April 2026

Dean's Message

On March 20, 2026, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine community gathered for one of the most anticipated milestones of medical education, Match Day. This year, the class of 2026 celebrated with a theme that resonated deeply with their journey: The Golden Hour. Just as the golden hour in medicine represents a critical window where presence and action can profoundly shape an outcome, this moment marked a powerful transition for our students.

At noon, envelopes were opened, and cheers spread across the room as 53 students learned where they would spend the next phase of their medical training. Our accomplished students matched 15 different specialties across 23 states plus the District of Columbia, with 11% remaining in Virginia. This year’s most common specialties included Emergency Medicine with 10 matches, Obstetrics and Gynecology with six and Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology each with five.

During the ceremony, the Class of 2026 was encouraged to pause and consider their journey—from donning their white coats for the first time to navigating early clinical milestones and conquering the doubts that once felt so large. Match Day represents a pivotal moment, the sunset of who they were as a student and the sunrise of who they will become as a resident physician.

As our students embark on residencies spanning primary care to surgical subspecialties, the school celebrates not only their accomplishments but the support systems that guided them: dedicated faculty, advisors, staff and families who stood beside them throughout their medical education. It is through this shared dedication that our students step forward ready to serve and make a meaningful impact in the communities they will soon call home.

Congratulations to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Class of 2026. In this golden hour, we honor your resilience, your growth and the incredible impact you are poised to make. The future of medicine is brighter because of you.

Amanda Murchison, MD
Associate Dean for Student Affairs

News Around Campus

• Medical Student Research Symposium set for March 27
• Emily Holt Foerst appointed to Virginia Tech Academy of Faculty Leadership
• Medical student explores new noninvasive treatment for oral tumors
• Examining pain management for patients with chronic kidney disease
• Medical student investigates brain stimulation therapy for addiction

Social Media

• Congrats to Eli Vlaisavljevich, VTCSOM's Medical Student Research Symposium Mentor of the Year!
• From advancing treatments to improving patient care, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine students are driving research that makes a difference.
• Lily Brouwer, VTCSOM Class of 2026 has been working with her mentor, Alexandra DiFeliceantonio for the last four years studying the gut/brain connection. She has been a 2026 Letter of Distinction in the Medical Student Research Symposium. Congrats Lily!
• We are so proud of the Class of 2026! Fifty-four VTCSOM students matched into residency programs across 23 states and Washington, D.C., marking a major milestone in their medical training!
• The Golden Hour is upon us, and has cast it's glorious glow on the class of 2026!

Events

Humanism

Articulation
ARTiculation: Creativity in Medicine reflects the creative endeavors of some of the VTC community. This journal was initially inspired by the VTC Narrative Medicine course, which seeks to develop students’ attentive listening skills, empathy, reflectiveness, and narrative competence through extended patient interviews and creative response. It has now grown into a creative opportunity for all VTC students, residents, faculty, and staff to explore humanism in medicine. 

