Virginia
UVA Health’s Dr. Neeral Shah Earns Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award
UVA Health’s Neeral Shah, MD, is one of 12 recipients of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s 2025 Outstanding Faculty Awards.
UVA Health’s Neeral Shah, MD, is one of 12 recipients of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s 2025 Outstanding Faculty Awards for faculty “who exemplify the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service.”
Shah’s passion for learning and teaching came from his parents, who immigrated to the United States from India with just two suitcases and $8.
“Their philosophy was, ‘Knowledge is something that nobody can ever take from you,’ a belief they deeply instilled in me,” he said.
During his 15 years at the University of Virginia, where he serves as a professor of medicine in the gastrointestinal/hepatology division, Shah has used his knowledge and skills to care for patients, research ways to improve care and educate thousands of future physicians and healthcare providers.
As a gastroenterologist and digestive health specialist, Shah has performed thousands of colonoscopies and now specializes in liver disease, caring for patients with chronic liver disease and those in need of a liver transplant.
As a researcher, Shah helped develop a better way to care for patients with liver disease who experience bleeding problems. The innovative work by Shah and collaboration with biomedical engineers led to a National Institutes of Health grant and the eventual creation of the Quantra Hemosonics machine, widely adopted by anesthesiologists to best use blood products during patient care.
As an educator, Shah played a key role in creating the UVA School of Medicine’s NxGen pre-clerkship medical education curriculum, which prepares students to be lifelong learners who provide patient-centered, evidence-based medical care. He has won every major teaching award at UVA while also developing a series of medical education infographics now used in 98% of American medical schools and 70 countries around the world.
UVA School of Medicine graduate Katie Webb, MD, described Shah in a letter of recommendation as a teacher who was committed not only to providing excellent medical education but to connecting with his students and his patients.
“In a room of over 100 people, he took the time to make each of us feel valued. He asked us our names, inquired about our weekend activities, and got to know not only our academic interests but our interests outside of school as well,” Webb wrote. “During the final week of the [gastrointestinal coursework], we had the opportunity to see Dr. Shah interview one of his patients. … The patient praised Dr. Shah for the time he devoted to their care, explaining the disease process in terms they could understand, exploring treatment options in the broader context of the patient’s lifestyle and wishes and being compassionate yet straightforward in discussing outcome and prognosis. That patient interaction highlighted to me that Dr. Shah is not only an educator that would do anything for his students, he is also a clinician who would do anything for his patients.”
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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