VCU Medical Center experts provide weekly health information and features during new morning television program

By Joe Kuttenkuler

Experts at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center now have a weekly television forum on which to discuss the latest healthcare news.

Beginning this week, WTVR-TV6, the CBS affiliate in Richmond, will debut a live, morning variety show called “Virginia This Morning.” The program will air Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 11a.m. and will present community, lifestyle and health information. The show will be hosted by Cheryl Miller and Bill Bevins.

Each Friday, the VCU Medical Center will sponsor a four-minute, interview-style medical segment. Experts will be interviewed live in the studio, discussing everything from the latest techniques for treating irregular heartbeats and varicose veins to programs that use dogs and music to make patients feel better.
 
The health segment, called 4-Minutes in Medicine, is an expanded version of the VCU Medical Center’s 2-Minutes in Medicine segment, which begins its third season on Channel 6 on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 6:58 p.m.

“This is another great opportunity for us to showcase the breadth of expertise at the VCU Medical Center while providing information people can use to make better decisions about their health care,” said Mandy Setliff, director of marketing in the VCU Health System’s Department and Strategy and Marketing. “The relaxed, conversational style of Virginia This Morning will enable our experts to discuss medical topics in more detail.”

To coincide with Breast Health Awareness Month in October, the first several interviews will feature experts in the fields of breast imaging, treatments for breast cancer, clinical trials and surgical management.

Because 4-Minutes in Medicine airs on Fridays, stories can be shuffled to address local or national medical topics making news that week, Setliff said.

“If a prominent public figure goes in for bypass surgery on Thursday, we can have a medical expert talking about it during the show on Friday,” she said. 

For more information about the show or to suggest a topic, call Linda Anderson at 828-5378, or e-mail  landerson3@mcvh-vcu.edu.