Amanda Mossman, left, and Dr. David Mossman, the new medical director for the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center in Wheeling, are welcomed to the organization by Eric Filberto, president and CEO of the center. (Photo Provided)

WHEELING — The Easterseals Rehabilitation Center officially has its new medical director.

Dr. David Mosman, a pediatrician at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital, is succeeding Dr. Ellen Kitts – who retired in July after 40 years in the position.

Dr. Jill Bradshaw provided interim patient care in the weeks following Kitts’ retirement, said Eric Filberto, president and CEO of the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center. Mosman already has been on the job for the past few weeks.

He has entered into a contract with Easterseals to see clients there one to two days a week. He will continue seeing patients at his WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital practice, which aren’t expected to be affected by his new responsibilities at Easterseals.

The new Easterseals medical team includes Mosman’s wife, physician assistant Amanda Mosman, and support staff. Filberto added another practitioner also will be hired for the office.

Filberto reported it was Mosman’s strong reputation as a pediatrician that made him an ideal choice for the position at Easterseals.

“Most importantly, we have the same goals,” he said. “We want to make the community better.”

Mosman said throughout his career, he has seen firsthand “how early, compassionate intervention can change the entire trajectory of a child’s life.”

“Easterseals provides a unique opportunity to serve children with developmental, behavioral and emotional challenges in a supportive, family-centered environment. It is an organization built on hope, inclusion and empowerment — values that are deeply personal to us,” he said.

Kitts – who served as Easterseals’ first and only medical director since 1988 – was a physiatrist who expanded her practice in recent years to see more children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in response to the need.

That focus will not change, according to Filberto.

“When Dr. Kitts started nearly 40 years ago, our focus was on cerebral palsy and helping children in wheelchairs,” Filberto said. “As times changed, our focus turned toward serving those with autism and behavior issues.”

Mosman and staff will provide individualized treatment plans to patients, which may include on-site medical rehabilitation, therapies and medication management for a variety of behavioral and medical disorders – including autism and ADHD. They also are part of the multidisciplinary autism evaluation team and will interpret diagnostic reports.

Easterseals is a nonprofit pediatric outpatient medical and medical rehabilitation center with a mission of creating life-changing solutions for children with developmental delays and disabilities. The center accepts all insurances, but no one is turned away for inability to pay. Easterseals’ mission is made possible through support from the community and charitable foundations, such as the Ann Sonneborn Foundation and Kalkreuth Charities.

“Our mission and goal is what it has always been – quality care based on a family’s ability to pay,” Filberto said. “That’s what it will always be based on the generosity of the community.”

A doctor’s referral is required to receive medical services and outpatient medical rehabilitation services at Easterseals. For information, visit www.wv.easterseals.com.