July 2025
Dean's Message
There is ample literature addressing academic promotion in institutions of higher education, including medical schools. Society benefits from a strong academic medicine system, which works to recruit and retain the “best and brightest” academicians who will enjoy long, productive careers. Faculty roles include high-quality care delivery, scholarly activity and discovery, and the education of future generations of scientists and physicians. To recruit and retain faculty, academic medicine systems strive to enhance faculty satisfaction and engagement. Promotion in academic rank has long been considered a primary method of recognizing and rewarding faculty achievements and professional contributions. Academic rank often has implications for compensation and benefits, as well as professional opportunities and the platform that comes with them. Promotion in rank is beneficial not only for individual faculty members, but also for their departments and institutions since the prestige accorded to institutions is impacted by the academic prowess and status of its faculty.
At VTCSOM, the Office of Faculty Affairs works with academic departments, faculty review committees, and the university to create a supportive process for faculty who seek promotion in rank. Each June, faculty who have been endorsed for promotion are presented to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors for final approval. At its most recent meeting in June, the BOV endorsed promotion for a total of twenty VTCSOM faculty members from seven academic departments. This brings the total number of promotions in academic rank to 218 since VTCSOM was founded. These twenty faculty members began the promotion process in early 2024, and likely began preparing their promotion dossiers even earlier. While the process is a long one and involves multiple layers of internal and external review, it is ultimately rewarding for those who complete the journey. A hearty congratulations to our most recently promoted faculty! We are very proud of your many accomplishments as well as your commitment to the development of our many learners throughout VTCSOM and our healthcare system! We hope your example will be followed by many more of our faculty. If you are considering promotion in rank for the next full review cycle that begins in January, 2026, please speak with your department chair as soon as possible. And, we strongly urge you to review information about the promotion process on our web page here.
Our annual faculty association meeting and recognition ceremony for newly-promoted faculty will take place on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 5:30pm, in the VTCSOM auditorium (room M203). A Zoom option will also be available. We hope to see you there as we recognize our most recent group of promoted faculty!
Shari A. Whicker, EdD, MEd
Interim Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Assistant Dean, Faculty Development
Events
- 7/27 - Meet and Greet with Class of 2029 at Salem Red Sox
Humanism Note
Vacation
by Rita Dove
I love the hour before takeoff,
that stretch of no time, no home
but the gray vinyl seats linked like
unfolding paper dolls. Soon we shall
be summoned to the gate, soon enough
there’ll be the clumsy procedure of row numbers
and perforated stubs—but for now
I can look at these ragtag nuclear families
with their cooing and bickering
or the heeled bachelorette trying
to ignore a baby’s wail and the baby’s
exhausted mother waiting to be called up early
while the athlete, one monstrous hand
asleep on his duffel bag, listens,
perched like a seal trained for the plunge.
Even the lone executive
who has wandered this far into summer
with his lasered itinerary, briefcase
knocking his knees—even he
has worked for the pleasure of bearing
no more than a scrap of himself
into this hall. He’ll dine out, she’ll sleep late,
they’ll let the sun burn them happy all morning
—a little hope, a little whimsy
before the loudspeaker blurts
and we leap up to become
Flight 828, now boarding at Gate 17.
Publishing
Jed Gonzalo, professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Health Systems & Implementation Science (HSIS) and senior associate dean for medical education, collaborated with colleagues on "Systems-Based Practice and Health Systems Science in Graduate Medical Education: Recommendations for Embracing This Critical Core Competency" published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
Nicholas Rider, professor in HSIS, worked with research partners on "Clinical, immunologic, and genetic characteristics of 148 patients with natural killer cell deficiency," published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Serkan Toy, associate professor in the Departments of Basic Science Education and HSIS, collaborated with colleagues on "Multimodal Assessment in Clinical Simulations: A Guide for Moving Towards Precision Education" in Medical Science Education.
Sarah Harendt, assistant professor of internal medicine, and Mariah Rudd, assistant professor of practice in obstetrics and gynecology, both TEACH faculty members, worked with research partners on "From sage on the stage to voice in the void: Exploring the phenomenon of invisibility in virtual learning environments" published in Medical Education.
Joseph Moskal, chair and professor, Benjamin Coobs, assistant professor, and Peter Apel, associate professor, all from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, published with other co-authors "Factors That Influence Returning to Driving Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Investigation" in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Farrell Adkins, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, teamed with other investigators on "Trainee Awareness of US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines" published in the Journal of Cancer Education.
Arthur Ollendorff, professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and HSIS and associate dean of graduate medical education, worked with colleagues on "Improving the Transition From Medical School to Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Lessons Learned and Future Directions" published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
Damon Kuehl, vice chair and associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and research collaborators published "Kinematic Insights Into Older Adult Fall-Related Head Impacts: Boundary Conditions and Injury Risk" in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Kuehl teamed with other investigators on "Uncalibrated Single-Camera View Video Tracking of Head Impact Speeds Using Model-Based Image Matching" published in Annals of Biomedical Engineering.
Evan Sandefur, class of 2025, and Mosufa Zainab, class of 2025, worked with Nicholas Peterman, orthopaedic surgery resident, and mentor Apel, along with additional researchers on "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Buckle Fracture Treatment," published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.
James Stupin, class of 2027, and Kenneth Young, class of 2026, collaborated with their respective mentors, John Chappell and James Smyth, along with Samy Lamouille, all faculty from the Department of Basic Science Education, and other colleagues on "Optimized enrichment of murine blood-brain barrier vessels with a critical focus on network hierarchy in post-collection analysis," published in Scientific Reports.
Jacqueline Urdang, class of 2026, authored "Role of the Anesthesiologist as a Patient Advocate: A Medical Student's Perspective" in Anesthesiology.
Alumni Update
We enjoyed a great evening with our local VTCSOM alumni at Starr Hill Brewery on June 26th. Thank you to all who came out and we can't wait to see you at the next event!
If you are not a local VTCSOM alum, but would like to host a regional happy hour in your area, please contact Brittany May at may@vt.edu.
Alumni Updates:
- Dr. Yazan Alshawkani ’22 will begin a Cardiology Fellowship in July 2025 at the INOVA Fairfax Hospital.
Do you have any news to share?
- Are you moving on to private practice or a fellowship? Did you get married? Have a baby? Get published, receive an award, or promoted? Tell us about it! Please fill out our survey: https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=vgzDQZL8WMUECHrPeIW9eQ%3D%3D
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
Swing It to End It, a charitable organization based in Roanoke, has established a fund to support the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine’s work in aging-related education and research. In two years, the nonprofit has donated $40,000 thus far to the medical school. The 11th annual golf tournament, which raises awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease, will be held Aug. 10.
Annette Carter founded Swing it to End It to honor the memory of her late husband, James R. Carter Sr. Through its flagship tournament, the organization has generated tens of thousands of dollars to support research, education, and caregiving initiatives focused on dementia and other age-related conditions.
To read the full article: Click Here
Last Note
Remember..... WEAR SUNSCREEN!