The still relatively new United Hospital Center campus apparently isn’t satisfied with just having a mutli-million facility located off of Interstate79 in Bridgeport. Instead, UHC officials are following through on a promise to aggressively provide better healthcare to the North Central West Virginia region and the rest of the state.

 

This morning, UHC officials announced a collaborative partnership with West Virginia University that will enhance overall healthcare in general and neurosurgical care in particular. The partnership will officially begin Sunday and will be known as the WVU Healthcare Neurosurgery, Spine and Pain Center at UHC.

 

“This is a big day for UHC and WVU,” said Bruce Carter, president and CEO of UHC.

 

Under the arrangement, three of the physicians currently at UHC will be joined by four from the West Virginia University School of Medicine. All will practice from the Physician Office Building, which is situated on the UHC campus.

 

“This will give us a lot more depth and access to research and technology that is extremely important in neurosurgery,” said Carter.

 

Dr. Charles Lee Rosen, M.D., Ph.D., who is currently heading this endeavor and specializes in cranial-base surgery and neurosurgical oncology, was pleased with the pairing. He called it a “great opportunity” for care closer to home and keep patients, if at all possible, close to their existing doctors in neurological cases.

 

“The idea behind this and what we were looking for is to provide care that is seamless,” said Rosen, the Interim Chair of Neurosurgery at WVU. “A patient can be seen here where they can have contact with their regular doctor as opposed to going somewhere else and the person providing care doesn’t know what’s going on … When you put this all together, it makes perfect sense.”

 

Carter gave praise to Arthur J. Ross III, M.D. for this initiative taking place. Ross is the Dean of the School of Medicine at West Virginia University.

 

“This can’t happen if the Dean and the Chancellor (of WVU) don’t support this,” said Carter.

 

The new practice includes James Colson, M.D.; Richard Douglas, M.D., FACS, Neurosurgery; Todd Harshberger, M.D., Neurosurgery; Terrence Julien, M.D., Neurosurgery, Charles Rosen, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, Neurosurgery; Corinne Stuart, D.O. – Pain; and Bill Underwood, M.D., Ph.D, Neurosurgery.

 

Current staff members Vincent J. Miele, M.D. and Russell Biundo, M.D. will be relocating. Miele will take his practice to Morgantown, while Biundo will relocate from Neurosurgery to the UHC Orthopedics on April 29. Another staff member, Ahmed Mahmoud, M.D., will be leaving the Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Pain practice effective June 8.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured on the cover of this story is Charles Lee Rosen, M.D., Ph.D.,; and inside is Bruce Carter, president and CEO of UHC.