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Jon Sweet selected as Internal Medicine Chair

Jon Sweet

We are delighted to announce that, after conducting a national search, Dr. Jon Sweet has been selected to serve as chair of the department of medicine at Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine effective August 1, 2022. 

Dr. Sweet is a familiar face at Carilion, delivering care with us for the past 22 years. He has served as interim chair of the department of medicine since December 2021, as he did in 2015-2016. Dr. Sweet is professor of medicine at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and has long been a valued member of the core faculty of the Carilion Clinic – Virginia Tech Carilion Internal Medicine Residency.  

Dr. Sweet graduated with a BA with distinction from the University of Virginia. He earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He served his residency and subsequent chief residency in Internal Medicine while on active military duty at Wright-Patterson USAF Medical Center in Ohio. He served as the internal medicine clerkship director for Wright State University School of Medicine and the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine for several years before joining Carilion Clinic. He has received numerous teaching awards at the graduate and undergraduate medical education levels.

Among his many honors, Dr. Sweet was awarded the Preceptor of the Year, Roanoke Valley Region, in 2020, the Virginia American College of Physicians Teaching Award in 2019 and the Teacher of the Year honor from Carilion and Virginia Tech Carilion Family Medicine Residency in 2018. Additionally, he has authored and co-authored dozens of publications and journals and presented at numerous conferences and events.

Dr. Sweet served as the program director of the Carilion Clinic – Virginia Tech Carilion Internal Medicine Residency for approximately 5 years. Under his leadership, the program achieved a 100% 3-year pass rate on the American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination for the first time. Resident scholarship and subspecialty fellowship matches increased dramatically during this time. He was awarded a $1.9 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to substantially increase the size of the residency program and was a co-investigator on an ACGME and Picker Institute grant focusing on the delivery of patient-centered care.

He has held many Carilion, VTCSOM, and residency committee leadership roles including serving as past chair of the VTCSOM Medical Student Performance and Promotion Committee and current chair of the Medical Curriculum Committee. He maintains an active practice in hospital medicine, is respected for his clinical acumen and collaborative care, has been recognized for his bedside care by media outlets, has mentored numerous internal medicine residents and VTCSOM students and is a member of the VTCSOM chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sweet on his appointment as chair of medicine.  His commitment to the missions of Carilion Clinic and the VTCSOM, along with his record of collaboration and leadership experience, will help to improve our organizations and realize our visions for the future.

Dean Lee Learman, VTCSOM
Steve Arner, Carilion Clinic