04/23/2026
After completing his first research study to get into medical school, Gary Vilke, MD, “caught the research bug.”
Now he’s conducted hundreds of studies on a range of topics that have led to more than 270 peer-reviewed publications, 70 book chapters, and 2 textbooks.
Dr. Vilke, professor emeritus of clinical emergency medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, shared his experience with residents, fellows, faculty, staff, and medical students as keynote speaker at our 2026 Research Day.
“Research is fun. It doesn’t have to be costly, and it can open doors,” he said.
Looking back on a career spanning more than 30 years, he described how he successfully combined research with teaching and clinical practice. Motivated by an insatiable curiosity, Dr. Vilke described his research as “sometimes entertaining, sometimes it changed things.”
Carilion Clinic’s Research Day, held annually since 2007, is a forum for our researchers and their collaborators to highlight the work conducted in our hospitals, clinics, basic science laboratories, and in the community. This year’s event attracted more than 200 participants—including 2 students from area high schools—and featured 25 oral presentations and 66 posters covering a breadth of research topics.
Thank you to all of our research partners, including Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Radford University, and others!
Learn more about research at Carilion Clinic: https://bit.ly/3QVAizJ
