Kanitta Charoensiri of Blacksburg, former medical director of student health services at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named director of Virginia Tech's Schiffert Health Center, which offers a wide range of medical and wellness services to university students.

"Dr. Charoensiri brings new ideas for the improvement of our health center. She is dedicated to student wellness and providing convenient and responsive services," said Brian Warren, assistant vice president for student affairs, who made the announcement.

Schiffert Health Center, located in McComas Hall, offers comprehensive multidisciplinary primary care services to about 26,000 university students, including routine health care, treatment for illnesses, urgent care, health education, individual counseling about health concerns and issues, laboratory and pharmacy services, administration of student-provided allergy shots, and x-rays. All services are supported by an electronic medical record system and computerized scheduling system. The center has a yearly budget of $5 million derived entirely from student health fees.

The director oversees the coordination of all clinical, managerial, and educational activities of the health center and provides leadership for an established, accredited health center with a staff of physicians; nurse practitioners; physician assistants; nurses; and consultants in radiology, pathology, and psychiatry.

"I am excited about this new challenge leading one of the top student health centers in the nation," Charoensiri said. "There is an excellent staff -- people who really care for students. I hope to contribute to continually improving services offered for all Virginia Tech students."

Charoensiri earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She did her internship in internal medicine and her residency in family medicine at the Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, N.Y., an affiliate of Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. After practicing medicine at Long Island Medical Center and two family medicine practices, she joined the University of Pittsburgh student health services as a staff physician. She became medical director in 2000.

A Diplomate of the American Board of Osteopathic Family Physicians, Charoensiri is certified in child abuse prevention, infection control, basic cardiac life support, HIV/AIDS and risk management, domestic violence, and prevention of medical errors.

Paul Farrier has been serving as interim director of the Schiffert Health Center.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech has grown to become the largest university in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Virginia Tech's eight colleges are dedicated to putting knowledge to work through teaching, research, and outreach activities and to fulfilling its vision to be among the top research universities in the nation. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 170 academic degree programs.

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