Boland’s legacy continues to grow at WVU School of Medicine Charleston Campus

^{Longtime Department of Surgery chairman Dr. James Boland (pictured with colleagues and during his U.S. Navy service) continues to influence the WVU School of Medicine Charleston Campus more than 13 years after his death.}

As a surgery resident at the West Virginia UniversitySchool of MedicineCharleston Campus in the 1990s, Dr. Bryan Richmond was working on Christmas Day when he needed to consult with an experienced surgeon. He called the home of Dr. James Boland, longtime chairman of the Department of Surgery, and discovered Boland was reading medical journals in his office rather than celebrating at home.

Richmond wasn't surprised.

"He always led by example," said Richmond, now chair of the Department of Surgery at the Charleston Campus. "He never put himself first. When you see that consistently over decades, it just leaves a lasting impression not only as to who he is but also what you ought to aspire to be."

More than 13 years after his passing, Boland's legacy still looms large at the Charleston Campus. He took the helm of the fledgling surgical residency program in 1976 and fostered a collegial learning environment that has helped the Department of Surgery grow exponentially to produce skilled surgeons and meet regional healthcare needs.

"He influenced the practice of medicine and surgery in this community more than anyone else ever did," Dr. Roberto Kusminky, Boland's friend and longtime colleague, said in a message shared with Boland's family. "He changed the panorama of medical practice, he changed the culture of surgical practice and developed values that are timeless, and so they will endure. He built a house in which everyone wants to live."

Generations of alumni cite Boland as an instrumental influence in their careers, and they continue to celebrate his memory through charitable gifts to support a lectureship and professorship established in his name.

Making an impact

When Boland arrived in Charleston in 1976, he was a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon who had performed over 1,000 operations. A native of Philadelphia, Boland earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Joseph's University and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, now the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his general surgery residency at Philadelphia's Graduate Hospital and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where he treated Texas Gov. John Connally for the injuries he suffered in the shooting that killed U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

Boland traveled throughout Africa and southeast Asia with Project HOPE before joining the Charleston Campus. His wife of 48 years, Kathy Boland, said he was attracted by the idea of building a new program. Richmond said Boland stayed for the next 35 years because he was able to make an impact - by contributing to academia, training high-quality surgeons and serving the community - with support from WVU and Charleston Area Medical Center.

When Boland arrived, he was the only full-time faculty member at the Charleston Campus. He hired Kusminsky and relied initially on local physicians to serve as adjunct instructors, reducing their numbers as the program grew. Today, the department employs about 40 full-time faculty members.

Kathy Boland said her husband was never a morning person, but he was always the first one in the office each day - and even came in on Christmas - because he was deeply dedicated to his work. He remained chairman of the Department of Surgery and clinical director of CAMC Cardiovascular and Surgical Services until his passing due to metastatic urothelial cancer in 2011.

"I can't tell you the joy he found in his life and his work," Kathy Boland said. "He was a man who found his place in the sun and loved everything he did, and he did a lot of good."

Building upon his legacy

Alumni and colleagues describe Boland as a lifelong scholar with exceptional intellect. He loved learning - about anything and everything - and had a unique gift for explaining complex science in easy-to-understand terms. Kathy Boland said he loved when their daughter, Genevieve - one of six children - would call him during her surgical training at Harvard University to discuss her latest operation.

Genevieve Boland highlighted their shared love for medicine in an essay for The Pharos, a scholarly journal published by medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha.

"What I respect the most about my father was that he did not fight change, but instead embraced the evolution of medicine and surgery," Genevieve Boland wrote. "He greeted each new discovery with excitement, and he loved to see me growing up in a new system, different from what he had known."

Richmond said James Boland had the foresight to identify emerging innovations that would make a significant impact. Boland himself pioneered several medical procedures and inventions during his career, but he was never interested in acclaim or recognition.

He was also a great listener who brought out the best in the people around him. In a message to Boland's family, one former resident recalled how Boland began his residency interview by waiting for the young physician to steer the conversation, rather than immediately asking questions.

Boland was always eager to stimulate discussion and promote learning, whether it was on the yellow couch in his office or under the Hippocrates tree he donated to the Charleston Campus in 2005. Medical students continue to study and learn under the tree, a direct descendant of the one Hippocrates - known as the father of medicine - planted on the Greek Island of Kos about 2,400 years ago.

The tree and a complementary memorial bench, dedicated by the class of 2012, reflect ongoing efforts to build upon Boland's legacy.

The Department of Surgery established a lectureship in Boland's honor in 2008. Now known as the James P. Boland Memorial Lecture, the series brings a national speaker to the Charleston Campus each year to share their expertise in medicine and surgery.

A professorship was also created to honor Boland's memory. To date, alumni, colleagues, family and friends have contributed over $1 million to support the James P. Boland, M.D., Department of Surgery Professorship.

"If we didn't have an endowed professorship in Dr. Boland's name, we would have a serious, serious deficiency in terms of our departmental priorities," Richmond said. "He's definitely the driving force behind the build of this department, and I think the culture that he built here - in terms of how we treat our colleagues and how our faculty are collegial and helpful and stable - there are a lot of departments across the country that could learn a lot from that. That's a culture that we've preserved, but it was forged through Dr. Boland."

Richmond said Boland may not want his name on the position given his humility, but he would appreciate the valuable support it provides for teaching, research and service within the Department.

To make a gift in Boland's memory, visit give.wvu.eduand select the James P. Boland, M.D., Department of Surgery Professorship (3V850) as the designation for your contribution. All gifts are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.

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