NEWS
West Virginia University School of Medicine
WVU School of Medicine Adds 261 New Residents and Fellows Across More Than 100 Training Programs
The West Virginia University( WVU) School of Medicine welcomed 261 new resident and fellow physicians, dentists, clinical psychologists, and researchers to its Graduate Medical Education( GME) programs on July 1.
The cohort brings total enrollment across all WVU GME programs to 667 trainees across 102 training programs, 78 of which are the only programs of their kind in West Virginia.
The new class represents 28 states and 20 countries. Among them, 101 hold degrees from West Virginia medical schools— 73 of which are WVU graduates.
“ It’ s incredible that we’ re able to offer more than 100 training opportunities that meet critical needs in our state and also advance medicine overall for our patients and communities,” said Sarah Sofka, MD, associate dean and designated institutional official for GME.“ It’ s a testament to our mission of training exceptional physicians who deliver compassionate, high-quality, and patient-centered care while advancing health equity.”
Internal medicine draws the largest share of entering trainees, with 42 new residents across three hospitals: J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, and Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg.
WVU has long served as the state’ s primary source of specialized graduate medical training. Its programs range from rural primary care to advanced subspecialty surgical and medical fellowships, allowing trainees to address the full scope of healthcare needs across the state.
Residents and fellows in WVU’ s GME programs train at clinical sites, caring for patients across West Virginia while advancing their medical education under the supervision of faculty physicians. Most programs run 1-7 years depending on specialty.
Schmidt Named Chair of Surgery for the WVU School of Medicine
Following a national search, Carl R. Schmidt, MD, FACS, professor of surgery, has been named chair of the West Virginia University( WVU) School of Medicine Department of Surgery, effective July 1.
Since joining WVU in 2018, Schmidt has served as the chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, where he has been instrumental in expanding surgical programs and bolstering the faculty, nursing, and advanced practice provider teams.
“ I am deeply honored to lead WVU’ s Department of Surgery at such an important time for our school, our health system, and the people of West Virginia,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt says the department will continue its mission of serv-
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