After graduating from Eastern Virginia Medical School and the East Tennessee State University family medicine residency program, Dr. Rick Bikowski served in the National Health Service Corps from 1982-1984 in Honaker, Virginia, practicing family medicine and directing the emergency room services at the local hospital, and serving as a clinical instructor in the Bristol Family Practice residency program. He was then recruited to the faculty of EVMS Family and Community Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1984, where he has served as a member of the full time faculty since that time.  Dr. Bikowski is board certified in family medicine and holds a sub board certification in geriatrics.

Richard Bikowski, MD often refers to himself as “a typical country doctor”….part-healer, part-teacher and part-preacher.  While continuing to serve patients as a family practitioner and teach as a professor in a large academic family medicine program, Dr. Bikowski accepted the role of EVMS Medical Group Chief Quality Officer in 2005 as the group implemented an electronic health record (EHR). His “country doctor” skills would become extraordinary useful in developing a Quality Program for over 500 physicians, managers, clinical and clerical staff in over 20 different specialties while initiating Quality Improvement (QI) methods and an EHR in a large academic practice.

In addition to his role as Chief Quality Officer for EVMS Medical Group, Sentara Healthcare soon recognized Dr. Bikowski’s quality program expertise coupled with his superior teaching abilities and recruited him to serve as the first Medical Director of the Sentara Quality Care Network; an integrated network of 2,400 physicians throughout Hampton Roads.  He was also appointed as Vice Chair of Innovation for EVMS Family and Community Medicine.

Dr. Bikowski continues to teach and is a past recipient of the EVMS Dean’s Faculty Achievement Award for Achievement in Clinical Service for “significant contributions in improving the quality or availability of clinical care”.   As much as he loves his role in ensuring quality healthcare and teaching tomorrow’s physicians, serving as primary care physician to his patients remains where his heart is.