Executive Director and Health Officer,
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department
Photo by Chris Gosses Photography.
By Paige Udermann
Steven Eshenaur, D.O., MBA, executive director and health officer at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, has been shaped by a lifetime of service—both to his country and community. Growing up in Point Pleasant, WV, Eshenaur remembers being inspired by his grandfather, a physician who cared for his patients as if they were his own family. Eshenaur witnessed his grandfather helping the sick and injured in their greatest hour of need and dreamed of following in his footsteps, not just as a doctor but as someone who would make a difference in the lives of others.
By 1996, Eshenaur was not only a medical school graduate from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, he was also dedicated to serving his country as a soldier in the military. After completing his medical school internship, he was stationed in Korea for two years as the sole U.S. physician in the province. His journey continued with deployments to Iraq, where he served three separate tours, even while completing his residency at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC).
The military challenged him in ways that pushed him to his physical and emotional limits and also shaped who he is.
“War is about extremes: excitement of combat, fatigue from long hours, sadness from loss, discipline to stand your ground in a fight, second guessing when outcomes are unexpected, regret for actions not taken, loneliness after separation from your family, anger and revenge for wounded brothers in arms and duty—no matter the cost—to care for those who are willing to give everything,” says Eshenaur. “Those challenges experienced over four tours really shaped me, how I think about the future, what my community means to me, value of life, fragility of health and what service really means.”
Eshenaur’s service has influenced his beliefs and values, leading to a life centered around making a positive difference. At the beginning of his practice, his main focus was on treating one patient at a time, but later in his career, his focus shifted to preventative care.
“I adopted the motto ‘The easiest disease to treat is the one you never get’ and chose to advance my education with a degree that focused on the business of health care. I then decided to move full time in public health,” he says. “Preventing disease, keeping kids healthy, reducing substance abuse, decreasing HIV and improving the overall health and vitality of our community became my primary concern.”
He completed an MBA in health care business administration from West Virginia University. With this new knowledge, Eshenaur transitioned into public health, where he now makes a broad impact on the health of West Virginia communities. As the executive director and health officer of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Eshenaur influences public health at both the local and state level, and he works tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of West Virginians.
Part of this work includes mentoring and teaching the next generation of health care professionals. Additionally, Eshenaur volunteers as an instructor for Advanced Trauma Life Support at CAMC and teaches law enforcement personnel first aid skills to manage traumatic injuries.
Eshenaur hasn’t only changed lives through his military service and career in medicine—he is also a devoted husband and father. His greatest pride comes from his family, and he feels success is measured by what you give instead of what you get.
“My wife and I made the decision to open our home to children who needed a home,” he says. “In addition to our two children, we adopted four children and had many others that spent months to years in our home. We keep in contact with most of them to this day. Success is seeing them realize their potential even when the odds were against them.”
To Eshenaur, family isn’t just defined by blood; it extends to the community he serves.
“Having grown up in West Virginia, my heart has always been here. The saying ‘family is the tie that binds’ applies to how I feel about my fellow West Virginians,” says Eshenaur. “They are my family and will always bind me to the Mountain State. Living here, caring for our citizens and raising our kids in West Virginia has been a blessing to me both personally and professionally. West Virginia will always be home.”
Advanced Trauma Life Support at CAMC
Steven Eshenaur, D.O., MBA, executive director and health officer at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, is a volunteer instructor for the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC). CAMC offers a variety of courses through its Integrated Health Education Center to advance the skills of health care providers across West Virginia.
“Advanced Trauma Life Support is a two-day course covering the essential skills surgeons and emergency physicians need to manage the acute phase of trauma,” Eshenaur says.
The course is also open to physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other physician extenders who can earn continuing education credits while honing their abilities to care for trauma patients.
“In addition to classroom work, students are taught critical lifesaving skills, such as chest tube placement, central line patient and intubation,” Eshenaur says. “ATLS is a required course for all surgeons and providers working in an emergency department. Quickly and accurately identifying injuries, providing immediate stabilization and performing lifesaving procedures are essential tasks that, when implemented by a trained provider, have been shown to greatly improve the saving of lives.”
Eshenaur values his role as an instructor in a course where he is instilling lifesaving knowledge into his students using his extensive background in both emergency medicine and military service.
“Volunteering as an instructor is important as I’m able to share innumerable experiences as an emergency room physician and military physician with multiple deployments,” Eshenaur says.
ATLS is a pivotal course because it provides health care professionals with the important knowledge and techniques to evaluate, treat and manage trauma patients—skills that save lives every day.
