Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Charleston Area Medical Center
Photo by John Sibold.
By Olivia Miller
After watching his father suffer from black lung disease caused by a four-decade career spent working in coal mines, Tom Takubo, D.O., made it his life mission to treat individuals with similar conditions by helping bring advanced medical technologies to West Virginia. Today, Takubo is the chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) and a leader in the field of health care in the Mountain State.
Takubo graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with a doctorate in osteopathy in 1999 and later completed his internal medicine residency at West Virginia University’s (WVU) Charleston campus in 2003. After his residency, he joined the faculty at WVU and started the critical care program at CAMC. From there, Takubo attended East Tennessee State University as a pulmonary and critical care fellow.
Upon his return to West Virginia, Takubo, alongside Dr. Kevin Eggleston, co-founded Pulmonary Associates, one of the largest private pulmonary practices east of the Mississippi. The practice encompasses seven physicians, 13 advanced practice providers and about 80 total employees.
“My vision when I came back to Charleston was to start a one-stop shop for pulmonary issues,” he says. “Knowing we have created this facility to offer these services is professionally satisfying.”
At Pulmonary Associates, patients can be evaluated, diagnosed, treated or scheduled for a definitive biopsy to start treatment in the same day or within a few days of being seen.
Takubo’s unwavering commitment to improving health care in the Mountain State has taken him beyond the halls of Mountain State hospitals and into West Virginia’s capitol building. In 2014, Takubo was elected to the West Virginia State Senate of the 17th senatorial district and was appointed as chair of economic development. In 2018, Takubo was re-elected and appointed majority leader, a position in which he still serves today.
“I went into politics to try to positively impact health care in West Virginia,” he says. “My favorite thing about serving in the state Senate is when health legislation passes that will benefit West Virginians. Some examples have been lowering the cost of prescription medications, providing more coverage for medical and dental care, providing better access for specific medical conditions and impacting smoking rates.”
Throughout his career serving in the state Senate, Takubo has found there is a great deal of overlap between the areas of health care and legislation.
“Legislators bring personal experience to the legislature. Many states do not have any health care professionals serving,” he says. “I can bring my knowledge and experience as a physician to help shape and direct health care legislation and educate and answer questions for my fellow legislators.”
Takubo has also been a witness to changes in the medical landscape caused by legislative acts such as the Affordable Care Act, consolidation of hospital systems and hospital closures.
“These changes will continue to alter the medical landscape across our state for years to come,” he says. “I think it is crucial for health care professionals to be involved in the decisions that affect all our health outcomes and access.”
Outside of his roles at CAMC and the state Senate, Takubo volunteers through West Virginia Health Right, a free and charitable clinic that provides quality health care to uninsured and underserved West Virginians. He has also served as the medical director for the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps clinic, a two-day clinic that was started after the severe flooding that occurred throughout Southern West Virginia in 2016.
Takubo’s greatest challenges are his time constraints.
“There is simply so much need that a physician could almost work indefinite hours,” he says. “It is important to take time for my family and for myself. My medical career has opened other doors, such as the honor of serving in the state Senate, but finding the time for both is oftentimes the most daunting task.”
Takubo considers his greatest life success to be his three children and is happy to raise his family in West Virginia.
“West Virginia is home. I wanted to serve the people of my state and raise my family here, and there is no place like home,” he says. “Growing up here and having the majority of my medical training here has helped me relate to my patients and constituents. I am proud to serve the people of West Virginia in both capacities. I am thankful that I have the opportunity every day to do my part in making the people here healthier.”
Improving Respiratory Health in West Virginia
Tom Takubo, D.O., dedicated his career to helping others suffering from the same several pulmonary diseases and conditions he watched his father experience. While at his office, Pulmonary Associates, he works as a pulmonologist, seeing a multitude of lung issues. In the hospital, he works primarily in intensive care units.
In 2019, the fourth leading cause of death in West Virginia was chronic lower respiratory diseases (CLRD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CLRD comprises three major diseases: chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma, which are all characterized by shortness of breath caused by airway obstruction.
Takubo was the first in West Virginia to perform advanced lung diagnostic procedures such as endobronchial ultrasound, super Dimension bronchoscopy, bronchial thermoplasty and Monarch robotic electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy, improving the breadth and quality of care available to patients in the Mountain State with respiratory diseases.
Historically, census records have shown 50% higher respiratory disease prevalence in rural areas such as Appalachia. Additionally, West Virginia continues to have the highest reported adult smoking rates in the nation, with 25.2% of adults living in West Virginia reporting regular cigarette use. This rate is nearly 10% higher than the national average.
One challenge Takubo is still hoping to overcome in his career is to decrease smoking rates in the state. He notes that not only would West Virginia be a much healthier state but achieving this would also save hundreds of millions in health care costs.
