MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In 1961, the West Virginia University School of Medicine received accreditation for four Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs: Surgery, Anesthesiology, Pediatrics and Internal Medicine. This month, WVU is celebrating 50 years of accredited GME with a system that now includes more than 50 specialties and 385 residents.
“What started as accredited GME in 1961 when the University hospital opened its doors has grown substantially. We have become the largest sponsor of graduate medical education in West Virginia, offering more than 50 specialties – half of which are the only training program in the state,” Norman Ferrari, M.D., senior associate dean for medical education, said. “This links to our mission of serving West Virginians and providing them with a variety of specialists to meet their complex healthcare needs. We are really proud to be of such great service to the state.”
Currently, WVU School of Medicine faculty members supervise residency programs at six West Virginia hospitals. Thirty-eight of those are in specialties for which Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation is possible, and all are fully accredited. In addition to the programs at WVU Hospitals in Morgantown, WVU sponsors training for physicians at City Hospital in Martinsburg, Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson and the Veterans Administration Medical Centers in Clarksburg and Martinsburg. In Charleston, WVU faculty physicians supervise training of residents in programs sponsored by Charleston Area Medical Center.
The largest programs are in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. The Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Ophthalmology programs are among those at WVU that are the only ones of their kind in the state.
“This milestone is well worth celebrating. We are here for West Virginians, and one of the best ways that we can fulfill our commitment to improve their health and wellness is through our GME programs,” Arthur J. Ross III, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the WVU School of Medicine, said. “I am ever grateful to the many individuals who work hard every day to see that our GME programs are as strong and successful as possible.”
To celebrate 50 years, the Office of Graduate Medical Education has four days of events planned for GME Week 2011 at the WVU Health Sciences Center. The week kicks off at noon on May 17 with a box lunch in the Okey Patteson Auditorium. On May 18, podium research presentations will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Fukushima Auditorium. GME program directors and coordinators will meet from noon to 5 p.m. on May 19 in Room 1909 for educational development sessions. A coffee station grab-n-go will be set up from 7 to 9 a.m. on May 20 in the John E. Jones Conference Center.
In addition to GME Week, the Department of Anesthesiology will hold a special celebration luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on May 26 in the John E. Jones Conference Center.