By Mary Jane Epling
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON — Two months after receiving Senate confirmation to lead the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Adm. Brian Christine made his first official visit to West Virginia on Tuesday, stopping at Marshall University to discuss rural health issues with the next generation of Appalachian physicians.
Christine, a practicing physician for more than three decades, led a discussion with Marshall medical students and university representatives, outlining federal priorities to expand care in underserved communities and highlighting challenges and recent advancements familiar to the region.
The federal Rural Health Transformation Initiative — launched under President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — aims to improve health outcomes nationwide, especially in communities where chronic conditions are common and access to quality care is limited.
Toney Stroud, the university’s chief legal officer and vice president for strategic initiatives and corporate relations, said that national goal aligns closely with Marshall’s ongoing mission to address obesity, addiction, gerontology and other persistent health issues in the region.
Stroud noted that Christine not only addressed an auditorium of future health care providers but also witnessed first-hand the collaborations among the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall Health Network and Marshall University — partnerships that are tackling these challenges head-on, he said.
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