Fall 2010 - Eastern Virginia Medical School

EVMS medical residents– numbering about 320currently – work andlearn simultaneouslyin local hospitalsthroughout the region.to the caliber of physicians recruited for the region’s onlyLevel 1 trauma center and his maternal-fetal medicinedepartment as examples.“The expertise that we have within head and neckcancer, the expertise that we have in diabetes andpregnancy, are here because of EVMS,” Dr. Abuhamadsays.Such specialized medicine usually relies on EVMSdoctors and clinics. The school’s full-time facultymembers don’t just teach — they treat people every day,often handling the most difficult cases.“We’re well known for our diabetes care,” PresidentHarry T. Lester says. “We’ve got some of the top surgeonsin town. If you have a high-risk pregnancy within 80miles, you come here. It’s just that simple. Your doctor inthe community is going to send you here.”The Community ConnectionAlthough EVMS is not part of Sentara, Bon Secours,Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters or any otherlocal hospital or health system, it partners with all of themand oversees the 320 residents working in those HamptonRoads facilities. That improves the overall quality of careand often leads to those doctors eventually settling in thearea, Mr. Lester says. “That’s good for the health of thecommunity.”Randolph J. Gould, MD, a 1978 graduate and assistantprofessor of clinical surgery, is now on the school’s Boardof Visitors and an active member of the Medical Societyof Virginia. He grew up in the area, attended NorfolkAcademy, William and Mary and then EVMS, where hewas in the school’s third class to graduate. He’s been withNorfolk Surgical Group since 1984.Dr. Gould takes pride in serving as a communityfaculty member. “It helps doctors connect with some ofthe fundamental reasons why they went into medicine inthe first place — the desire to teach, the desire to be partof the adventure of medicine, to learn new things and bea part of developing new procedures and new technicalapproaches,” he explains.Having EVMS here is key to keeping those kinds ofdoctors in the area, he says. Many local physicians join theschool as community faculty, teaching for free under theEVMS Health Services, a non-profit affiliate withmore than 150 physicians, provides care to 1,000patients daily. If EVMS did not exist, those peoplewould overwhelm area hospitals or have to seek careout of town, taking their dollars with them and likelygetting lesser results.The role for researchAnother key area is research, and EVMS is a worldclassresearch center, on the leading edge of cancerdetection and treatment, AIDS prevention, obesity,women’s health, and diabetes, with a recent emphasis onthe kind of work that can quickly move from lab to bedside.The fact that students, residents and faculty are all doingresearch makes a big impact according to Dr. Pepe. Thiswealth of research, Dr. Koch reported, spawns a bevy ofpatents that generate income — much of which stays inthe area.Another result is that local doctors are better informedabout new treatments, and researchers are available forconsultation.“You have people doing the cutting-edge research. Youdon’t have to go anywhere else to get a second opinion. Youhave the best opinions right here. Most people don’t realizethat,” Dr. Pepe says.“We elevate the level of medical carein the region. We’ve brought people tothis region that might not even be fulltimefaculty, but they’re here becauseof the medical school.”— Randolph J. Gould, MD, ’78, Member of the Board of Visitorsdirection of full-time department chairs. The interactionkeeps them fresh and improves area health care, Dr.Gould says.“We elevate the level of medical care in the region,” hesays. “We’ve brought people to this region that might noteven be full-time faculty, but they’re here because of themedical school.”That community connection is a hallmark of EVMSeducation. In fact, it is the heart of what EVMS recentlyre-emphasized as its vision — to be the most communityorientedmedical school in the nation.Relying on local doctors was the only way the schoolcould get started, Mr. Lester says, and it is one of the thingsthat defines the school among community faculty and toptierstudents.26 FALL 2010 www.evms.eduEVMS