History

The Medical College of Virginia Hospitals and Physicians (MCVHP) first made a commitment to pastoral care in 1943, when the Rev. Dr. George D. Ossman was employed as the first chaplain. MCVHP's original vision was to provide not only pastoral care for patients and staff but also to provide pastoral care education. In order to fulfill this vision Dr. Ossman spent several months during the next year studying with Dr. Rollin Fairbanks, a hospital chaplain who taught clinical pastoral education. He returned to MCVHP and for the next fourteen years was both chaplain and clinical pastoral educator.

In 1958 MCVHP made a firm commitment to develop a clinical pastoral education center. The Rev. A.P.L. Prest, Jr., then acting supervisor in the Council for Clinical Training, Inc., was hired to establish a CPE program. In 1959 a site visit was conducted by Charles Gerkin, William Andrews, and Knox Kreutz In 1959 a site visit was conducted by Charles Gerkin, William Andrews, and Knox Kreutzer. In that same year MCVHP was accredited, accepting intern students in the summer and residents in the fall. The Rev. George Polk, who was one of the first African-Americans to become a certified supervisor by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), was a member of that 1959 resident class. The first MCV chaplain resident to receive supervisory training and become certified was Rev. Max Maguire, who later became president of the ACPE.

Since 1959 over 1200 students have completed the requirements of the residency, intern or extern programs at MCVHP. Dr. Prest also established a cooperative program with the School of Theology of Virginia Union University (STVU) in 1958. From 1958 through 1970 the CPE program at MCVHP was cooperatively sponsored by state and ecclesiastical authorities. In 1970 the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) accepted full responsibility for the department and located it in the School of Allied Health Professions. During this time the State Attorney General, Andrew Miller, ruled that the presence of the Program of Patient Counseling at MCVHP did not abridge the Jeffersonian doctrine separating Church and State. Since this ruling MCVHP has supported the service delivery dimension of the Program of Patient Counseling through the Pastoral Care Department while the School of Allied Health Professions has served as the program's educational home.

In 1966 a second supervisor, the Rev. Dean Williams, was employed to assist with teaching responsibilities. Mr. Williams departed in 1970 to take a chaplain supervisory position in the mid-west. Shortly after his departure the Rev. Dr. Roy Woodruff was employed in 1971. Dr. Woodruff's specific goal was to bring the department into compliance with the university's graduate degree requirements. Under Dr. Woodruff's leadership the CPE curriculum was integrated into the university's graduate school curriculum. In 1971 a third faculty member, the Rev. Dr. J. Luther Mauney, Jr., joined the faculty as an instructor for the extern program. A few years later, in 1974, a fourth faculty position was acquired through an allied health grant. This grant was part of a cooperative venture with the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Richmond. The Rev. Dr. Dan McKeever held this position for two years, establishing a CPE site at VAMC. The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Young, Jr. took Dr. McKeever's position in 1976 when Dr. McKeever acquired employment as a counselor at another hospital. Shortly after Dr. Young's arrival Dr. Woodruff departed to take a professorship at a seminary in the mid-west. Eighteen months elapsed before the Rev. Andrew C. Puckett, Jr. was employed to fill Dr. Woodruff's post in 1978. In that same year, when the allied health grant funds ran out, Dr. Young's position was assumed by the School of Allied Health Professions. A year later, in 1979, the Rev. Marlyne Cain joined the faculty in a part-time capacity to aid with teaching and clinical responsibilities. Mr. Puckett left in 1982 to become the Cancer Rehabilitation and Continuing Care Chaplain for the Massey Cancer Center, and Ms. Cain was employed full-time in the following year, 1983.

The educational responsibilities of the Program of Patient Counseling continued to increase. In 1989 the Rev. Teresa Snorton joined the faculty to aid in teaching STVU students and in recruiting minority persons. When Ms. Snorton left in 1990 her position was not immediately filled. Three years later, in 1993, Dr. Prest completed his retirement with 35 years of service to MCVHP and the pastoral care community. Dr. Mauney was appointed interim chair upon Dr. Prest's retirement and in 1993 was chosen as the Chair of the Program of Patient Counseling and the Director of the Pastoral Care Department. Almost immediately a search was begun to fill Ms. Snorton's position. In September of 1993 the Rev. Cecelia Williams was employed to assist with teaching responsibilities, pastoral care, and community and hospital relations regarding issues of diversity and multiculturalism.

In the interim between Ms. Snorton's departure and Ms. Williams' employment, the Rev. Dr. Lucio Mutia served as a visiting professor from Silliman University, Dumagette City, Philippines. During his tenure in the program Dr. Mutia was certified as a chaplain supervisor by the ACPE. Dr. Mutia, who left in 1993, added a fresh perspective and cultural diversity to the educational program. He rejoined the faculty in 1999 on a part-time basis.

In 1991 the Program of Patient Counseling took a step beyond its bounds. The Pastoral Care Department at St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond demonstrated interest in having students in clinical pastoral education. An affiliation agreement was contracted, a student supervisor secured, and the supervision of CPE students began at St. Mary's Hospital. Until 1993 the Program of Patient Counseling and the Pastoral Care Department of St. Mary's Hospital enjoyed a beneficial relationship. In 1995, a satellite arrangement was initiated with Mary Washington Hospital (now Medicorp Health System) in Fredericksburg. This contract continues to the present. Additional clinical affiliations continue to be negotiated with Southside Regional Medical Center added in 2004.

The clinical dimension of the Program of Patient Counseling, the Pastoral Care Department, has long been identified in the hospital through its program residents who are known as chaplain counselors. Currently there are seven chaplain residents. In 1992 an increased commitment to staff chaplaincy began. A bereavement program was initiated at MCVHP and the Rev. Dr. Daniel K. Festa was employed as the first Bereavement Coordinator. The bereavement program is managed through the Pastoral Care Department. Dr. Festa provided leadership and pastoral care delivery to acute care areas, particularly the emergency rooms and the trauma ICU's. In 1993 Dr. Festa and The Rev. Ken Faulkner, Chaplain Counselor for Pediatric Oncology joined the faculty as clinical instructors. In 1997, The Rev. Dr. Ann Charles-Craft was employed as the first full time pediatric chaplain. Chaplain Jim Bonomo, The Rev. Alma Hassell, and The Rev. Stephanie Hamilton have subsequently joined the faculty. The Pastoral Care Department has since added six clinical chaplains who are employees of the health system.

In 1996 the Rev. Dr. Alexander Tartaglia was appointed as the third department chair. From 1998 to 2000 the department completed a comprehensive curriculum review resulting in the long awaited approval of a Master of Science degree in Patient Counseling. In 2002, Rev. Marlyne Cain retired after 20+ years as an ACPE Supervisor. In the same year, Dr. Janet Humphreys was hired as an Assistant Professor and ACPE Supervisor. In 2005, Dr. Young completed nearly 30 years of service to the University. That same year Dr. Mark Cooper was hired as an associate professor and ACPE Supervisor. In anticipation of the department’s new track in The School of Allied Health Professions’ Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences, Dr. Diane Dodd-McCue was hired as an Associate Professor in 2006.

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