It includes specialized institutes, such as the WVU Cancer Institute , WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute , WVU Heart and Vascular Institute , WVU Eye Institute , and the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute , and employs over 35,000 people. Founded in 1996 to unify academic medicine, clinical care, and community health initiatives, WVU Medicine has grown into a regional powerhouse with 25 hospitals across West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.