HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A new scholarship at the School of Medicine honors longtime Huntington radiologist and Department of Radiology Chair Peter A. Chirico, M.D.

Earlier this year, radiology graduates and friends from across the country raised more than $50,000 in less than three months to fund the Dr. Peter A. Chirico Scholarship. The scholarship is designated for a fourth-year medical student who is pursuing a career in radiology. The inaugural recipient of the scholarship is Nathaniel C. Gallagher, M.D., a graduate from the class of 2022 who will complete a preliminary year of internal medicine at Marshall University followed by a diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

Since joining the area’s leading radiology practice, Radiology Inc., in 1991, Chirico has been a guiding force behind the dynamic clinical radiology experience every Marshall medical student receives. In addition to his role as professor and chair of radiology at the School of Medicine, Chirico also serves as chief of radiology at Cabell Huntington Hospital.

“Pete’s mentorship, guidance and encouragement have been the conduit for the radiology careers of more than 150 students, including myself,” said Robert J. Cure, M.D., president of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Alumni Association and Chirico’s friend and colleague. “He instills professionalism and compassion in every student he interacts with and those traits transcends to the patients and families his work impacts.”

A native of Newark, New Jersey, Chirico graduated from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed a diagnostic radiology residency and body imaging fellowship both at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore. A board-certified diagnostic radiologist, Chirico also specializes in pediatric radiology and women's imaging.

On April 29, Chirico was recognized by the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Alumni Association as its 2022 Honorary Alumnus during the school’s 42nd annual graduation and investiture ceremony. In addition to his role as physician and teacher, Chirico has reinvested countless hours into his community, serving on the boards for Hospice of Huntington and the Marshall Artists Series. In 2018, Chirico and his wife, Clare, served as co-chairs for the School of Medicine scholarship fundraiser, Standing Out In Our Field. In 2022, he was named the Volunteer of the Year for the Huntington Museum of Art, where he has served on the board of trustees since 2016 and currently chairs HMA’s membership campaign.

The Chiricos have five grown children-- Michael, John, Lila, Isabella and Joe, a rising fourth-year medical student at Marshall. 

For more information or to make a gift to the scholarship fund, please contact Linda Holmes, director of development and alumni affairs, at 304-691-1711 or holmes@marshall.edu. For news and information about the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, follow us on Twitter @MUSOMWV, like us on Facebook or visit jcesom.marshall.edu. 

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Photo: Dr. Peter Chirico and students and recent graduates he has mentored. From left to right are Tim Kocher, Amrita Valluri, Madisen Burns, Chad Meadows, Chirico, Logan Godfrey, Jordan Aikens and Nathaniel Gallagher.

Media Contact: Sheanna M. Spence, Director of External Affairs, School of Medicine, 304-691-1639

Date Posted: Monday, May 16, 2022