WVSOM Magazine: Winter 2024

M A G A Z I N E WINTER 2024

GOING BEYOND

PRIMARY CARE PREPARING STUDENTS FOR ANY SPECIALTY

W e s t Vi r g i n i a S c h o ol of O s t e opat h i c M ed i c i n e

4 GOING BEYOND PRIMARY CARE •

Writers Ken Bays Tiffany Wright

Designer Mary Claire Ickes

12 •

WVSOM to implement new ‘Finding Health’ curriculum

18 • Handheld ultrasound training will

16

• Students immerse themselves in anatomy virtual reality

36 • Vice president and two WVSOM

help aspiring doctors expedite diagnosis, care

alumnae named as ‘West Virginia Wonder Women’

20 • White Coat Ceremony speaker to students: ‘Seize this opportunity’

38 • Faculty member named to ‘Young Guns’ list for 2024

24 • WVSOM honored employees, retirees during Western-themed celebration

40 • Organizational changes will help WVSOM maintain status as a leader in medical education

26 • Wild West Benefit celebrated

longtime WVSOM educator, raised scholarship funds

41 • Don Smith joined WVSOM as director of communications

30 • Researcher's study of monkeys and humans blends anthropology, anatomy

42 • New hires and transitions 44 • Former WVSOM acting dean

32 • Bargers support sustainability

through estate planning, contribute first charitable gift annuity

34 • Chief operations officer received national public health award 35 • Waddell honored as WVRHA Outstanding Rural Health Provider

2 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

passes away at 99

45 • Global organization recognizes D.O., M.D. equivalence for U.S.-trained physicians 46 • Class notes 48 • Gifts to WVSOM

Photographers Druann Dalton Jesse Jones Abigail Sinclair

Contributor Don Smith

Cover Photo featuring Michelle Endicott, D.O.

Mission Statement

“The mission of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is to educate students from diverse backgrounds as lifelong learners in osteopathic medicine and complementary health-related programs; to support and develop graduate medical education training; to advance scientific knowledge through academic, clinical and basic science research; and to promote patient-centered, evidence-based medicine. WVSOM is dedicated to serve, first and foremost, the state of West Virginia and the health care needs of its residents, emphasizing primary care in rural areas.”

A message from the president

I

In this edition of the WVSOM Magazine, we look at some of the special people, opportunities and advancements at the school.

When you mention special people at WVSOM, Bob Foster, D.O., comes to mind. He dedicated 45 years to WVSOM, and his retirement, recognized at our Wild West Benefit in November, will change this campus.

There is only one “Dr. Bob.” He has been an integral part of shaping this school and impacting the lives of countless medical students and members of the Greenbrier County community. The comments shared in pre-recorded video during the benefit documented what this man has meant to our institution and its campus family.

Fortunately, we have many excellent faculty, staff and students. As we move forward, other dedicated leaders are emerging to help fill the void Dr. Foster’s retirement creates.

Among those excelling at WVSOM, Drema Hill, Ph.D., the school’s vice president for community engagement and chief operations officer, received national recognition from the American Public Health Association with the 2023 Excellence in Health Administration Award for her work in health care administration.

Here in West Virginia, Mark Waddell, D.O., was honored by the West Virginia Rural Health Association with the 2023 Outstanding Rural Health Provider award for his leadership in the improvement of health care services to rural areas of West Virginia.

Chris Pankey, Ph.D., a member of WVSOM’s biomedical sciences faculty, was selected as one of West Virginia Executive magazine’s “Young Guns” for 2024, and Leslie Bicksler, MSW, the school’s vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer, was honored as one of West Virginia Living magazine’s “West Virginia Wonder Women" for 2023.

“To summarize a statement from Dr. Foster, there is no greater honor than helping students practice where their passion leads them.”

You can find great leaders on the WVSOM campus.

We are excited about our new “Finding Health” curriculum, which will start in July 2024.

The name comes from a quote from A.T. Still: “To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease.” WVSOM will help physicians determine the underlining causes of illness by focusing on healthy lifestyles and incorporating more nutrition, exercise and prevention education into the curriculum.

For residents of West Virginia and individuals across the country, finding health through lifestyle changes and focused medical care should be a crucial part of improving quality of life. And in all honesty, as health statistics document, it’s been a missing part.

We also know there is a need to deal with disease. This magazine outlines how WVSOM prepares students for careers in any specialty.

Educating students to pursue careers as primary care physicians in rural and underserved areas, especially in the Appalachian region, is at the heart of the school’s mission. But our graduates can also care for underserved populations through practicing in specialties such as surgery, anesthesia, radiology, emergency medicine, cardiology, nephrology and oncology.

You will read in the pages ahead about some of the specialists WVSOM has produced.

WVSOM’s leadership recognizes the changing needs of our population, the advances in technology, the interests of our students and the strengths of our faculty, staff and alumni. With that information, we work to offer the best medical education in the country.

To summarize a statement from Dr. Foster, there is no greater honor than helping students practice where their passion leads them.

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 3

GOING BEYOND PRIMARY CARE

PRIMARY CARE IS INGRAINED IN WVSOM’S MISSION, BUT SCHOOL EXCELS AT PREPARING STUDENTS FOR ANY SPECIALTY

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At its core, WVSOM has always been driven by one purpose — to educate students to pursue careers as primary care physicians in rural and underserved areas, especially in the Appalachian region. That principle is part of the school’s mission. It’s the foundation on which the entirety of the osteopathic medical school’s educational program is built. But students who graduate from WVSOM are prepared for careers in all specialties.

Whether students are interested in problems men and women face with their urinary tract, or they want to understand the intricacies of how the brain responds to trauma, WVSOM provides the medical knowledge and clinical expertise to all students necessary to enter the residency programs they envision for themselves.

WVSOM’s Class of 2023 had a 100 percent residency placement rate. While most of those graduates still sought primary care specialties — 59 percent of them chose family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics or internal medicine-pediatrics — non-primary care specialties such as emergency medicine and surgery also proved attractive to graduates.

Abigail Frank, D.O., WVSOM’s assistant dean for graduate medical education, said that while historically students have been drawn to WVSOM for its emphasis on primary care, the institution excels at preparing students for other specialties.

“Students come to WVSOM because they have a passion for the underserved, and they address underserved populations through various specialties,” she said. “Many of our students are interested in primary care, and we also have students who are interested in surgery, anesthesia, radiology and emergency medicine. Then we have folks who go into internal medicine, which is primary care. Internal medicine also allows our alumni to go into fellowships like cardiology, nephrology or oncology.”

Nationwide, more residency spots are available in primary care specialties than in non-primary care specialties. Frank explained that some internal medicine residency programs may take 30 first-year residents, whereas a urology residency program may only take four. But competitive residency programs shouldn’t deter ambitious medical students looking to fulfill their dreams.

