesiology at the School of Medicine.“ We are committed to training the next generation of anesthesiologists through a rigorous, patient-centered curriculum that emphasizes hands-on learning, interprofessional collaboration, and innovation in perioperative care.”
The program will participate in the upcoming National Residency Matching Program process, with applications accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service and interviews beginning in fall 2025. The first cohort of four residents will begin July 1, 2026. Assistant Professor Brian Ferguson, DO, will serve as director of the program.
Image: Miles Gray, MD, and Dr. Jay Shepherd.
New Certificate Program Offers Alternative Path to Medicine
Image: Rural general surgery residency team.
The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine has launched a oneyear medical science certificate program to help West Virginia students strengthen their academic foundation and competitiveness for medical school. The 16-credit curriculum covers core pre-clerkship sciences, including biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, immunology, and pharmacology.
10 • www. wvsma. org