Michael Stevens, MD, to serve as WVU Health System’s inaugural chief epidemiologist

The West Virginia University Health System today (June 24) announced the appointment of Michael Stevens, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, as the WVU Health System’s first system healthcare epidemiologist. Dr. Stevens starts in this new, system-wide role on Monday. He will also hold a faculty appointment at the WVU School of Medicine.

Stevens most recently held several clinical and academic posts concurrently, including medical co-director of the Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (VCUMC) in Richmond, Va.; interim hospital epidemiologist at VCUMC; professor of internal medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine; and associate chair, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, VCU School of Medicine.

Earlier clinical and academic leadership posts included associate professor of internal medicine at VCU, associate program director for global health at VCUMC, and director of VCU Health System’s Travel and Tropical Medicine Clinic.

“Dr. Stevens is an exceptionally talented and highly accomplished epidemiologist whose job will be to provide critical leadership to the Health System’s infection prevention program,” Allison Suttle, MD, MBA, FACOG, chief quality officer of the WVU Health System, said. “His role and the leadership he will provide will help ensure we continue to deliver safe and outstanding care to our patients.”

As the Health System’s chief epidemiologist, Stevens will work closely with epidemiologists and other clinical leaders across the Health System to build consistency in surveillance and control measures to reduce healthcare associated infections.

“I am excited to work with Dr. Suttle and her team, as well as infection prevention leaders across the entire WVU Health System,” Stevens said.

Stevens received his medical degree from the VCU School of Medicine and completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at VCU. He stayed at VCU to complete fellowships in infectious diseases and hospital epidemiology, as well as a Master of Public Health degree.

His clinical and research interests focus on pragmatic approaches to infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship. He has contributed to over 100 research abstracts presented at national and international conferences and authored over 130 peer-reviewed papers and more than 10 book chapters. He has spoken nationally and internationally on infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship and COVID-19.

He was selected as one of the Top Doctors in Virginia (for Infectious Diseases) by Virginia Living Magazine in 2018 and named one of the Top Doctors in Richmond (for Infectious Diseases) by Richmond Magazine in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.