“At WVSOM we do a fantastic job of career advising, which begins in the first year with our coaching program,” Frank said. “If we have an applicant who is interested in a competitive specialty where there aren’t many residency spots, we ensure they’re doing all the things they need to do to be competitive. To get into a competitive specialty, you have to be willing to give up a lot. I’ve had applicants willing to make those sacrifices, and most of that is less time doing what you want and more time studying and conducting research.”

At WVSOM, internal medicine, family medicine and emergency medicine — the latter of which is not considered a primary care specialty — are the three most popular residencies among graduates in the past decade. A total of 214 WVSOM graduates have entered emergency medicine residencies since 2014. Pediatrics and psychiatry follow, with 134 and 80 WVSOM graduates in the past decade, respectively.

“Students come to WVSOM because they have a passion for the underserved, and they address underserved populations through various specialties."

ABIGAIL FRANK, D.O. Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education 4 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

One trade publication reports that psychiatry will be the fastest-growing physician specialty by 2031. The projections are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, collected by Becker’s Hospital Review, a medical industry magazine supplementing government data and rankings.

Other specialties expected to see the greatest employment increases by then are pathology, radiology, surgery, emergency medicine and family medicine.

“We certainly have a mental health care crisis on our hands, so I think the need is great right now,” Frank said. “In our local community, it’s a three-to-six-month wait to see a psychiatrist. We see a lot of primary care physicians treating psychiatric conditions because we can’t wait for them to get in to see a specialist.”

Emily Huffman, a second-year WVSOM student who is president of the school’s Neuro-Psych Club, said she has always been interested in psychiatry. Her club encompasses psychiatry, neurology and addiction medicine.

“Psychiatry and general surgery are popular specialties among my classmates outside of primary care,” she said. “Both of these specialties are similar to primary care in that they are broad, have a variety of fellowships and are needed everywhere, especially in rural areas.”

Huffman said she appreciates that the school prepares students to pursue any specialty.

“Primary care needs more doctors, and medical schools should do their best to replenish those spots. But I have never felt WVSOM was pushing us into primary care,” she said.

In the pages ahead, we’re profiling some WVSOM alumni who have entered specialties outside of primary care.

POPULAR SPECIALTIES OF WVSOM GRADUATES FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS

Dermatology Pediatrics

Family Medicine

Urology

Pathology

OB-GYN

Neurology

Internal Medicine

Emergency Medicine

Psychiatry

Anesthesiology Orthopedic Surgery

General Surgery

WVSOM graduates are not limited to the above specialties. This is just a sampling.

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 5

UROLOGY JAMES P. TIERNEY, D.O., MBA

WVSOM has a reputation for preparing physicians for careers in primary care, but the school also prepares students to be successful in any specialty. This was the case for James P. Tierney, D.O., MBA. He arrived at WVSOM in 1976 with the idea that he might want to be a general surgeon — until an opportunity for a urology residency changed his direction.

Tierney, a 1980 WVSOM graduate, has been a urologist at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) since 1987.

His postgraduate experience included an internship at Pinellas Park Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., followed by two years of general surgery at CAMC and a four-year urology residency at the University of Pittsburgh before returning to CAMC to practice.

The combination of medical and surgical elements of urology, along with its use of technologies, make it one of the most sought-after residencies in the country, Tierney said.

“Medical students find the evaluation and management of the medical and surgical elements of urology attractive. The combination of open surgery, endoscopic procedures and robotic surgery contributes to the specialty’s popularity,” he said.

Tierney and CAMC officials realized the need for urologists in West Virginia, so he and other physicians began the hospital’s residency program in 2006. He is now chairman and director of the program.

Nine WVSOM graduates in the past 20 years have gone through CAMC’s urology residency program and found careers in the specialty, six of whom currently practice in West Virginia. The nine alumni include Cordell Davis, D.O., Samuel Deem, D.O., Brian DeFade, D.O., Ryan Fitzwater, D.O., MBA, Joshua Lohri, D.O., MBA, L. Faith Payne, D.O., Stephen Phillips, D.O., Jason Riley, D.O., and Roger Robertson, D.O. Students need to know that when they finish medical school with a D.O. degree, any specialty is open to them, but when they apply for hard-to-get residencies, they are competing for those positions nationally, Tierney said.

“Most urology residencies match only two to three students a year for the five-year postgraduate program. You must have a competitive application that includes good board scores, research activity, good grades and letters of recommendation,” he said. “In the summer and fall of the student’s senior year, it is essential to secure several two-to-four week rotations at hospitals with residency programs. These rotations are the opportunity to put their best foot forward to network. To demonstrate how competitive the process is, last year, we received 256 applications for two spots.”

“Medical students find the evaluation and management of the medical and surgical elements of urology attractive.

The combination of open surgery, endoscopic procedures and robotic surgery contributes to the specialty’s popularity.”

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HEATHER PHILLIPS, D.O.

On any given day, Heather Phillips, D.O., is responsible for anesthetizing pediatric patients who may range from 600-gram newborns to 500-pound teenagers.

Her tasks also include preoperative evaluations and discussions with anxious parents, and procedures such as placing IVs, intubations, epidurals and regional blocks.

“Giving anesthesia does not only mean ‘putting someone to sleep.’ It means keeping them alive and maintaining hemodynamic stability while keeping them asleep,” she said. “I also manage acute or chronic pain, mainly with pharmacologic measures, once surgery is complete.”

Phillips has worked for 15 years as an attending pediatric anesthesiologist at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tenn. She and her team of certified registered nurse anesthetists provide anesthesia for procedures such as brain tumor excision, appendectomy and tonsillectomy, often in three different operating rooms simultaneously.

Phillips said the team care model used by her hospital is built on trust.

“A lot of anesthesiologists will say that our days are spent putting out fires. This means a day spent assisting with things that have the potential to become critical events. For example, intubating a difficult airway, obtaining IV access in a severely dehydrated and critically ill baby or directing which vasopressors to infuse to improve cardiac output. We collaborate with surgeons, critical care physicians and other specialists to optimize our patients before coming to the OR, and we also manage in and out of OR resuscitations, though that is not a common occurrence,” she said.

After graduating from WVSOM in 2003, Phillips completed an anesthesiology residency in 2007 and a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship in 2008 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Phillips said that being able to get a child who is not expected to survive surgery through the operation is an indescribable feeling and the most rewarding part of her job.

She recounted a recent surgery on a young adolescent whose diagnosis meant a potentially risky procedure. Before the operation, Phillips told the patient she would do everything in her power to bring him back to his family. After the surgery went well and the patient began waking up, his words to her stood out.

