Dr. Rahul Gupta was seeing patients at a veterans' medical clinicin Nashville, Tenn., Monday afternoon.
Three months from now, Gupta will be directing the largest localhealth department in West Virginia.
The Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health hired Gupta as thedepartment's chief health officer Monday.
Gupta, an assistant professor of internal medicine at MeharryMedical College in Nashville, will start March 16. His contract withthe medical school required him to give 90 days' notice beforeleaving.
'This is something I've always wanted to do,' said Gupta, who hasa background in rural public health. 'It's something close to myheart. It's always been my dream to commit myself to public healthand prevention measures.'
Gupta, who will be paid $155,000 a year, replaces former healthchief Dr. Kerry Gateley, who resigned in May amid a political spatover moving the Health Department to make way for a downtown hotel.The project's developers have since withdrawn their plans.
Health board President Brenda Isaac said Monday that Gupta wantsto build on Gateley's work and make the Health Department a modelthat health agencies across the nation will want to copy.
'He's very enthusiastic,' Isaac said. 'He really has a lot ofgood and innovative ideas. He'll be a good fit.'
Gupta said he would consult with Health Department staff membersbefore making changes and starting projects. Immediate goals includeimproving information technology and evaluating the agency's homehealth program, which has been losing money in recent months.
Gupta said he's prepared to face criticism over the department's5-month-old smoking ban. Bar and gambling parlor owners say the banhas devastated their businesses, and they frequently attend healthboard meetings to criticize the regulations.
'Constructive criticism is always welcome,' said Gupta, who alsoworks as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University MedicalSchool in Nashville. 'I'm open to listening to every side.'
Gupta received a medical degree from the University of Delhi inIndia. He completed residency training at St. Joseph Hospital atNorthwestern University in Chicago.
He first worked as a family practice doctor in southern Alabama.He later received a master's degree in public health from theUniversity of Alabama-Birmingham and worked at an AIDS clinic inHuntsville, Ala. The American College of Physicians awarded him afellowship in 2004.
Gupta, 37, serves as an editorial adviser and writer for ModernMedicine, a medical information Web site for doctors and otherhealth professionals. Gupta writes about infectious disease, HIV/AIDS and immunizations.
He also has written a textbook on pathology and served as theprincipal investigator for more than a dozen clinical researchtrials.
Gupta visited Charleston twice before accepting the health chiefpost. He interviewed in November and toured the area with his wifeand 10-year-old twin sons last weekend.
'West Virginia and Charleston is a beautiful place to live,'Gupta said. 'The mountains, valley and river, it makes it an awesomeplace to live. It's a great family town.'
Gupta's wife, Dr. Seema Gupta, works as a prevention medicinespecialist in Nashville.
'Kanawha County is actually getting a two-for-one,' Isaac said.'We're getting a second very accomplished physician who also has amaster's in public health.'
Isaac said the Health Department's interim health director, Dr.Laura Gateley, who was appointed to replace her husband temporarilyafter he resigned, is expected to stay on until Gupta starts inMarch.
'I'm very excited and looking forward to working in thecommunity,' Gupta said. 'Public health efforts are the mostimportant efforts in any community.'
Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazette.com or (304) 348-4869.
