When Dr. Stacy Moulton of Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg (RAF) finished college, he spent a summer backpacking around Europe with friends. On that journey, he read a novel that changed his life: John Irving’s Cider House Rules.
“The plot centers on Homer Wells, an orphan who grows up in an apple orchard owned by Dr. Wilbur Larch,” Dr. Moulton said. “Larch’s admonition to Homer was consistent: ‘You have to be of use.’ That’s always stuck with me, and it was one of the main drivers of my decision to be a diagnostic radiologist. I wanted to be of use.”
Growing up in Northern Virginia, Dr. Moulton was always interested in the sciences. He majored in biology at Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington), followed by a year of HIV research at the US Food and Drug Administration.
“I thought I would have a career in research,” Dr. Moulton said. “But I found it repetitive and decided that medical school offered a lot more opportunities to make a difference.” He graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, initially focusing on pediatrics but making a well-thought-out switch to radiology. “I was drawn to the advanced technology and the uniqueness of each patient case,” he explained.
While at EVMS, Dr. Moulton met his wife, Andrea, who was studying to be an OB/GYN physician. The two moved to Florida, where Dr. Moulton completed his internship, radiology residency, and fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville while his wife served at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children in Orlando. With schooling finished, they decided to look for work in Virginia to be closer to family.
In 2006, they moved to Fredericksburg when Dr. Moulton was offered a position as a diagnostic radiologist at RAF. “Sometimes you just know when something’s the right fit,” he said. “When I came home from my interview with RAF, I said to Andrea, ‘I think this is the place.’ It was.”
Today, he serves patients at Medical Imaging of Fredericksburg, Medical Imaging at Lee’s Hill, Medical Imaging of North Stafford, Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital.
“What I like best about our practice is that we’re truly integrated into the health care system and into the community. We’re not just reading images. We’re always striving to bring valued services to our patients.”
For example, under Dr. Moulton’s leadership as director of cross-sectional and body imaging, RAF launched a lung screening program for patients who are current or former smokers considered at high risk of developing lung cancer. The test can detect signs of lung cancer at early, more treatable, stages. Most recently, a “calcium scoring” screening test was introduced to measure the amount of calcium plaque in patients’ coronary arteries. See calcium scoring story in this issue.
Dr. Andrea Moulton served as an OB/GYN physician at Rappahannock Women’s Center in Fredericksburg. She eventually left her medical career to be at home with the Moultons’ two children, Owen, now 11 and a devoted soccer player, and Ava, 9, a budding gymnast. “In her second career, my wife discovered her creative side,” Dr. Moulton said. “She started a craft business, ‘Charmtinis.’” Other
Dr. Moulton and his familyoccupants of the home front are four female cats: Mini-moo, Sadie, Felina, and Pussy Willow.
An avid sports fan, Dr. Moulton enjoys all Washington, DC sports teams, exercising, tubing the Rappahannock River and delights in taking his family on hiking and camping trips in Shenandoah National Park. Another treasured destination is the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
“Whatever we’re doing together, we’re happiest when we’re outdoors,” he said. “We want our kids to pack in as many experiences as they can, making memories they can draw from for a lifetime.”
Pictured above is Dr. Moulton and his family