“He grabbed my hand and with tears in his eyes said, ‘Thank you so much, doctor. You did it.’ It made me tear up in the moment, and then again when I told his dad what he had said, and his dad asked if he could give me a hug. There is no better reward than a hug from a grateful parent,” Phillips said. “Some days I actually get to save a child’s life, and that’s the coolest thing ever.”

“Giving anesthesia does not only mean ‘putting someone to sleep.’

It means keeping them alive and maintaining hemodynamic stability while keeping them asleep.”

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 7

DERMATOLOGY MICHELLE ENDICOTT, D.O.

Michelle Endicott, D.O., of WVSOM’s Class of 2001, has bad news and good news for aspiring dermatologists.

The native of Point Pleasant, W.Va., who in 2005 founded South Charleston Dermatology, said there are far more medical students interested in the profession than opportunities to enter it.

“You have to be at the top of your class. You have to do really well on your board exams, and these days you have to do research and present dermatology cases,” Endicott said. “Somebody who’s in the middle of their class might make a great dermatologist, but it’s probably going to be difficult for them. It’s unfair, but there just aren’t enough residencies.”

But for those who do enter the specialty, the rewards are plentiful.

“I get to see all age groups. I might see a newborn in one room and a 92-year-old in the next room. That’s great, because it keeps you from getting bored,” she said. “And even though I’m a specialist, I’m in the trenches along with our primary care doctors serving the people of West Virginia. Throughout the week, I’ll get texts from physicians asking, ‘Will you look at this rash?’ or ‘I’ve got this melanoma. Can you work it in?’”

After graduating as one of the top five students in WVSOM’s Class of 2001, Endicott completed an osteopathic rotating internship at Charleston Area Medical Center and a dermatology residency at Case Western Reserve University. She said the specialty requires four years of residency work. In the first year, residents study internal medicine, surgery or complete a rotating internship. For the remaining three years, the focus is purely dermatology.

The profession changes rapidly, requiring dermatologists to keep up with advances in pharmacological treatments. Endicott said that in the approximately two decades she has worked in the specialty, she’s seen dramatic improvements in treatments for conditions that previously were debilitating or fatal.

“We now have medications that can make real differences in people’s lives. We can take someone with psoriasis and allow them to only have to think about their disease, say, once a month when they take their medication. We can dramatically improve a patient’s eczema. And people are living much longer with melanoma. Today even metastatic melanoma is being treated with immunotherapy, drastically changing the patient’s prognosis,” she said.

Endicott said she enjoys working with students on dermatology elective rotations — even the ones with misconceptions about her profession.

“Sometimes when people rotate here, they don’t realize how much medicine we do. They think we tell people what kind of makeup to use, and we don’t actually do that,” she said.

“We now have medications that can make real differences in people’s lives. We can take someone with psoriasis and allow them to only have to think about their disease, say, once a month when they take their medication.”

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TOM TAKUBO, D.O.

If you think pulmonologists always focus on a patient’s lungs, you’d be wrong. Tom Takubo, D.O., of WVSOM’s Class of 1999, said many people don’t realize how intimately the lungs are intertwined with other organs involved in the breathing process.

“As a pulmonary specialist, you do learn the lungs at a much greater level,” Takubo said. “But the body has a lot of redundancy, and you can sometimes lose a third of your lung function before you notice a problem. When patients come to me, I’m often diagnosing heart problems, because the lungs are just one piece of the process. Lungs put oxygen into the blood, the heart has to push that blood, the blood has to carry it, and then it has to be able to jump from the blood to the tissue. If there’s a problem in any of those areas, it’s going to make you short of breath. So figuring out why oxygen isn’t getting there often falls to a pulmonologist.”

Takubo, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist, is a founding physician and partner in Pulmonary Associates of Charleston, W.Va., a lung center that was the first in the state to incorporate electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB), a procedure that changed the way lung cancer is diagnosed. ENB allows physicians to more accurately guide endoscopic tools through the bronchial pathways.

“In the past, if you had a spot on your lung, most of the time they would have to remove a piece of the lung to biopsy it,” Takubo explained. “Half the time it was benign, but lung cancer is so dangerous that you didn’t take a chance. Because there are so many twists and turns as the airways divide, a bronchoscopy only gave you about a 14 percent chance of getting where you wanted to go. When ENB was introduced in 2008, it was a game changer. If someone had a suspicious-looking spot on the lung, you could now triangulate your exact position and get to the spot without cutting the person open.”

Takubo, who is also majority leader for the West Virginia state Senate and recently became executive vice president of provider relations for the West Virginia University Health System, completed an internal medicine residency with WVU and a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at East Tennessee State University.

He said it’s especially important that medical schools produce physicians who become pulmonologists in the Mountain State, where, according to the West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention, 25.2 percent of adults are smokers, compared with 15.5 percent nationally. Takubo said that’s just one of several reasons the demand for the specialty is high in the state.

“West Virginia has the highest incidence of smoking in the nation, and we have the coal industry, which can be damaging to the lungs because of silica dust. We’re also in the ‘Histo belt’ — histoplasma capsulatum is a fungus dropped by birds and bats, and it ends up in the soil. It causes histoplasmosis, which leaves nodules in the lungs that doctors have to do imaging on because they look identical to lung cancer. All these things keep pulmonologists busy,” he said.

“When patients come to me, I’m often diagnosing heart problems, because the lungs are just one piece of the process. ... So figuring out why oxygen isn’t getting there often falls to a pulmonologist.”

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 9

GENERAL SURGERY RAY HARRON JR., D.O.

As chief general surgery resident at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Ray Harron Jr., D.O., has learned that the specialty is not for everyone.

But for physicians who like seeing results quickly — and who don’t mind the potentially long hours — the WVSOM Class of 2019 graduate said general surgery is an ideal career path.

“On most mornings, I’m in the hospital by 5:30 or 5:45.

Rounding is done by 6:30. Cases start at 7:30 and they go until the work is done. I’m usually at the hospital until 5, 6 or sometimes 7 at night, and if I’m on call on the weekend, it’s for a 14-day stint,” Harron said. “It’s challenging, but when you take out an appendix or an inflamed gallbladder, the patient feels better almost immediately. You can see within hours that it worked, and I enjoy that.”

The son of a D.O. neurosurgeon and a D.O. neurologist, Harron received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Virginia’s University of Richmond before attending WVSOM. He initially hoped to become a cardiologist, but the more time he spent with his father in the operating room, the more he was drawn to general surgery.

“I started to hang out with my dad more when we had breaks, and I found that I liked the camaraderie in the OR. I liked that you’ve got multiple team members — anesthesia, surgery, nursing — all working together to fix a problem,” he said.

