Department of
Medical Education

Laura Davisson, MD, MPH, FACP

Laura Davisson, MD, MPH, FACP

Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Obesity Medicine

Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine

Residency: West Virginia University Internal Medicine

Faculty Rank: Professor

Special Clinical/Research Interests: Obesity medicine, public and population health, advocacy and health policy, prevention, nutrition and physical activity, medical education.

Is there a particular population of students (e.g., ethnicity, spiritual, sexual orientation) that you would particularly like to advise?

All students are welcome. Students with a particular interest in prevention, nutrition, or healthy lifestyles may be a great match.

What does a typical day in the life of an internal medicine physician include?

An internal medicine physician’s workday may vary depending on their specific job. Some have a typical 8am-5pm schedule, seeing patients in clinic during the week, with weekends off. Others, who are hospitalists, have longer 12-hour workdays, but may have every other week off. Many physicians in an academic institution, like myself, have a mix of hospital and clinic duties, while teaching medical students and residents as well.

What is the biggest challenge of being an internal medicine physician?

Internal medicine requires lifelong learning because it is a broad specialty. I am proud to have a strong knowledge base in the subspecialties of internal medicine, but it is a challenge to keep up on the latest medical advances. I recommend going to medical conferences regularly. This is not all bad because going to conferences with your colleagues is a lot of fun.

How do you foresee internal medicine changing over the next 20 years?

Policy changes are likely to be very influential in internal medicine in the future. That is why it is important for physicians to pay attention to laws that affect health care. Policy

affects public health, vaccinations, and research funding, and it also determines health care reimbursement and the role of internal medicine in the health care system.

What advice would you give a student who is considering an internal medicine residency?

Internal medicine gives you a lot of options. You can practice in primary care or become a hospitalist. You can also decide during residency that you want to do a fellowship and become a subspecialist. If you like helping adults manage their health so they can be as highly functional as possible as they get older, help them interpret advice from their various specialists, and keep them taking the correct medications even when they have long and complex lists, internal medicine may be the specialty for you.