To see the submmissions, just click here: Issue 6

Publishing

• David Musick, senior advisor for accreditation and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Tracy Criss, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, Mariah Rudd, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, R. Brock Mutcheson, associate dean for assessment, evaluation, and strategic analytics, chief data officer, and assistant professor in the Department of Health Systems & Implementation Science (HSIS), Daniel Harrington, professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, and Aubrey Knight, professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Family & Community Medicine, collaborated with colleagues on “Exploring stress and coping skills of medical students: a repeated cross-sectional cohort study,” published in the International Journal of Medical Education.
• John Epling, vice chair for research and population health and professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, and Michelle Rockwell, co-director of Health Systems Science and Interprofessional Practice Phase 1 and assistant professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, collaborated with colleagues on “Antibiotic Stewardship: Addressing the 'Great Public Health Irony',” a review published in Primary Care.
• Jaclyn Nunziato, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chloe Lessard, class of 2025, Natalie Karp, associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and HSIS, Heidi Lane, assistant dean for clinical skills assessment and education and associate professor in HSIS, and Kimberly Simcox, associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, worked with colleagues on “A Community-Based Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum on Women’s Health for Third-Year Medical Students,” published in MedEdPORTAL.
• Haseeb Goheer, class of 2025, and Evan Sandefur, class of 2025 and resident, W. Garret Burks, assistant professor, Jonathan Carmouche, professor and interim chair and Goheer’s mentor, all from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, worked with colleagues on “Smoking Increases the Risk of Reoperation and an Extended Hospital Stay Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy With Fusion Surgery,” published in Clinical Spine Surgery.
• W. Garret Burks, Devon Pekas, resident, Peter Apel, associate professor, Joseph Moskal, professor, and Benjamin Coobs, assistant professor, all from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, worked with colleagues on “Decoding the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement: A Critical Investigation of a Common Orthopaedic Outcome Following Total Knee Arthroplasty,” published in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
• Juliet Suen, class of 2026, worked with Peter Apel, Douglas Grider, associate professor in the Departments of Basic Science Education and Internal Medicine, and colleagues on two companion papers — “The Challenge of the Small Round Blue Cell Tumor: Challenge” and “The Challenge of the Small Round Blue Cell Tumor: Answer” — both published in the American Journal of Dermatopathology.
• Julinna Barbaro, class of 2028, worked with Adam Donithan, assistant professor in the Department of Radiology, Anthony Staples, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Mandeep Rana, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and colleagues on “Traumatic Spinal Cord Infarction Associated With Elevated Intracranial and Intraspinal Pressure in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature,” published in Cureus.
• Robert Gourdie, professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, published “Balancing innovation and integrity: the biomedical research ecosystem at a crossroads” in Nature Biotechnology.
• Anthony Slonim, professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine, HSIS, and Pediatrics, worked with colleagues on “Medical Gaslighting and its Impact on Vulnerable Populations,” published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
• Devasmita Choudhury, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, and Andre Muelenaer Jr., professor in the Department of Pediatrics, worked with colleagues on “Exploring Student Experiences in a Transdisciplinary Clinical Immersion Course on Needs Identification in Veteran and Service Member Healthcare Settings,” published in Biomedical Engineering Education.

Spotlight On Giving

$35,000+ Raised for the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship

We are thrilled to announce that thanks to your incredible energy and generosity, more than $35,000 was raised for the Morgan Dana Harrington Scholarship fund! This total reflects the combined success of Virginia Tech’s Giving Day and the high-energy "Docs for Morgan" basketball game.

A highlight of the campaign was meeting our Giving Day challenge: by reaching 50 unique donors, we unlocked a generous gift from Dr. Dan and Mrs. Gil Harrington. We are profoundly grateful for their continued leadership and devotion to this mission.

Whether you made a gift, hit the court as a player, or cheered from the stands, thank you for showing up for our students and honoring Morgan’s legacy in such a significant way.

Alumni Update

Take Note

The Aequitas Health Honor Society at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine recognizes members of the VTCSOM community who consistently demonstrate a commitment to advancing health equity in our local community. Eligibility extends to rising fourth-year medical students, post-graduate trainees (including residents and fellows), and faculty.

Applicants are expected to have demonstrated meaningful dedication to improving healthcare equity, with post-graduate trainees and faculty required to have actively contributed to this mission. Selected medical students will be named Aequitas Health Fellows and will collaborate during their final year to design and implement a service project aimed at advancing health equity within the VTCSOM community.

Last Note

Medical School Prom is an annual, student-organized event designed to give students an opportunity to unwind, celebrate the close of the academic year, and enjoy time together outside of the classroom and clinical environment. It provides a fun and relaxed setting where students can connect with classmates, reflect on their accomplishments, and take a well-deserved break from the demands of medical training.

The event typically includes music, food, and social activities, creating an inclusive atmosphere that brings the class together for an evening of celebration and community. Medical School Prom serves as a meaningful tradition that highlights both the camaraderie and resilience of the student body as they mark the transition into the next stage of their training.