After completing his medical degree, Harron was selected for a residency at Western Reserve. During his residency, he has performed procedures such as abdominal surgeries, thoracotomies and craniotomies. He explained that general surgery requires a five-year residency, but physicians who want to further specialize can pursue fellowships.

“General surgery is an excellent path if you have multiple surgical interests. What most hospitals are comfortable with a general surgeon treating is abdominal pathology,” Harron said. “But if you find that you have a particular interest as you move through residency, there are fellowship options that allow you to focus on specific types of surgeries.”

Despite the hectic lifestyle that can accompany being a general surgeon, Harron said the rewards outweigh the sacrifices.

“I love being able to fix acute problems. It’s humbling and it’s a privilege. That’s why surgery is better than anything else,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong: I complain as much as anybody about getting up at 5 in the morning for the 20th straight day. But when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t choose anything else. I find something new in my job every day.”

“It’s challenging, but when you take out an appendix or an inflamed gallbladder, the patient feels better almost immediately. You can see within hours that it worked, and I enjoy that.”

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TOP NON-PRIMARY CARE* RESIDENCY PLACEMENTS FOR WVSOM GRADUATES SINCE 2014

214 80 70 64 44 EMERGENCY MEDICINE

PSYCHIATRY

GENERAL SURGERY

ANESTHESIOLOGY

OB-GYN

*PRIMARY CARE SPECIALTIES INCLUDE FAMILY MEDICINE, INTERNAL MEDICINE, PEDIATRICS AND INTERNAL MEDICINE-PEDIATRICS.

“TO

FIND HEALTH SHOULD BE THE OBJECT OF THE DOCTOR. ANYONE CAN FIND DISEASE.” - A.T. STILL FOUNDER OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

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WVSOM TO IMPLEMENT NEW

‘FINDING HEALTH’ CURRICULUM IN SUMMER 2024

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Medical schools are expected to provide students the highest quality of education while fostering a positive educational environment.

In order to meet its mission and vision, and to foster a culture of wellness and resilience for its students, WVSOM is making enhancements to its curriculum. The changes, which will be implemented in July 2024 for students in the Class of 2028, will create a more learner-centered experience, foster independent learning and prepare graduates to become outstanding osteopathic physicians.

When Linda Boyd, D.O., vice president for academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer, joined WVSOM in 2021, she shared her belief that administrators can’t make medical school easier but they can make it kinder and gentler. That was the impetus for the development of a new curriculum.

Boyd said that while the new curriculum will change WVSOM’s approach to medical education, offering a more realistic schedule with more breaks to help promote students’ mental health, the quality of the education will not waver.

The new “Finding Health” curriculum, which incorporates wellness, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and preventive medicine, is named for a quote

by A.T. Still, D.O., the founder of osteopathic medicine, that states: “To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease.”

“We need to produce doctors who are as humane, altruistic and caring as when they walked in the door and not burn them out while they’re in medical school. We want to keep those ideals intact and nurture and grow them rather than extinguish them,” Boyd said.

Under the new curriculum, students will spend their first two years at WVSOM completing eight organ system-based course blocks along with two integrated longitudinal courses — Clinical Skills and Osteopathic Principles and Practice — and two curricular threads. Each course will provide an integrated review of normal human structure and function followed by the clinical presentation and underlying mechanism of disease and available treatments. Health and Wellness, as well as Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) threads will be incorporated into all courses.

According to Predrag Krajacic, M.D., WVSOM’s assistant dean for curricular affairs, 2023 marked 10 years since WVSOM’s last substantial curricular change.

Courses will balance guided independent learning activities with in-class activities, hands-on labs, “putting it all together” sessions, medical simulation and standardized patient and virtual reality encounters where students apply what they have learned.

Administrators and faculty want to place more focus on the physical and mental health of WVSOM students in order to decrease the burnout that can accompany rigorous study.

“We don’t just want to teach wellness so our students carry that to their future patients,” Krajacic said. “We want to practice what we teach. We want students to be well and take care of themselves so they can deliver that care to their patients.”

WVSOM’s Clinical Evaluation Center is where students begin to learn the importance of effective communication, teamwork and clinical decision making through medical simulations utilizing standardized patients,

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 13

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The Health and Wellness thread will help students learn pertinent nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and prevention content to treat existing illnesses and help their patients “find health.”

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JEDI

The JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) thread will teach about health disparities and medical ethics. Students will be involved in experiential learning activities to build the cultural humility that will enable them to care for diverse patient populations in the nation and the world.

GOLDEN WEEKENDS The new curriculum will afford students a one-week break after each course block.

All course exams will take place on Fridays, so that students can have what is referred to as a “golden weekend,” free from studying.

medical simulators and virtual reality.

Additionally, a robust point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum is integrated into all courses.

when no exams are scheduled will be reserved for medical simulation, smallgroup activities, POCUS or other active learning activities.

Health and wellness became an important issue for Boyd when she was a physician treating patients who happened to be burned-out medical students. She said that for years she has watched young, smart and caring medical students become disillusioned by the demands of their education.

WVSOM is the leading producer of physicians for the state, said WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D. It’s important that the institution review and re-evaluate the education it provides, he said.

“We need to provide support, care and mentorship along the way, as well as teach students how to maintain balance, health and wellness throughout their training.

It is also important to build breaks into the schedule to allow students to decompress, rest and reinvigorate themselves periodically so they can keep up with the rigorous training,” she said.

The new curriculum will afford students a one-week break after each course block. All course exams will take place on Fridays, so that students can have what is referred to as a “golden weekend,” free from studying.

The academic schedule is intended to provide sufficient time for WVSOM students to thrive in an active learning environment. Monday through Thursday mornings will be dedicated to didactic sessions, while afternoons will be free for studying or for extracurricular interests. Fridays

“A quality health care delivery system is essential for the continued well-being and prosperity of West Virginia,” he said. “In order to offer that, you have to take care of your students. Medical students are pretty robust; they’re strong and competitive, but they need nurturing and care just like everybody else. WVSOM creates an environment where students can be successful and ultimately serve as physicians in communities throughout the state and throughout Appalachia.”

Boyd has turned her interest in students’ mental health into a reality.

“Medical students need support from their family and friends, and support from their school,” she said. “Of course you need some level of internal resilience as a medical student, which develops with the hard knocks you have had in life — some people call it grit — but we still need to do better.”

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 15

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STUDENTS IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN ANATOMY

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Two years ago, WVSOM began rolling out virtual reality clinical scenarios as additional educational tools for its students.

Now, the institution is offering students another virtual reality component — anatomy.

Medical students are once again using headsets and hand controllers, this time to immerse themselves in anatomical simulations to test the technology.

