When Chris Zinn came to West Virginia from her native Scotland in the early 1980s, she brought a passion for the newly emerging field of hospice care and, fortunately for West Virginians, a wealth of knowledge from the United Kingdom, where the movement began.
aring for children has always been a passion for Joan Phillips, M.D., and she had a lot of practice growing up as the oldest of seven children, which prepared her for her future. Phillips, co-medical director of the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC), has dedicated her career to helping children in need.
It is said the two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. Ali Oliashirazi, M.D., professor, chair and residency program director of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, believes to his core that this is what he was meant to do with his life.
When one door closes, another one opens—this is something Kevin McLaughlin, D.O., has experienced firsthand. Feeling discouraged after closing his surgical practice in 2004, McLaughlin, now an emergency room (ER) physician at War Memorial Hospital, accepted a Sunday ER shift at the Berkeley Springs hospital. From there, he was offered more shifts, and in 2006, it became a full-time position in a community he loves.
Growing up in Manor, PA, Dan Lauffer’s parents were insistent that he, his twin brother and his sister receive an education. “My dad guided, encouraged and at times demanded we get an education,” he says. “As a welder for Westinghouse, he worked long, hard hours and wanted better for his kids.”
Sally Hodder, M.D., is an infectious disease physician who has spent most of her career focusing on HIV treatment and prevention. Hodder graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Mount Holyoke College in 1976 and earned a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRUSOM) in 1980, during which time her research interest was piqued.