Dr. Michael Edmond, Class of 1979 (Monongah High’s last graduation class), has been named 2016 Distinguished Alumnus by the WVU School of Medicine.

Dr. Edmond is the chief quality officer and associate chief medical officer for University of Iowa Health Care and clinical professor of infectious diseases at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He previously was the Richard P. Wenzel Professor of Internal Medicine, chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, and hospital epidemiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

He earned his medical degree in 1986 from the WVU School of Medicine, a master’s degree in public health from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Government and Public Affairs. He was chief resident in Internal Medicine at WVU Medicine-J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. He completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a fellowship in hospital epidemiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Dr. Edmond’s areas of research focus on the epidemiology of health care associated infections and the public policy implications of infection prevention. He has published 400 papers, abstracts and book chapters, and co-writes a blog entitled Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention. Over the past few years, Dr. Edmond has been named to Richmond Magazine’s Top Doctors, America’s Top Doctors, US News and World Report’s Top Doctors, awarded Our Health Richmond Magazine’s Best Bedside Manner Award, and Health Leaders Magazine’s 20 People Who Make Healthcare Better.

This Distinguished Alumnus award was established in 1984 by the Executive Council of the WVU School of Medicine Alumni Association, and was revised in 1995 by the Awards Committee. The intention is to honor those alumni "whose distinguished careers and unselfish contributions to society have enhanced the prestige of West Virginia University School of Medicine and in their own special way, have helped to upgrade the quality of health care."