“Our students, when given the opportunity to self-select, have found virtual reality to be valuable because it’s a different way to visualize material they would often only see on a twodimensional sheet of paper. It’s a different way to experience anatomy,” said Katie Williams, Ph.D., WVSOM’s director of academic technology and support.

The technology was introduced to WVSOM’s first-year students in August, with technology testing taking place throughout the fall semester. It will continue in the spring semester before determining how it will be incorporated into WVSOM’s new Finding Health curriculum, to be implemented in July 2024.

“I think virtual reality is a good study aid. If you are in the course and looking at specific parts of the body, you can really master those areas. It can be helpful because you have the entire body map and you can move things around,” Mohamed-Aly said. “It’s like when you’re dissecting, but you can remove a muscle or visualize the 3D layers of the body more easily without getting into scrubs and going into the lab. It’s low stakes, but it’s also very realistic.”

Williams said the incorporation of an anatomy student assistant has been invaluable.

“Dina has an interesting and unique role that not a lot of students have, and it’s not something I’ve seen in any of the literature about curriculum development,” she said. “She is someone who has pre-existing knowledge of problem areas that she and other members of her cohort have experienced. She’s giving feedback to the program creators as well. Prioritizing student feedback is a powerful component of the technology.”

“Right now we are in the testing phase to figure out if we want to incorporate it into the curriculum — is it something that is mandatory during lab or is it a support tool?” Williams said.

“We need to determine how it is best adopted. What is the best technique for student performance and how will it increase student performance?”

One recommendation Mohamed-Aly has provided is to include prosection images in the headsets. Prosections are cadaver dissections completed by the anatomy department that are used as models for students to learn from and identify features they might not have been able to dissect at their lab station. Incorporating real-life images in simulations would provide up-close viewing without having to wear down a physical cadaver.

The anatomy virtual reality technology is provided by a company called BodyMap and the headsets and controllers are from Meta Quest. WVSOM has 22 headsets for anatomy virtual reality, with four designated as instructor sets. Williams operates the technology for 16 students in 30-minute sessions.

“It feels great to be able to contribute to the improvement of this technology for WVSOM students,” Mohamed-Aly said. “The faculty value my feedback as a student because they want to know what I’m encountering and how helpful it is to me so they know how much to invest in this program.”

Unlike virtual reality clinical scenarios, which are more teambased experiences, the BodyMap technology allows students to independently focus on different areas of the body. For example, a student can enlarge the nerves when exploring the musculoskeletal system or hone in on the right shoulder when studying upper limbs. The technology also allows students to understand how systems interact with each other.

Five additional WVSOM faculty members have been part of the anatomy virtual world: Kristie Bridges, Ph.D., Courtney Eleazer, Ph.D., Rebecca Scopa Kelso, Ph.D., Irene Smail, Ph.D., and Peter Ward, Ph.D.

Dina Mohamed-Aly, of WVSOM’s Class of 2026, has acquainted herself with the anatomy technology. Mohamed-Aly is the only WVSOM work-study student tasked with providing student feedback on how to integrate anatomy virtual reality technology into medical education.

Even though details of how anatomy virtual reality will be included in WVSOM’s new curriculum are still being determined, Williams said this technological tool is here to stay.

“Medical school applicants are more aware of this type of technology being used in curricula now — whether it’s supplemental or embedded in the curriculum and a graded element,” she said. “Students have an expectation of top-of-the-line technologies, and this is one of them.”

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HANDHELD ULTRASOUND TRAINING WILL HELP ASPIRING DOCTORS EXPEDITE DIAGNOSIS, CARE

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Since the 1990s, point-of-care ultrasound technology has become more widely used among physicians at the bedsides of patients. Now, the portable technology, often referred to as POCUS, is also common in medical education — with schools placing an emphasis on teaching future doctors its benefits.

“It’s important for medical school students to learn because it’s increasingly being adopted into credentialing guidelines for different specialties. Emergency medicine has been at the forefront of that realm, but other specialties are using point-of-care ultrasound more and more at the bedside,” said Michelle Clinton, M.D., a WVSOM faculty member who was hired in August 2023 to oversee the school’s POCUS technology and education.

“It doesn’t just augment your senses like a stethoscope or otoscope; it’s an advanced diagnostic tool,” Clinton said. “It’s exciting for WVSOM, with its mission to train primary care physicians for rural and underserved areas, because ultrasound can be such an important tool to pick up pathology early, to do screening exams and to expedite care, especially in settings where resources are limited.”

Emily Thomas, D.O., the school’s medical director of clinical evaluation and simulation, has advocated for ultrasound education since WVSOM first purchased the devices. Thomas said that Linda Boyd, D.O., WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer, has been a proponent of ultrasound education and helped secure additional funding.

“Physicians possessing POCUS skills could help mitigate some of the barriers to health care for patients. Instead of having to travel to have ultrasound performed at a large health care facility in a larger city with potential delay in diagnosis or implementation of treatment, patients could be assessed in their home area by their own treating physician,” Thomas said. “A robust POCUS curriculum is in keeping with WVSOM’s mission to serve the state of West Virginia with an emphasis on primary care in rural areas.”

In fall 2023, ultrasound education was offered as an elective to about 70 WVSOM students.

It will again be available in the spring. All firstyear students interested in the technology will have access to it in fall 2024, as it will be continue to be offered as an elective in WVSOM’s new Finding Health curriculum.

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WVSOM has 25 Butterfly iQ devices — portable ultrasound systems designed for external imaging that connect to cell phones and other electronic devices — with approval to purchase 36 additional devices in the next academic year.

Clinton said the Butterfly iQ devices are more streamlined — one probe can perform imaging on all body areas whereas in the past different probes were needed — and more affordable than “cart-based systems” that are traditionally used by ultrasound technicians.

Handheld probes can cost less than $3,000, while full units cost $50,000 or more.

“Full units were often seen as a barrier because of their size and cost,” Clinton said. “The affordability of portable units has increased the interest in ultrasound among primary care physicians and other subspecialties.”

Jacob Wilson, a Class of 2026 student, said he is thankful for the opportunity to learn about ultrasound technology before his clinical years begin.

“The utility and adaptability of ultrasound, with the new technologies we have — you can almost name a field and there’s a subcategory of ultrasound that can be applied to that field,” he said. “Getting that exposure early at WVSOM will set us up for success in the future, regardless of what type of residency we go into.”

Class of 2026 student Sabrina Wolf said that initially there was much to learn with the new technology, but now she feels better prepared and more comfortable with using it at a health care facility.

“There was a pretty steep learning curve, but that’s one of the reasons I thought this was such a beneficial elective to have. I already feel so much better with it after using it,” she said.

Students who have had POCUS training during their medical education have an advantage when entering the health care profession, Thomas said.

