Dean's Note

On March 21st the red carpet was rolled out, the spotlights shone bright, and the excitement was worthy of Hollywood’s biggest night as Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine hosted “A Night at the Oscars”-themed Match Day for the Class of 2025. Dressed to impress, students, faculty, and families gathered to celebrate a blockbuster moment—the reveal of where the graduating class would begin their medical residencies.

At noon, the envelopes were opened, and the suspense gave way to cheers, applause, and even a few joyful tears. The star-studded results did not disappoint, with students securing positions at top residency programs across the country.  We even had a couple of “firsts” for the school.  It was the first year we had a student match into vascular surgery and the first year we had multiple students successfully match into urology positions.   The school is happy to report that all, soon to be graduates, in the class of 2025 have secured a residency position.

VTCSOM students continue to successfully match in primary care as well as surgical and medical specialties.    Our graduates will pursue training in 17 specialties across 32 different academic health centers in 18 states plus the District of Columbia.   We are pleased to announce that seven students will stay in Virginia, including five students who will remain at Carilion Clinic – VTCSOM to complete all or part of their training. 

The school is grateful to the many hard-working faculty educators, clinicians, specialty specific advisors and program administrators who supported and invested their time and talents in these students along their journey.  For many students, this day represents not just a professional milestone but also the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. With the next phase of training set to begin in July, students are eager to embark on their residency journeys and ready to make a meaningful impact in patient care. Congratulations to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Class of 2025 on an outstanding Match Day!

Amanda Murchison

Associate Dean of Student Affairs

News Around Campus

Social Media

Events

5/10 - Graduation!

Humanism Note

Dr. Michael Zollicoffer is a 66-year-old private family practitioner in Baltimore. His spirit is infectious, and his patients have been on the receiving end of his generous care for years. But after Zollicoffer was diagnosed with two cancers, it was his patients who were doing the giving. Click Here To Watch

Publishing

Sarah Parker, chair and associate professor in the Department of Health Systems and Implementation Science, collaborated with first author and postdoctoral associate Vivian Zagarese from the Parker Lab and colleagues on "The surgical time-out: the relationship between perceptions of a safety-task anchor and surgical team workflow," published in BMC Surgery.

Nicholas Rider, professor in the Department of Health Systems and Implementation Science and associate chief medical information officer for the Section of Allergy-Immunology at Carilion Clinic, published with colleagues "Evaluating Large Language Model Performance to Support the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Primary Immune Disorders" in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Practice published work by Rider and colleagues, titled "Identifying Precise Disparities Among Persons With Inborn Errors of Immunity."

Rider and a team of researchers published "Piloting an automated query and scoring system to facilitate APDS patient identification from health systems" in Frontiers in Immunology.

Helena Carvalho, associate professor in the Department of Basic Science Education, and colleagues authored "Introducing and Validating DramaZoom as a Teaching Tool for Diverse Student Populations," published in Advances in Physiology Education.

"What Is the Significance of Placental Lakes in Pregnancy? A Historic Literature Review" was published in Journal of Clinical Medicine by Stephanie Masters, class of 2022, Everett Magann, professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and colleagues.

Catherine Lavallee, class of 2024 and first author, published "Measurable Outcomes of an Ophthalmology and Rheumatology Coordinated Care Clinic," in Arthritis Care & Research. Co-authors included Haseeb Goheer, class of 2025.

The Journal of Neurochemistry published research by Andrew Strohman, a member of the M.D./Ph.D. program, Wynn Legon, assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, the School of Neuroscience, and at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI), and colleagues, titled "Focused Ultrasound Modulates Dopamine in a Mesolimbic Reward Circuit."

Darlon Jan, class of 2020 and geriatric psychiatry fellow at Carilion, along with Kye Kim, professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavior Medicine, published "End-of-Life Care of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias" in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care.

