CAMC adds veteran orthopedic surgeon to Greenbrier Valley campus

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

Doug Tice grew up in Elizabeth, a tiny town in the smallest county in West Virginia (Wirt County). 

“We didn’t have a stoplight when I was growing up,” he remembers. “But a ton of great people came out of there–attorneys, a heart surgeon, geologists, and business leaders.” 

Not to mention Tice himself, an accomplished orthopedic surgeon whose talents have taken him from the Air Force to medical facilities up and down the east coast including Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, CAMC in Charleston, and Marshall University. Now, he’s coming back home to West Virginia. 

Dr. Tice is joining the orthopedic team at CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. His office will be located inside the main clinic.

“The goal is to keep as much care in the community as you can,” Dr. Tice explains. “Grandma breaks her hip. She gets carted to Charleston. It’s hard for people to see her, hard for her to rehab and do follow-up appointment. There’s a whole cascade of effects. Part of recuperation is it’s’ nice to be in your home community.”

Describing himself as “an old seasoned veteran” who’s been in practice “for the better part of 28 years,” Dr. Tice is particularly excited to be part of the local team which Becky Harless has assembled for CAMC GVMC.

“Kudos to Dr. Vess for being the orthopedics guy for years. I’m excited to partner up,” he says. “Dr. Eric Stapleton is an orthopedic surgeon who has been here for three years. Our skillsets compliment each other. Dr. Stapleton does a lot of sports injuries and shoulders; my forte is reconstruction trauma. We can keep most everything here in town now–hip fractures, long bone fractures, etc that don’t require extended intensive care units.”

Elective orthopedic patients include those who have ache & pain management, sports injuries, ACL reconstruction, knee/hip/shoulder replacements, hand & upper extremity surgery, carpal tunnel, fractures, and trigger fingers. With such a wide variety, Tice says every day is unique in the effort to care for broken bones in adults and children. 

“We are probably the most diverse specialty in medicine because we take care of all age groups and musculoskeletal issues,” he says. “We’re head to toe in the things we take care of.”

Tice received his medical training at West Virginia University, where he also played football…alongside Rich Rodriguez. 

“I am excited about Rich Rod being back,” he says. “We played football together. I was a special invite walk-on in 1982. He finished up in 1984.”

“I’ve always said you need someone hungry,” adds Tice. “He’s got a lot to prove. I have tremendous optimism for him.”

That optimism extends to Tice’s new community. “I’ve spent a ton of time here (the Greenbrier Valley) over the years,” he said. “We used to ride bikes for a multiple sclerosis benefit for many years and have tons of friends in the area. It’s a great place to be, especially for a good ol West Virginia boy like me.” 

Dr. Doug Tice began seeing patients last week at CAMC GVMC. For more information, visit their website or give his office a call at 304-647-4411.