Dr. Miguel LaPuz, formerly interim director of the Hefner VA Medical Center, took over Monday as director of the VA Medical Center in Salem, Va.
According to reports in the Roanoke Times, LaPuz’ hiring followed a nearly 10-month-long search for the Salem position.
LaPuz, a practicing nephrologist, had been chief of staff at the Hefner VA since 2009 and was interim director for about six months. Dr. Paul Russo was named as director of the Salisbury center in July.
The Hefner VA Medical Center serves about 287,000 veterans, while the Salem center serves about 112,500 veterans.
In Salem, LaPuz replaces John Patrick, who transferred to a VA post in Oregon last June.
According to the Roanoke newspaper report, LaPuz has been active in efforts to address the backlog of claims from veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan with disabilities to get through compensation and pension exams.