Alumni Update

  • Dr. Brian Pitts, Class of 2014, recently presented at this year’s Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine Annual meeting.  The presentation was titled,” Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Micro Skills for Primary Care Providers and Settings”.  Dr. Pitt collaborated with multiple other professionals to deliver content and provide activities for the presentation workshop at the meeting. Dr. Pitts will also be presenting at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in September.
  • Dr. Shaneke “Shani” Weerakoon, Class of 2015, is a cardiologist and partner at CardioCare, LLC. in Washington, DC. In addition, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
  • Dr. Melika Zarei Deaton, Class of 2020, was married in April 2021. Dr. Deaton welcomed her first daughter, Arya Wynne Deaton on December 6, 2022 and then her second daughter, Norah Elyse Deaton on February 18, 2025.
  • Andrew Plaster, Class of 2019, is currently in the United States Air Force and is the Chief of Ophthalmology at JBER Hospital. Dr. Plaster recently completed his Board Certification in Ophthalmology. Dr. Plaster and his wife now have four children, Maya (6), Josi (4), Leroy (2) and Axie (10 mo).
  • Jay Patel, Class of 2020, is currently a Chief Resident in General Surgery at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Patel will graduate from his General Surgery residency in June of this year. After graduation, he will begin working in Advanced GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Florida. Dr. Patel was married on April 19, 2024 to Nina Herzog.
  • Ryan Perry, Class of 2021, and his wife welcomed a baby daughter, Lily Elizabeth Perry, on March 23, 2025. Dr. Perry is a OBGYN resident at Carilion Clinic and actually delivered Lily! Dr. Perry finishes his residency in June and will be joining a private practice in Williamsburg, VA in August.
Do you have any news to share?
Calling the Class of 2015:

It’s time to celebrate your milestone! The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine officially welcomes you back to Roanoke, Virginia for your ten-year reunion!

Join us on Friday, May 2nd through Sunday, May 4th for a great time in Roanoke with old classmates, faculty, staff and students.

Check out the Class of 2015 Reunion page for the weekend’s agenda and details!

If you have any questions about the reunion, please contact Brittany May at may@vt.edu

Carilion Recruitment 
  • Interested in returning to Roanoke or the surrounding areas to work and play?  Carilion Clinic has outstanding employment opportunities available in many specialties. Visit Carilionclinic.org, scroll to Careers and then Physician Careers for more information. You may also reach out to Andrea Henson, director of physician recruitment & onboarding (ahenson@carilionclinic.org) or 540-224-5241.

Spotlight on Giving

National Volunteer Week - April 20-26, 2025

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all VTCSOM volunteers, with special recognition to the members of the Dean's Council on Advancement. Your collective dedication, marked by generous contributions of time, energy, and expertise, is fundamental to the continued success of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. We are particularly grateful for the Advisory Council's exemplary philanthropic leadership, evidenced by their consistent 100% participation in annual giving, a testament to their unwavering commitment to our mission.

  • Dr. Paul Dallas
  • Jay Foster
  • Janet Frantz
  • Dr. Ashley Gerrish, VTCSOM Class of 2014
  • Dr. Daniel Harrington
  • Dr. Janet Johnson
  • Dr. Jim Kurz
  • Dr. Maxine Lee
  • Dr. George Levicki
  • Dr. Charles Schleupner
  • Dr. Sidney Smith
  • Troy Smith
  • Dr. Adam Tate, VTCSOM Class of 2018
  • Dr. Chris Vieau, VTCSOM Class of 2014
  • Dr. Mark Watts
  • Jacqueline Wieland
  • Bart Wilner

We also wish to express our sincere appreciation to the volunteers who dedicate their time to our Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) process. Your participation is critical in our admissions process, providing invaluable insights into prospective students. Your thoughtful evaluations and engagement directly contribute to shaping the future of medical education at VTCSOM. Thank you for your vital role in identifying and selecting the next generation of compassionate and skilled physicians.

https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/01/vtcsom-mmi-process-connects-students-with-community.html

Take Note

On March 28, we held our annual Medical Student Research Symposium, where M4 students presented their outstanding research projects. Congratulations to all our students on their significant work and thank you to the amazing mentors who helped make it all possible!

Research Mentors of the Year

  • John Epling, M.D., M.S.Ed.
  • Michelle Rockwell, Ph.D.

Letters of Distinction for Research Scholarship

  • Mia Edelson
  • Monica Gerber, M.S.
  • Bria Hall
  • Brian Hansen
  • Alana Hull
  • Farwah Iqbal, Ph.D.
  • Michael Klingener, Ph.D.
  • Sarah Kremer
  • James Kwok
  • Liliana Ladner
  • Ryan Morse
  • Matthew Vinson

Last Note

The VTCSOM Class of 2025 learned at where they will spend the next 4-7 years of their training in residencies across the nation. We are so proud of you Class of 2025!

 
00:0000:0000:00
00:00