“Students who want to be more competitive know that ultrasound is one way for them to stand apart. Most residency programs require some competency in point-of-care ultrasound,” she said. “Doctors who can provide bedside ultrasound with real-time information can diagnose faster, so this training puts our students ahead.”

HOW POCUS IS USED IN VARIOUS MEDICAL SPECIALTIES (Information is from GE HealthCare Technologies, a medical technology company headquartered in Chicago.)

Anesthesiologists use POCUS for placement of nerve blocks for pain control perioperatively.

Gastroenterologists use POCUS to monitor obstruction within the biliary tract and evaluate for biliary disease.

Nephrologists use POCUS for many reasons, including to assess the placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters or evaluate for cysts in the kidney or hydronephrosis.

Abdominal pain is a common patient complaint. POCUS can help clinicians evaluate for many concerns, including ectopic pregnancy, appendicitis and intraperitoneal infection.

Obstetricians and gynecologists use POCUS for evaluation of fetal position prior to and during labor.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians as well as sports medicine physicians often use POCUS to guide joint injections.

Ultrasound is the primary method of diagnosing deep vein thrombosis.

POCUS has moved that to the bedside.

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WHITE COAT CEREMONY SPEAKER TO STUDENTS:

‘SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY’

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One by one, first-year medical students participating in WVSOM’s Convocation and White Coat Ceremony crossed the stage to receive the coats that represent the beginning of their career in health care service, cheered on by an audience of family, friends, WVSOM employees and alumni.

At the ceremony, which took place Sept. 22 on the school’s Lewisburg campus, keynote speaker L. Faith Payne, D.O., welcomed students in WVSOM’s Class of 2027 into the medical profession in an address that touched on the importance of working hard, following one’s own path and seeking justice.

Payne, a WVSOM Class of 2007 alumna, began on an upbeat note by inviting James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, to briefly dance with her to the song “Lose Yourself,” by Eminem, whose lyrics about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities echoed throughout Payne’s speech. She told students that their four years of medical school will be difficult but rewarding, and urged them to make the most of their time.

“You’re here representing the next generation of osteopathic physicians. Seize this opportunity,” she said. “I want to encourage you to be in the moment. Soak in every experience. Get to work early and stay late when necessary. You’ve made it this far because of your willpower, your work ethic and your drive to achieve. You will need to tap into that energy source and motivation during the next several years.”

Payne grew up in the small town of Poca, W.Va., and attended college at Marshall University before earning a medical degree from WVSOM. She completed a urological surgery residency at Charleston Area Medical Center and has practiced urology in Beckley, W.Va., since 2012. Payne’s professional appointments include membership in the West Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association’s Board of Trustees and Raleigh General Hospital’s Board of Trustees. She also serves on the board of the WVSOM Alumni Association.

She said her rural upbringing didn’t limit her access to medical school, and asked students to remember that the WVSOM community is here to help them achieve their goals.

“Boundaries are defined not by how we start, but by how we push beyond them,” Payne said. “I had a dream, a drive, a determination to succeed. Now, as I stand in front of you as a board-certified

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urological surgeon, I can tell you that I did not know my path would lead me here today. Never forget that you are loved and supported by this incredible institution that is rooted in history, excellence and depth. You can and will do great things.”

Payne also reminded students that osteopathic medicine — a profession that dates to the late 19th century and is underpinned by the philosophy that the patient is a unit of mind, body and spirit — is built on a tradition of excellence and fairness.

“You will have a platform from which growth, innovation, transformation and change will blossom. Maybe you will use your platform as a small-town physician to heal and treat generations of families. Will your platform be one of equality and justice? Will you take care of the less fortunate and poor without judging them?

Whatever your platform, know that it was built by the hard work and the dedication of not only our founding fathers, but all those that have passed through,” Payne said.

In an introduction to the ceremony, Nemitz told students that their white coats represent not only a privilege, but a responsibility.

“The white coat symbolizes the beginning of your four-year journey into the osteopathic medical profession. You’ll need to earn that white coat every day of your career. It comes with awesome responsibilities and obligations to your community and to society as a whole,” Nemitz said.

Linda Boyd, D.O., WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer, who led students in reciting an oath of commitment at the ceremony’s end, reminded students’ families that they play a crucial role in their loved ones’ accomplishments.

“You are an important part in the success of your student,” Boyd said. “Give them space when they can’t spend a lot of time on the phone. They really do have to study a lot in medical school. Help your student by sending them words of encouragement and support.

Most of all, just listen, even if you don’t understand what they’re talking about. It helps more than you can know.”

Other White Coat Ceremony speakers included Randall Belt, D.O., chair of the WVSOM Board of Governors, and Manuel Ballas, D.O., president of the WVSOM Alumni Association.

“Never forget that you are loved and supported by this incredible institution that is rooted in history, excellence and depth.

You can and will do great things.”

L. Faith Payne, D.O.

WVSOM Class of 2007

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WVSOM HONORED EMPLOYEES, RETIREES DURING WESTERN-THEMED CELEBRATION

PRESIDENT’S OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE AWARD

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For WVSOM, the 2023 Employee Celebration wasn’t its first rodeo. The school’s annual event had a Western theme, recognizing new retirees through “wanted” posters showcasing their photos and inviting attendees to dress in frontier-era costume.

During the June 22 celebration, hosted by the school’s Office of Human Resources, WVSOM distributed 18 awards in five categories to employees.

EDDIE MILLER

STEPHANIE TAYLOR

PRESIDENT’S OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARD

MARINA DIIOIA, PH.D.

CHELSEA FEGER, D.O.

RETIREES

Leslie Bicksler, WVSOM’s vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer, praised the faculty and staff of the state’s largest medical school for helping one another and for being of service to its students.

“WVSOM has achieved so much over the years due to the dedication, hard work and commitment to our mission from former and current faculty and staff,” Bicksler told employees and retirees. “As a small institution, we all know the phrase ‘and other duties as assigned,’ and we know the multitude of tasks we undertake because it’s the right thing to do — from picking up a piece of trash on the sidewalk to spending an extra few minutes with a student who is discouraged to helping a coworker with a task.

These are the qualities our employees possess that make WVSOM the type of place you want to work, you want to stay and you want to retire from.”

The event recognized six retirees: Edward Bridges, Ph.D., Bob Foster, D.O., Lisa Hrutkay, D.O., Roy Russ, Ph.D., Larry Ware, MBA, CPA, and Cheryl Woods.

EDWARD BRIDGES, PH.D.

BOB FOSTER, D.O.

LISA HRUTKAY, D.O.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION

REGIONAL ASSISTANT DEAN STATEWIDE CAMPUS NORTHERN REGION

ROY RUSS, PH.D.

