WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center is continuing to bring new services to the region. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The Mid-Ohio Valley is home to the medical providers at the Camden Clark Medical Center

Whether they come from another country, another state, or if they grew up here and want to make a life for themselves here, three caregivers are making lives for themselves in Parkersburg and the surrounding area.

Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Jonathan Afoke, who works at the WVU Heart & Vascular Institute at Camden Clark, came to the area from England; Surgical Podiatrist Dr. Christian Valle, who has worked in other parts of the United States and Nurse Practitioner/Director of Ambulatory Services Tara Staats who grew up in Parkersburg and is continuing to take care of the people in her hometown.

Afoke was born and grew up around London, England in the Croydon area south of London. He attended Imperial College London School of Medicine. During his training, he spent time around Somerset and Bristol, England, doing general surgery. He eventually was able to train with some of the best cardiac and aortic doctors in England where he had learned a variety of techniques that he is able to bring to this area.

He also completed advanced cardiothoracic and fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He eventually made his way to the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute in Morgantown last August, and then to Parkersburg in January of this year. What he brings to the area is a wealth of experience in innovation and expertise gained both in England and at the Mayo Clinic.

“When you work hard and are part of a great team, you really enjoy the experience,” Dr. Afoke said. “I wanted to go to a place where they care about family.

“WVU is going places. It is massive. It is world-leading. We can provide world-class healthcare here locally.”

His first day in Parkersburg was January 2, after arriving here from Morgantown. He has performed over eleven cardiac surgeries locally since coming here.

Afoke’s goals are to diagnose and treat coronary artery and valve disease early, to expand regional access to advanced surgical options, and to build long-term relationships with patients and families. He also has experience performing bypass grafting and aortic valve surgery, according to a press release from WVU Medicine.

Afoke said he knows what can be done locally and isn’t hesitant to confer with colleagues in Morgantown when the situation calls for it. He also understands that there may come a time when he might have to refer someone to Ruby if they need a more complex procedure or a higher level of care.

“My concern is that the patients get the best care possible,” he said. “If there is an issue, I have no problem picking up the phone and conferring with my colleagues and asking for advice, although our team here working with the expert cardiology and cath lab team handle most all cardiac care and rehabilitation issues right here close to home.”

He is looking to grow services here so more and more procedures can be done locally, which ends up benefiting people across West Virginia.

“It just isn’t Parkersburg; it is treating the whole state,” he said.

In his spare time, he likes to play chess and is looking forward to doing some gardening and growing vegetables at a house he recently bought in Parkersburg. He is looking forward to the warmer weather when he can get out and take some walks around the area.

“It is important to have a good home environment,” he said.

Valle was born and raised in Maryland, around the Washington D.C. area. He went to Penn State University for his undergraduate work. He went to podiatry school in Cleveland, Ohio and did his surgical training/residency in New York City and went to Monroe, Louisiana at Louisiana State University (LSU outside New Orleans). He came to Camden Clark two years ago.

“It has been absolutely great,” he said. “Whenever I tell people where I have been and where I have lived. The big question is ‘Why Parkersburg?'”

His wife is from Ohio, around the Delaware area, and they have a six-year-old daughter and they wanted her to be closer to family.

“I really wanted to work for a hospital system and I was really intrigued with what WVU was doing in this area,” he said. “That was my big pull to come and get in this area.”

“I never really wanted to live in a really big city. Big cities are really not my vibe.”

Living in Parkersburg, Valle appreciates the accessibility to the larger cities, like Columbus, Charleston, Pittsburgh and Washington D.C.

“The accessibility is great, but it is always great to come back home to Parkersburg where it is nice and quiet,” he said. “This is home.”

Settling in Parkersburg has given him the chance to learn about the community. He and his wife love the rich history of the area.

They recently went under a contract to buy a house in the Julia Ann Historic District, the Neale-Sams house that has been around since 1870.

“That in and of itself is Parkersburg history,” he said. “It feels nice to implant myself and my family into the history of Parkersburg.”

They have plans to refurbish the house and bring it back to its former glory, and highlight its beautiful gardens. The house is featured on the Julia-Ann walking tours and they want to be a part of that.

