Rural Health Track

Marshall Family Medicine Residency provides a broad-based educational experience leading to competency in all types of practice settings. Residents with a special interest in rural practice have the opportunity to receive unique and extensive experiences in rural settings. They will learn how to function in areas where access to immediate referral is limited and where the latest diagnostic and treatment equipment is not always available. The Rural Health Track emphasizes development of an entire range of practice skills needed to care for the vast array of patient problems encountered by today's family physicians.

"Participating in the MU Family Medicine Rural Track really made me feel like I was a part of the community that I was serving, and it gave me real-world clinical experience that has helped in post-residency practice."

-- Lucia Soltis, MD

A partial listing of the special offerings provided by the program that will uniquely equip residents for rural service includes:

Opportunity for assignment to a rural health clinic (LPCC or Lavalette) for their continuity practice experience
Special educational opportunities in Appalachian culture and geography, rural health and epidemiology
A one-to-three month supervised experience in a rural health center or clinic
Specialty rotations in rural sites, to further develop skills such as OB, GYN, pediatrics, geriatrics, rural emergency medicine, etc.
Training in preventive procedures and commensurate health promotion skills in under-served settings with diverse subcultures
Membership in the Rural Health Association
Attendance at a meeting of the Rural Health Association
Research opportunities focusing on issues pertinent to medical care in rural and small town communities
Logistic support and advice for beginning practice in small towns and rural sites

Greg Elkins, MD
Medical Director

Tammy Bannister, MD
Residency Director

Jennifer Plymale
Director
Center for Rural Health

Katherine Bell, MD
Site Director, Lavalette

Jenna Barbour, MD
Rural Track Resident
Lavalette

Kasey Stickler, MD
Rural Track Resident
Lavalette

Morgan Stickler, MD
Rural Track Resident
Lavalette

Courtney Wellman, MD
Rural Track Resident
Lavalette

Laura Given, MD
Rural Track Resident
LPCC

Louie Olive, MD
Rural Track Resident

The Department of Family and Community Health is located in the foothills of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. The Residency Program, through faculty and graduates, has affiliation with numerous rural and small town health centers throughout West Virginia, including Lincoln Primary Care Center ( LPCC) and Marshall Health at Lavalette. These locations provide the continuity sites for the Rural Health Track.

Membership in the Rural Health Association http://www.ruralhealthweb.org/
Attendance at a meeting of the Rural Health Association
Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health http://crh.marshall.edu/
Research opportunities focusing on issues pertinent to medical care in rural and small town communities