Welcome from the chairman

John E. Nestler, M.D.

Welcome to the Department of Internal Medicine of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), located on the Medical College of Virginia Campus in downtown Richmond. The overarching mission of the Department is the pursuit of excellence in each facet of its tripartite mission:

• To educate the physicians and health-care professionals of tomorrow, the physicians and health-care professionals of today and the community-at-large
• To provide superior, compassionate and innovative clinical care to our patients using state-of-the-art knowledge and resources
• To conduct and disseminate cutting-edge biomedical research and scholarship, with a focus on translational research that can be quickly applied to the care of patients

The Department has been a cornerstone of the School of Medicine with its origins dating back to the inception of the Medical College of Virginia in 1838. The VCU School of Medicine began as the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College, became independent in 1854 and state affiliated in 1860. From 1925 to 1939 it was a division of the College of William and Mary, changing its name to Richmond Professional Institute. In 1962, it separated from William and Mary to become a state supported school. In 1968, the Medical College of Virginia and Richmond Professional Institute merged to become Virginia Commonwealth University. The VCU Health System is an urban, comprehensive academic medical center in central Virginia established to preserve and restore health for all people, to seek the cause and cure of diseases through innovative research, and to educate those who serve humanity.

VCU’s Department of Internal Medicine consists of over 180 full-time physician faculty; 130 residents in training; and 75 fellows in subspecialty training in each of the Department’s nine divisions:

• Cardiology
• Endocrinology and Metabolism
• Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
• General Internal Medicine
• Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care
• Infectious Diseases
• Nephrology
• Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
• Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology

The Department’s educational ranking places it in the top 25% of medical education programs in the United States. With complete faculty oversight, the residency training program is unique as a resident-directed program that affords maximal growth, responsibility and autonomy to trainees.

Research is very strong in the Department with investigations in both the basic and clinical sciences, as well as health services research. Current annual research expenditures exceed $15.5 million, and the Department was ranked 53rd nationally in NIH funding in 2009. The Department’s faculty is actively involved in multi-disciplinary research and education efforts through five distinct institutes. The Department has 29 endowed professorships. Faculty members of the Department include leaders in professional societies, members of the American Association of Physicians and American Society for Clinical Investigation, and many who are rated as Top Doctors in Richmond and America’s Best Doctors. The Department leads the School of Medicine in faculty who have been recognized with University-wide and School of Medicine awards for teaching, research and clinical excellence.

In addition to the Chair, the Department leadership consists of the Vice Chair (Dr. Todd Gehr); three Associate Chairs (Education: Dr. Stephanie Call; Clinical Operations: Dr. J. Christian Barrett; Research: Dr. Lawrence Schwartz); and Medical Director (Dr. Lisa Brath), who work closely with the School of Medicine, MCV Physicians, and MCV Hospitals – the principal clinical components of the VCU Health System – to advance the Department in each of its core missions. The VCU Health System combined with the six VCU Schools of Health Sciences (Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health) comprise the VCU Medical Center.

With the resources of the VCU Medical Center, the Department of Internal Medicine is optimally poised to excel in all its missions. VCU Medical Center provides medical care for a large portion of the indigent population of Central Virginia and the Commonwealth, while also serving as a tertiary and quaternary referral center for the Mid-Atlantic region extending from the Washington, D.C. metro area south into North Carolina and west into West Virginia. The VCU Medical Center is the only Level 1 trauma center and comprehensive burn center in Central Virginia. It has championed an aggressive and impressive development of laboratory facilities, including the NCI-designated Massey Cancer Center and its Goodwin Research Laboratory; the Molecular Medicine Research Building; Hermes Kontos Medical Science Building; and has embarked on construction of a new 200,000 square foot state–of–the–art medical education building. Scheduled to open in 2012, and designed by renowned architect, I.M. Pei, this new School of Medicine facility will provide modern classrooms, state–of–the–art laboratories, and dedicated floors designed and equipped for advanced simulation teaching and training.

I invite you to learn more about us by perusing this website.

Sincerely,

John E. Nestler, M.D.
William Branch Porter Professor and Chair
Chair, Department of Internal Medicine