Department of Family Medicine begins search for new chair

Dana E. King, M.D., M.S, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine, will retire from his role, effective June 30, 2021. King, who has served as chair since 2012, plans to remain active in clinical and academic work with the School.

“Serving as chair has been an immense honor and privilege,” said King. ”I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve my home state in this role for nine years. It has been a pleasure to work with so many great people in the department and throughout WVU.”

King has been integral in expanding the rural health and family medicine residency programs around the state. An active clinical researcher, he has published several studies pertaining to diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular health.

King says he’s grateful to the department’s faculty, “who have worked very hard and have created many innovations to advance education, improve patient care, and expand primary care research.”

He credits multidisciplinary initiatives, such as discharge clinic, the Intensive primary care diabetes clinic, and the COPD clinic as a few examples of the faculty’s many accomplishments. 

“The Rural Scholars program has grown and been a model for the School,” King said. “The department was the first patient-centered medical home in the WVU Medicine system.  In addition, the faculty’s recent successes in attracting NIH, CDC, HRSA, and State external research funding have been real milestones for WVU’s Family Medicine Department.”

“We’ve been fortunate to have Dana’s expertise in building a program and culture that fosters research, patient connection and personal growth among our Family Medicine faculty, staff and residents,” Clay Marsh, M.D., Health Sciences vice president and  executive dean, said. “He’s certainly earned, and deserves, the opportunity to spend more time with his family and grandchildren, but we’re selfishly happy that he will remain connected to our School through teaching and service opportunities.

Prior to joining WVU, King was a professor with the Medical University of South Carolina’s (MUSC) Department of Family Medicine Research Division. He also previously served as faculty with East Carolina University School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine

King received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Miami University in Ohio and medical degree from the University of Kentucky. He completed a Family Practice Residency at the University of Maryland, a family medicine fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Master’s of Clinical Research at MUSC.

King is a member of the AAFP Board Review Express national faculty and recently completed a term on the executive board of the North American Primary Care Research Group. He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

A national search for a new department chair will be conducted through the School of Medicine.