Carl Schmidt’s departure from the Wexner Medical Center was announced in a Wednesday WVU press release. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State
Add another doctor to the list of talent leaving Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center for West Virginia University.
Carl Schmidt, a nationally recognized oncologist, will be joining WVU’s cancer institute, the hospital announced Wednesday in a press release. He will be joining another former Ohio State doctor, Richard Goldberg, at the center.
Schmidt, who was an associate professor of surgery at Ohio State, becomes at least the seventh high-ranking employee from the Wexner Medical Center to leave for WVU since January 2017.
A pattern of top medical professionals leaving Columbus for Morgantown, West Virginia, is evident. Former Ohio State president and WVU’s current leader, E. Gordon Gee, has welcomed several additions in WVU press releases.
Goldberg left Ohio State in January of last year and welcomed Schmidt in the press release.
“His new roles will give him the opportunity to maximize his positive influence on our Institute, University, and our state. I am looking forward to working with him again and doing good things together,” Goldberg said in the release.
In announcing his arrival at WVU, Schmidt hinted at what drew him to the cancer institute.
“I feel there is a swelling of positive energy and forward direction at the WVU Cancer Center,” Schmidt said in the release. “When I met with the leadership, they were aligned on the same focus on people, most importantly the people from West Virginia who need the care. They are very aligned in their goals, and there is a togetherness in the leadership.”
John Campo, who also left Ohio State for WVU, said in February that Ohio State did not exhibit that same feeling of togetherness that Schmidt alluded to.
“The narrative has been: ‘The problem has been within the medical center,’ but there are always problems to fix,” Campo said in an interview with The Lantern. “But there are issues bigger than just the medical center that probably relate to the relationship between the university and the medical center that deserve a look and some consideration.
“I think that the issue here is about culture, that the whole culture thing is one I don’t know is limited to the medical center or if it’s larger here.”
In a statement, Schmidt said the experience he has had at Ohio State prepared him for his leadership role at WVU.
“The Ohio State University and our medical center are very important to me,” Schmidt told The Lantern in an email. “The mentorship, support and experiences I’ve had at OSU are the reasons I’m ready for a leadership opportunity. I am incredibly thankful to all of my colleagues, and I have great pride in what we have all accomplished together over 10 years.”
Ohio State wished Schmidt the best in a statement, while also noting that the medical center is adding doctors, not just losing them.
“Physicians who work at an institution as successful as the Wexner Medical Center are in high demand, and it’s not surprising that they are actively recruited by other institutions,” University spokesman Chris Davey said. “Just yesterday, we announced the recruitment of three physicians who are established national leaders in vascular, burn and trauma surgery. They will be leading new multidisciplinary centers and transforming surgical training in ways that will accelerate the medical center’s excellence as an academic medical center.”
Schmidt had been with Ohio State since 2008 and his work focused on providing quality care for cancer patients. His 2016 base pay was $280,309. Schmidt is slated to join WVU in July.
Update, 9:10 p.m.: This article has been updated to include Schmidt’s statement.
