VCU Pediatrics chair accepts position with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

By Malorie Burkett

Joseph Laver, M.D., chair of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, has accepted the position of clinical director and vice president of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

He announced his departure in March, and his new position became effective June 1.

Laver will lead the overall patient care program at St. Jude. He will be responsible for planning and managing the clinical staff, space and systems of the institution to ensure the delivery of patient care to advance the hospital’s mission. As an executive vice president, he also will work with other members of the senior management team to provide overall administrative leadership of St. Jude.

VCU’s Department of Pediatrics is the only entity in Central Virginia with primary care and sub-specialists under one umbrella. VCU also provides a safety net to all children in the area who need sophisticated care without the ability to pay, Laver said.

The department also is the only teaching site for pediatrics in the area, educating approximately 200 VCU medical students a year as well as other health care providers such as nurses, respiratory therapists and occupational therapists.

In addition, the pediatric residency program currently has more than 60 trainees who can serve as recruits for the Central Virginia area. VCU Pediatrics is the only site in the area that conducts clinical and basic research in childhood diseases.

Prior to his arrival at VCU in July 2000, Laver served as director of the Division of Hematology-Oncology and Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Service as well as vice chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Laver received his medical degree from Technion, Faculty of Medicine in Haifa, Israel, in 1977 and his master’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1996.

His areas of specialization include pediatric hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplantation. He has been listed among the Best Doctors in America and also has been recognized as a top pediatrician by the Consumers’ Research Council of America.

“I have fond memories from VCU and wish the institution the best,” said Laver.

William Moskowitz, M.D., professor and chair of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, will assume the role of interim chair, and John Seeds, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is leading a national search to select Laver’s successor.