About the Program

In an ever-changing landscape of modern healthcare, our combined residency program addresses the growing need for dual-trained physicians.

EM/IM residents and faculty smiling for a group photo at the annual white elephant holiday party

The EM/IM residency program at VCU is a combination of the existing and well-established EM and IM residencies and began training in July 2011. We accept two residents per year.

Our program's clinical training, like its respective parent programs, is at both VCU Medical Center and Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. Both sites benefit from excellent full-time teaching faculty and serve unique patient care settings and patient populations. The Departments of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine have several EM/IM and EM/Critical Care faculty who will provide outstanding mentorship to the program residents.

Graduates of EM/IM programs have traditionally accepted academic positions and many continue to utilize both aspects of their training. The EM/IM faculty at VCU work shifts in the ED and the Observation Unit, as well as attend on the wards. Our program prepares our trainees for any of the limitless career options available to them upon graduation. One unique niche for the EM/IM practitioner is the management of Observation Units, which can mitigate long wait times and ED overcrowding. Other common paths taken by EM/IM graduates include research, academic and administrative positions, rural/critical access medicine, and subspecialty training in Internal Medicine and/or Emergency Medicine.

Late in the second year of training, residents will pick a specific direction they would like their training to take based on the future career goals. The EM/IM schedule has been designed to allow the residents drawn to the program the ability to tailor their training appropriately to the many varied paths they may take. There are pre existing tracks in both the Emergency Medicine program and the Internal Medicine program that residents can choose. Alternatively, residents can customize their training with a large selection of EM/IM-specific tracks that correspond with the unique career paths combined residents take.

Why VCU?

At VCU, residents get a unique, well-rounded experience in both Emergency and Internal Medicine through:

  • Comprehensive training at a high-acuity academic medical center with a significant dedication to underserved populations
  • State-of-the-art clinical and educational methods and technology to deliver hands-on education along with individualized personal and professional development for each of our residents
  • Nationally renowned faculty members who are dedicated to teaching and training future leaders
  • A diverse, inclusive work environment with a focus on equity in emergency medicine
  • A family-like atmosphere that promotes wellness, resilience and community

See what residents have to say about their experience at VCU.

Curriculum

Each year, residents rotate between the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, switching every 4-5 blocks. Didactic requirements include monthly journal club sessions and weekly conferences. EM/IM residents take part in both the Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine retreats annually.

Blocks are 4 weeks in length. Internal Medicine follows tandem-block scheduling, alternating between 2 weeks of inpatient and 2 weeks of outpatient/consult services. Below is an example of a block schedule by year in the program.

EM/IM-Led Initiatives

EM/IM-trained clinicians develop a unique perspective of healthcare, which allows them to find innovative solutions in health systems and patient care. EM/IM residents have the opportunity to work with faculty on these initiatives, including several of our active projects:

  • Proper Care Clinic establishes rapid, virtual follow-up after an ED visit, preventing bouncebacks and connecting patients with appropriate outpatient services.
  • Remote Patient Monitoring (Rom-Com) is designed to provide COVID-positive patient's with pulse-oximeters along with clinician check-in calls to monitor their clinical course at home and provide instructions to return to the ED when necessary.
  • ACCESS-EM is a VCU School of Medicine curriculum that creates a framework for how to approach system development in low resource and global settings. More information is available here.
  • Rapid Disposition Team navigates and assists with complex discharges alongside a multidisciplinary care team, especially in complicated patient circumstances.

Salary and Benefits

VCU is proud to offer competitive salaries compared to housestaff across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Cost of living adjustments occur each year.

Resident Life

Finding family amongst co-residents

Residency is an exciting time of growth and development as residents step into their new roles as physicians, which also comes with its own challenges. While our program requires hard work, we make resident wellness a priority and are constantly working to improve resident resilience and well-being. 

In addition to relationships built within the separate EM and IM residencies, our residents find friendship and support in their EM/IM co-residents. The residents make an effort to arrange social events outside of work, including holiday gatherings, river floats, and game nights. Faculty also host several events throughout the year, such as our annual graduation/new resident welcome party and white elephant gift exchange. 

Richmond as a city offers plenty of opportunity to foster a healthy work-life balance, with diverse and vibrant neighborhoods, museums, music venues, restaurants, breweries, and parks. In addition to the city's own thriving outdoor scene, its location in Central Virginia makes it ideal for day trips to both the beach and mountains.

Learn more about the Richmond

Discover RVA

Take a ride through Richmond with us! Created for VCU EM/IM applicants by our residents during the COVID pandemic in lieu of the Trolley Tour through Richmond previously offered for in-person interviews. We hope this provides a glimpse of our city! 

How to Apply

Join our talented and dedicated team

The VCU Department of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), and prospective residents can apply using the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

EMERGENCY MEDICINE - INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY

Program Leadership

Click each card for more information.

Program Director

Pawan Suri, MD

Pawan Suri, MD

Associate Professor

Pawan Suri, MD

Pawan Suri, MD

Associate Professor

Division of Observation Medicine

EM-IM Residency Program Director
Division of Observation Medicine Chair

Email: pawan.suri@vcuhealth.org

Joel Moll, MD, FAAEM FACEP

Joel Moll, MD, FAAEM FACEP

Professor

Joel Moll, MD, FAAEM FACEP

Joel Moll, MD, FAAEM FACEP

Professor

Emergency Medicine

Vice Chair of Education

Email: joel.moll@vcuhealth.org

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Rebecca Miller, MD

Rebecca Miller, MD

Assistant Professor

Rebecca Miller, MD

Rebecca Miller, MD

Assistant Professor

Department of Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine Residency Program Director

Email: rebecca.miller@vcuhealth.org

Taruna Aurora, MD

Taruna Aurora, MD

Assistant Professor

Taruna Aurora, MD

Taruna Aurora, MD

Assistant Professor

Division of Observation Medicine

Clinical Decision Unit Co-Director

Email: taruna.aurora@vcuhealth.org

Megan P. Donohue, MD, MPH

Megan P. Donohue, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Megan P. Donohue, MD, MPH

Megan P. Donohue, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Department of Emergency Medicine

Email: megan.donohue@vcuhealth.org

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Frank Fulco, MD, RPh

Frank Fulco, MD, RPh

Associate Professor

Frank Fulco, MD, RPh

Frank Fulco, MD, RPh

Associate Professor

Department of Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine Residency Associate Program Director

Email: frank.fulco@vcuhealth.org

Joel René Morrissey, MD

Joel René Morrissey, MD

Assistant Professor

Joel René Morrissey, MD

Joel René Morrissey, MD

Assistant Professor

Division of Observation Medicine

Email: joel.morrissey@vcuhealth.org

Joseph D. Romano, MD

Joseph D. Romano, MD

Assistant Professor

Joseph D. Romano, MD

Joseph D. Romano, MD

Assistant Professor

Email: joseph.d.romano@vcuhealth.org

Christina Vitto, MD

Christina Vitto, MD

Assistant Professor

Christina Vitto, MD

Christina Vitto, MD

Assistant Professor

Division of Observation Medicine

Email: christina.vitto@vcuhealth.org

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Frank L. Zwemer, MD, MBA

Frank L. Zwemer, MD, MBA

Associate Professor

Frank L. Zwemer, MD, MBA

Frank L. Zwemer, MD, MBA

Associate Professor

Email: frank.zwemer@va.gov

EMERGENCY MEDICINE - INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY

Residents

Meet our current residents

PGY-5 (Chief Residents)

PGY-4

PGY-3

PGY-2

PGY-1