Charissa Pacella, M.D., named chair of WVU's Department of Emergency Medicine

Following a national search, West Virginia University School of Medicine leadership announced that Charissa Pacella, M.D., will serve as the new chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, effective Jan. 11, 2027. 

Dr. Pacella comes to WVU from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, where she held academic positions in emergency medicine for the past 25 years. Most recently, she served as professor, vice chair of academic operations, chief of emergency services and medical director of patient safety. 

“I am honored to join the Department of Emergency Medicine at WVU,” she said. “The team at WVU is innovative, talented and forward-looking, and there is a great deal of excellent work underway. I look forward to getting to know the department, building on its many strengths and working together to see where we can take emergency medicine at WVU in the years ahead.” 

Dr. Pacella brings a breadth of experience to the position. In her previous roles, she helped develop system initiatives including individualized care plans for complex patients, standardized sepsis care and handoffs from ED to outpatient providers after ED discharge.   

She championed local efforts to achieve top tier performance in the timely care of patients needing emergent intervention for myocardial infarction, stroke and emergency general surgery. She plans to continue her focus on patient safety, physician well-being, and collaborative innovation in her new role. 

The WVU School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine trains medical residents and fellows, conducts rural emergency health research, and provides acute and critical medical care to hundreds of thousands of West Virginians. Divisions within the department are ambulatory operations, community operations, education and academic affairs, pre-hospital medicine, research and scholarship, rural emergency medicine, sports medicine, ultrasound and pediatric emergency medicine.  

“We are thrilled to welcome a leader of Dr. Pacella's stature to West Virginia University and WVU Medicine. She will build upon our program's strong foundation in clinical quality, patient care, education and innovation," Clay Marsh, M.D., chancellor and executive dean for WVU Health Sciences. "Her extensive experience and mission-driven focus will be vital as we enter the next phase of emergency medicine in adult and pediatric populations, driving us forward in using new health technologies to better serve our patients and students." 

Certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Pacella is also an assistant editor and reviewer for Annals of Emergency Medicine and a reviewer for Academic Emergency Medicine.  

After completing her emergency medicine residency in emergency medicine at University of Pittsburgh, she completed post-graduate studies at the American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency Department Director’s Academy, UPMC/Katz Business School Physician Leadership and Management Certificate Program, American College of Physician Executives Physician in Management Course, and UPMC Physician Peer Coaching Certification Course. She earned her M.D. at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Bachelor of Arts degree at Harvard University. 

For more information on the WVU School of Medicine, visit medicine.wvu.edu.