LARRY WARE, MBA, CPA

CHERYL WOODS

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR PRECLINICAL EDUCATION

VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND FACILITIES

LIBRARY TECHNICAL ASSISTANT

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The President’s Outstanding Employee Award, given annually to employees identified to the president through a vote by WVSOM faculty and staff as outstanding employees for the current academic year, recognizes exceptional and dedicated service to WVSOM. Ten employees were nominated. They were Kristie Bridges, Ph.D., Marietta Harvey, Carrie Lawrence, Alicia Luckton, Scott Maxwell, Eddie Miller, Heather Pickering, Danny Seams, Leah Stone and Stephanie Taylor. The winners were Eddie Miller, a receiving and inventory assistant in WVSOM’s Office of Business Affairs, and Stephanie Taylor, a chef in the Food Service Operations Department.

Linda Boyd, D.O., WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer, presented the President’s Outstanding Faculty Award to two faculty members, Marina Diioia, Ph.D., and Chelsea Feger, D.O. The award is presented each year to faculty members in recognition of their excellence in teaching and commitment to osteopathic medical education.

The Living Our Mission Award recognizes WVSOM staff who exemplify professional excellence, an understanding of and commitment to WVSOM, and a commitment to achieving the school’s mission. The winners were Richard Aleshire-Ramsey, Tiffany Burns, Ronnie Collins, Christina Frazer, Kathy Hoke, Kerry Lemon, Scott Maxwell, Shelden Mullens, Resa Musser, Danny Seams, Sarah Skelding and Stephanie Taylor.

The Statewide Campus Pride Award recognizes an employee in one of WVSOM’s seven Statewide Campus regions who goes above and beyond in their service to WVSOM and the students they serve. Hilary Hamric, D.O., assistant dean for the South East Region of the Statewide Campus, was the recipient.

LIVING OUR MISSION AWARD

RICHARD ALESHIRE-RAMSEY

TIFFANY BURNS

RONNIE COLLINS

The Rising Star Award honors a newly hired employee who has already demonstrated a strong commitment to the school, an understanding of how their position supports the school’s mission and a commitment to working with others to engage the school’s future. The winner was Sarah Skelding, an administrative assistant in WVSOM’s Marketing and Communications Department who became an executive administrative assistant in the Office of Business Affairs later in 2023.

CHRISTINA FRAZER

KATHY HOKE

KERRY LEMON

The celebration also recognized employees for years of service in five-year increments. In addition to recognizing a number of employees who reached milestones of service, WVSOM recognized four employees who achieved 25 or more years of service as of June 2023. Paul Boothe has worked at WVSOM for 25 years; William Alder for 30 years; and Ernest Piercy for 45 years.

SCOTT MAXWELL

SHELDEN MULLENS

RESA MUSSER

DANNY SEAMS

SARAH SKELDING

STEPHANIE TAYLOR

Diana Bird, an administrative secretary senior in the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs who passed away Nov. 30, also was recognized during the celebration for 40 years of service.

Edward Bridges, Ph.D., a 2023 retiree who most recently served as the school’s vice president for administration and external relations, was honored with professor emeritus distinction during the celebration. The honor of emeritus is granted at retirement in recognition of meritorious service.

STATEWIDE CAMPUS PRIDE AWARD

RISING STAR AWARD

HILARY HAMRIC, D.O.

SARAH SKELDING

Two WVSOM faculty received promotions. They were Shinichi Asano, Ph.D., and Lauren Miller, D.O., both of whom were promoted to associate professor and granted tenure.

WVSOM employs about 300 people, 22 of whom have 20 or more years of service.

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2023

WILD WEST BENEFIT

CELEBRATED LONGTIME WVSOM EDUCATOR, RAISED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

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Bob Foster, D.O., who retired from WVSOM in July after 45 years of service, was a man who wore many hats. At the school’s Wild West Benefit, he wore the one that helped make him an iconic figure far beyond the medical school’s campus: a wide-brimmed cowboy hat.

The benefit, which took place Nov. 4 on WVSOM’s campus in Lewisburg, featured music, dancing, dinner, a photo booth and a silent auction. The event served as this year’s fall fundraiser for student scholarships, raising an estimated $97,000. It was also a tribute to Foster’s influential career.

In a speech he presented at the benefit, Ethan Galloway, a Class of 2026 student who is president of WVSOM’s Student Government Association (SGA), described the veteran medical educator who is known nationwide for his one-of-a-kind sense of style as if he were a mythical figure.

“In my role, I travel the country to attend conferences, and I interact with students from other medical schools,” Galloway said. “They ask where I go to school, and when I say ‘West Virginia’ they always say, ‘Oh, that’s the one with the professor who wears a cowboy hat.’”

But Foster’s reputation goes far deeper than the hat on his head.

His devotion to osteopathic medicine and to transforming students into compassionate physicians has touched thousands of WVSOM graduates. He served in multiple capacities during his nearly half-century with the school, including roles as a faculty member, as associate dean for clinical education and, most recently, as assistant dean for osteopathic medical education.

While at WVSOM, Foster received three President’s Outstanding Faculty Awards, as well as numerous awards on the state and national levels.

On behalf of the current student body, Galloway thanked Foster — an Arizona native who came to West Virginia in 1978 and adopted the state as his home — for his commitment to preparing medical students to attend to the health care needs of rural areas.

“Dr. Foster has dedicated his life to serving those in need and educating the next wave of physicians. He is a legend in the medical education community both near and far. We are honored to have learned from him, and we are even more honored to celebrate his career,” Galloway said.

James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, recognized Foster as the longest-serving faculty member in the school’s history but said his accomplishments go beyond his contributions to WVSOM. “We’re here to honor one of the greats,” Nemitz said. “Dr. Foster spent 38 years as medical examiner for Greenbrier County, and many years serving on West Virginia’s Osteopathic Licensing Board. He also took care of rescue squads, nursing homes and rural clinics. He did it all. His giving is unsurpassed, and his record of service is incredible.”

Foster is also a past president of the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners.

The Wild West Benefit took place in the WVSOM Student Center, which was adorned with barrels, lassos and other frontier-themed decorations. Attendees were encouraged to dress in Western attire, and many wore hats, boots, bolo ties and bandanas. Guests danced to live music by the band Riverside Lights and enjoyed a buffet of Western-style cuisine.

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"DR. FOSTER HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO SERVING THOSE IN NEED AND EDUCATING THE NEXT WAVE OF PHYSICIANS. HE IS A LEGEND IN THE MEDICAL EDUCATION COMMUNITY BOTH NEAR AND FAR.”

ETHAN GALLOWAY,

WVSOM STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, CLASS OF 2026

At the event, Rich Sutphin, executive director of the West Virginia Rural Health Association, presented Foster with the inaugural Bob Foster, D.O., Award for Excellence in Rural Health Professions Education. Foster has served as a member of the statewide organization’s board of directors.

