All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

WVU Medicine performs state’s first heart transplant

Robert Parsons and Vinay Badhwar, M.D., pose for a photo four hours after Dr. Badhwar transplanted a new heart into Parsons, who was admitted to the hospital in decompensated end-stage heart failure and shock requiring a temporary mechanical assist pump inserted into his left axillary artery preoperatively.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On Saturday, Robert Parsons, a 61-year-old male from Chesapeake, Ohio, got a new lease on life when surgeons at the West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute and the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance performed West Virginia’s first heart transplant.

“Today marks a new chapter for transplantation in West Virginia,” Michael Shullo, Pharm.D., associate vice president of transplant services for WVU Medicine and leader of the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance, said. “This is the culmination of a tremendous team effort to support access to organ transplantation for all West Virginians and patients from our surrounding regions.”

The operation took a total of six hours and concluded at noon. By 4 p.m., Parsons was stable and taken off the ventilator. He was sitting up and visiting with his siblings from Huntington. The transplant team included heart surgeons Vinay Badhwar, M.D.; Muhammad Salman, M.D., and Chris Cook, M.D.; heart failure cardiologists Christopher Bianco, D.O.; George Sokos, D.O., Marco Caccamo, D.O.; anesthesiologists Matthew Ellison, M.D., and John Bozek, M.D.; surgical assistants; transplant coordinators; nurses; pharmacists; social workers; dietitians; and perfusionists.

“On behalf of the tremendous team of your WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, it is an honor and privilege to bring access to this much-needed and precious, life-saving therapy to our patient today,” said Dr. Badhwar, transplant surgeon and executive chair of the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and the WVU Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. “We have opened the doorway to a new future for West Virginians, who no longer have to travel out of state for heart transplantation.”

The WVU Medicine program has several more patients in need currently on a waiting list for heart transplantation.

“This heart transplant was the first ever in West Virginia’s 156-year history, and it marked a pivotal moment for the Institute as it continues to establish itself as one of the premier heart and vascular programs in the United States,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, said. “We are proud of the team of dedicated professionals who made this surgery a success, and we are honored to bring this critical service to the people of West Virginia and all we serve.”

For more information on the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Heart. For more information on transplantation or to refer a potential heart transplant patient, contact the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance at 304-974-3004. To register as an organ donor, visit www.registerme.org/wvumedicine.

Heart Transplant Personnel List

Michael Shullo, Pharm.D., associate vice president, transplant services
Vinay Badhwar, M.D., transplant surgeon and executive chair, WVU Heart and Vascular Institute
Muhammad Salman, M.D., transplant surgeon and surgical director of Advanced Heart Failure
Chris Cook, M.D., procurement cardiac surgeon
Katherine Lestitian, P.A.-C., cardiac surgical assistant
George Sokos, D.O., medical director of Advanced Heart Failure
Marco Caccamo, D.O., transplant cardiologist
Christopher Bianco, D.O., transplant cardiologist
Robert Nagel, lead surgical nurse coordinator
Adam Charlton, lead surgical technician
Tamisa VanMeter, surgical technician
Amy Lieb, surgical nurse
Christina Zacharia, lead perfusionist
Kelsey Redick, perfusionist
Melissa Duarte, perfusionist
Rachelle Zomak, director, transplant operations and compliance
Lynsey Biondi, M.D., physician director, transplant services
Kim Meyer, manager, transplant quality
Chavonne Newman, manager, transplant coordinator
Alexis Albright, transplant coordinator
Jessica Stein, transplant coordinator
Gretchen Kipp, Pharm.D., transplant pharmacist
Carrie O’Neil, transplant social worker
Chelsea Wilson, transplant dietitian
Candace Dafonzo, transplant financial coordinator
Matthew Everett, data specialist
Margaret Buttars, transplant service representative
Elizabeth Tennant, transplant service representative
Krystal Fauvie, administrative assistant

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Local photographers featured in state’s free wildflower calendar

Several Buckhannon-Upshur Camera Club members were honored with inclusion in the state’s annual wildflower calendar, which is now available to order for free.

Upshur County Commission asks state attorney general to probe high gas prices

Upshur County commissioners voted to send a letter to West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey seeking an explanation for why local gas prices are higher than in neighboring counties. Officials hope an official response will clarify whether market forces are to blame.

Trumps Salon angel tree helps high school students in Buckhannon have Christmas

Trumps Salon is seeking to help 22 high school students on its Angel Tree with requested items to make their holidays brighter. Gifts and donations can be dropped off at the salon on Main Street by December 12.

Upshur County businesses eligible for federal disaster loans after fall drought

Small businesses and nonprofits in Upshur County can apply for low-interest federal disaster loans after drought conditions this fall caused economic losses. The loans cover working capital needs even without physical damage.

Mary Lucille Brady

Mary Lucille Brady Tenney of Hall, WV, mother and grandmother, who with former husband Virgil White owned a Buckhannon furniture store and later worked as an executive secretary, died; she will be cremated with a private family service planned.

Carl Blaine Norman

Carl Blaine Norman, 84, a Buckhannon native, Army veteran and former coal miner who enjoyed reading and tinkering on cars, died November 25, 2025, and is survived by children, siblings, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Carpenter Crunch Time Week 14: The annual “Things I’m not thankful for” column

Local sports columnist Duane Carpenter lists his top three 2025 sports grievances—Rich Rodriguez at WVU, Darian and Tucker DeVries’ departures, and clickbait sports algorithms—then recaps weekly picks and high school football matchups.

Wesleyan announces Mike Kellar as new head football coach

West Virginia Wesleyan College hired veteran coach Mike Kellar, a former MEC quarterback and coach with an 87-63 record, to rebuild a program mired in a 34-game losing streak.

WVU expert offers tips for navigating Thanksgiving family tensions

Forget the turkey and stuffing. The real Thanksgiving tradition is family conflict: A West Virginia University professor says holiday gatherings can resurrect childhood roles and dormant tensions. She offers strategies to keep the focus on gratitude rather than conflict.