“It is about being a part of the community,” Valle said. “We love the history of Parkersburg, every aspect of it.

“Everywhere you go here there is some aspect of history.”

He highlighted the historic districts, the museums and all of the other things available in this area.

“It is truly a beautiful thing to see all those different things in what people would consider a small city,” he said.

His daughter Vada is in kindergarten at North Christian School and he and his wife like being involved there.

Valle treats a number of ailments related to the foot and ankle, things related to muscle, bone tendons, ligament issues, fractures, reconstructions/replacements of the foot and ankle and more as well as Achilles tendon tears, flatfoot reconstruction, bunions, hammertoes, and more.

He is also excited about the professional opportunities here and being able to tell people what is happening at the hospital and making sure it is an integral part of the community. He recently did a procedure where they were able to 3-D print pieces to reconstruct a man’s ankle, who was looking at a possible amputation. The patient has responded well to the implant.

“You have to think outside the box,” he said. “It keeps it fun and interesting.

“You never know what is going to walk through the door.”

He hears a lot of people say that they don’t always like coming to the hospital because it seems like doctors are always coming and going.

“There are a lot of doctors here that have really invested into Parkersburg itself,” Valle said. “This hospital system does a good job at retention.”

Tera Staats, director of Ambulatory Services at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center and Nurse Practitioner, was born and raised in Parkersburg, having graduated from Parkersburg South High School in 2005.

Going into healthcare was something she always wanted to do and she started by taking the Med Skills program at the Wood County Technical Center while a student at South.

“I did that in high school, which was an amazing opportunity to learn about healthcare early on,” Staats said. “We did half a day where we would go to a nursing home and perform CMA (certified medical assistant) skills, as well as doing clinicals at St. Joseph’s Hospital, when I was still in high school.

“I had a great nursing instructor who helped pave the way for me then to go into healthcare.”

Of the group she was in school with, there are now five registered nurses and three nurse practitioners.

Staats said her parents convinced her to stay locally and take nursing courses at West Virginia University at Parkersburg, which she initially opposed, but she is now grateful they did. During her education, she completed clinicals at Minnie Hamilton Hospital and saw what rural healthcare looked like.

“I graduated from a great program that had a high (nursing) board passing rate,” she said. “Within two years of graduating high school, I was working at St. Joseph’s Hospital.”

As a nurse, she continued her education at West Virginia University, earning her bachelor’s degree and ultimately becoming a nurse practitioner. A nurse practitioner can diagnose and treat conditions.

Staats wanted to be able to care for the people of this area.

“This is my town,” she said. “My family is here. I feel a strong tie to this community.

“My husband’s family is also here, so it just makes sense for us to be in the community we were born and raised in.”

She knows many people in the community and understands the different family connections people have.

“No matter who I care for, I either know their family or know their cousin, their sister or uncle,” Staats said. “You always know someone in the community. It ties you to the area and really grounds you.”

In her advisory duties, she can help ensure the hospital’s mission statement continues to align with community needs, as she lives here and understands what is needed.

Her role now consists of administration over all eight of the primary care clinics, medical specialties like ethnology, pulmonology, endocrinology, infectious disease, the occupational med clinic, and urgent and rapid care clinics.

There are five managers who report directly to her.

There were 53,000 patient encounters in 2025 through Urgent and Rapid care, Staats said

“That is more than the ER sees,” she said. “The fact we have that much impact on our community is impressive in that we provide that much care in a year’s time.”

All of their clinics can see 1,500-2,000 visits a day combined.

She and her husband live locally and have a 3-year-old son. He is also going to pre-school programs at North Christian School. They like to spend time outdoors during the warmer months, as they plan to do some gardening this summer. They bought a chicken coop and are looking to raise some chickens, and they are looking forward to their son doing t-ball as well.

“We want to be active,” she said. “When it is warm out, we are not inside.”

Staats said that having family here means she wants them to have the best possible healthcare.

“I am from this community,” she said. “I want my family to have the best care.

“That means the community is also going to get the best care.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com