Eleven Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine faculty members have been recognized as “Best Doctors 2013” in Virginia Living magazine. The physicians were selected by Best Doctors, Inc., a company that provides medical consultation services to employers, insurance plans, government, and other groups globally.

The 11 faculty members included Dr. Christopher “Chip” Baker, who was recognized in three areas: colon and rectal surgery, critical care medicine, and general surgery. Also named were several physicians with expertise in pediatrics, including Dr. Colleen Kraft, Dr. Joelle Miller, and Dr. James Sherman. Two neurologists, Dr. Robert Saul and Dr. James Schmidley, were recognized, along with Dr. David Buck for radiology, Dr. Eduardo Lara-Torre for pediatric and adolescent gynecology, Dr. David Sane for cardiovascular disease, Dr. David Trinkle for psychiatry, and Dr. Mark Watts for family medicine.

“Recognition like this reminds us how fortunate we are to have teaching faculty who are also highly regarded clinicians,” said Dr. Cynda Johnson, dean of the medical school. “The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine prides itself in offering a unique patient-centered curriculum, which is enhanced by faculty members who are deemed to be top-notch physicians in their field.”

For more than 20 years, Best Doctors, Inc., has been surveying doctors across the United States to find the top 5 percent of physicians as rated by their professional colleagues. The company maintains a network of more than 53,000 expert physicians in 450 specialties and subspecialties.

Written by Catherine Doss