The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute (VTC) has announced the appointment of Mark Greenawald, M.D., associate professor, as the founding chair of the Department of Family Medicine for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. This new academic department within VTC is being developed under Carilion Clinic’s Department of Primary Care and Regional Medicine. As part of his new role, Greenawald will also serve as associate chair for undergraduate medical education within the Department of Primary Care and Regional Medicine.
“Mark is a physician thought leader of the caliber we expect to graduate from VTC. His mentorship through the AAFP Chief Resident Leadership Development Program to residency directors at the front-line in teaching the next generation of physicians is critical to keeping the practice of family medicine vital,” states Cynda Ann Johnson, M.D., M.B.A., president and dean of VTC.
Greenawald is a graduate of Bucknell University and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. After five years as a naval medical officer, he joined Carilion in 1995, and since then has made a substantial impact on the family medicine community locally, regionally and nationally. Locally, he is the education director for the Carilion Clinic Family Medicine Residency and is current president of the Blue Ridge Academy of Family Physicians. This year he was named the family medicine residency inpatient attending of the year.
Regionally, Greenawald is on the board of directors for the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians and has been a pioneer in the development of a group self-assessment process, which has helped hundreds of family physicians with the new maintenance of certification process. He is a regular speaker at state academy meetings, particularly in the area of men’s health care. Greenawald has been very active in the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) initiative for primary care and serves on the executive committee for the tri-state PCMH residency collaborative. He has also held creative and leadership roles in the TO GOAL and IMPACT quality improvement programs sponsored by the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation for primary care practices.
Nationally, Greenawald is on the faculty for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Chief Resident Leadership Development Program where he has been involved in the leadership development of over 2,000 emerging leaders in family medicine and is the author of two monthly e-newsletters, Leaders Digest and Coaches Corner. He has also been part of a small group of faculty who have developed and implemented leadership development workshops for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Through this leadership development work, Greenawald has become known for his innovation in teaching the skills of feedback, negotiation, conflict management and leadership coaching. Greenawald is also a regular presenter at the AAFP national meeting on the topic of rejuvenation in medical practice.
“Any sustainable healthcare reform will include strong primary care as a foundation, and family medicine will be an important building block of this foundation. We anticipate that the thought leaders who graduate from VTC will help lead the way to an even better American healthcare system,” states Greenawald.
