Greetings from Oak Hill! What a busy summer we’ve had. Just when we thought we were finally getting over COVID-19, it came back and hit us with a vengeance.

As we are sure is the case for many of our fellow residents around the state, we have had to revert to many of our infection control measures from earlier in the pandemic. A tent has gone back up outside to handle the surge, and is seemingly never empty. That being said, everyone in our department has risen to the challenge. We would like to express our gratitude to the nurses, techs and other staff from the floors that have temporarily accepted assignments in our department. We appreciate their help during these exceptional times.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the Class of 2024! They have done an amazing job of stepping up to the plate during this uncharacteristically busy summer. We are grateful to have them as part of our team, and though they haven’t been with us long, we can already see their positive impact. Our interns also acquitted themselves well at our recent Field Day, integrating into our teams to challenge senior residents and faculty alike. We are happy to say that despite the radical changes in the 2020 interview season, we have an excellent group of new residents.

Our expansion in GME is also proceeding well! This move comes with the opportunity for residents to set up part of the new space to fit our needs. Currently the two ideas in highest contention are a resident gymnasium or an expansion and upgrade of our current sim lab. Stay tuned for more updates and stay safe out there! ■