“Dr. Foster has been a part of the West Virginia Rural Health Association, and the association’s predecessors, since he’s been in West Virginia,” Sutphin told attendees. “He has worked not only with medical students, but with paramedics, nurses and professionals across the board.”

Foster said he was grateful that his retirement gave the school a chance to help future osteopathic physicians achieve their goals.

“I was humbled by the kind words, the expressions of gratitude, the love and the recognition of my devotion,” he said. “I feel personally blessed to have been given so many years to serve WVSOM and further its mission, the osteopathic philosophy and the rural health needs of West Virginia. When the Rural Health Association presented me with a new award named in my honor, I was speechless. I thank all who made this evening possible and who contributed to the student scholarship fund.”

Scholarships supported by WVSOM’s annual fall fundraising event help ease the financial burden of medical school. Scholarships are awarded to students who excel in areas including leadership, academic performance, community service and excellence in the practice of osteopathic medicine.

Of the funds raised at the Wild West Benefit, $9,800 came from a silent auction organized by the SGA with assistance from WVSOM’s Office of Multicultural and Student Affairs.

The Wild West Benefit’s gold sponsor was Encova Insurance, and the silver sponsor was the WVSOM Alumni Association. Copper sponsors were CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, CAMC Vandalia Health, Mason & Barry Inc. and Medical Missions and Imaging. Zinc sponsors were Boone Memorial Hospital, River Park Hospital, Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Rubin, the West Virginia Rural Health Association, Whit Yates and Jack Carvalho, and ZMM Architects and Engineers. Lead sponsors were Bailey & Wyant, Mako Medical, Jim and Nancy Nemitz, PracticeLink, the WVSOM Center for Rural and Community Health and WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital.

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GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

COPPER SPONSORS James H. Deering, D.O., and Jodi S. Flanders, D.O. AND MEDICAL MISSIONS and Imaging

ZINC SPONSORS Whit Yates and

Dr. Art and

Jack Carvalho

Missy Rubin

LEAD SPONSORS JIM AND NANCY NEMITZ

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RESEARCHER’S STUDY OF MONKEYS AND HUMANS BLENDS ANTHROPOLOGY, ANATOMY

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What can monkeys teach us about what it means to be human? That’s what Irene Smail, Ph.D., who joined WVSOM in 2022 as an anatomy professor, hopes to find out through her research.

“Knowing how we became this way gives us a better understanding of what humans look like on the inside.”

- IRENE SMAIL, PH.D.

Smail’s work is a continuation of research she began in graduate school. After completing an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Smail earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology from Arizona State University. Before joining WVSOM, she was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, where she taught anatomy to both master’s degree and medical students.

During her time at Arizona State, Smail joined a long-running project whose aim is to answer questions about the disappearance of the pre-human species Australopithecus afarensis and the emergence of early humans leading to Homo sapiens. As a member of the project’s paleoecology team, she began traveling to Ethiopia to search for fossil monkeys. That work has allowed her to conduct her own research into how communities of monkeys have changed over time in response to environmental change.

Smail measures fossil monkey teeth — from the project in Ethiopia and from U.S. museums — to examine how changes in diet may have affected changes in the shape of teeth. She explained

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that a full understanding of the changes will require measuring other bones as well.

“We can use our measurements to figure out what they were eating, and look at differences in teeth to determine if they were eating different things,” Smail said. “But because teeth are not the only thing you use to eat, I’ve started to add other measurements. This past summer I went to the Smithsonian and photographed monkey skulls and jaws. I use the photos to make 3D models in my lab, and then I use the models to take geometric measurements such as how curved the jaw is to try to see if it’s related to diet.”

Because monkeys and humans have lived alongside one another in Africa for about five million years, Smail can compare fossil monkeys with fossil humans over various time periods to identify what makes humans different. She said she’s interested in understanding how humans came to have their physical form.

“As an anthropologist, I’m interested in understanding not only modern culture and society, but how we physically became modern humans, and that’s where anatomy comes in,” she said. “Knowing how we became this way gives us a better understanding of what humans look like on the inside.”

Additionally, Smail plans to study how human behavior is changing the behavior of modern-day monkeys.

“I’ve started looking at Asian monkeys, because we know a lot of deforestation is happening there and habitats are being changed. I want to figure out whether the monkeys are eating different things now because there are different foods available. Some animals are going extinct because humans are hunting them and cutting down trees. But macaques and baboons are increasing in population because they’ve figured out that humans have garbage dumps where they can find human food that’s easier to eat. So we’re seeing changes in them that, in a million years, might make them a different animal,” she said.

Since joining WVSOM, Smail has presented a conference abstract (“Patterns of Dental Macrowear in Living and Fossil Cercopithecid Primates”) at the American Association of Biological Anthropologists and visited the National Museum of Ethiopia — where fossils are taken after they are discovered — to prepare a manuscript on fossil monkeys.

As a WVSOM faculty member, she hopes to involve students by inviting them to assist with data collection and analysis.

“Our students don’t have time to go to Washington, D.C., to visit the Smithsonian. But part of my goal in building the 3D models is to give them a chance to use their anatomy training in form-function research,” she said. “I can tell them, ‘You know what this part looks like on a human. It looks the same on a monkey. These measurements will help us figure out how the anatomy influences what they’re doing.’”

Smail’s “Community Niches and Evolution of Generalist Primates: A Preliminary Assessment of PlioPleistocene Cercopithecidae in Africa” appears in Volume 2023, Issue 2, of the journal PaleoAnthropology. Ultimately, her research is about answering big questions regarding humanity, a pursuit that requires an intermingling of the disciplines of anthropology and anatomy.

“I want to figure out what makes humans unique. We don’t know when that happened. I’m trying to find a time when you see small changes happening in monkeys and a big change happening in humans so that I can point to that time and say, ‘Here’s the point when humans can do something monkeys can’t do,’” she said.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SCOTT

BARGERS SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY

THROUGH ESTATE PLANNING, CONTRIBUTE FIRST CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY

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A WVSOM Class of 1983 alumnus and his wife have included WVSOM in their estate planning to help advance the institution’s sustainability efforts. Additionally, they contributed $150,000 to improve campus sustainability and fund student scholarships.

In providing the appropriate estate planning documents to the WVSOM Foundation, the Bargers became the inaugural member of WVSOM Foundation’s newly established Society 1972, which recognizes donors who make provisions through their estate planning to support WVSOM. The society honors WVSOM’s founding and celebrates its members whose legacy donations will secure the institution’s future.

The Bargers’ donation is the first-ever charitable gift annuity (CGA) provided through the WVSOM Foundation. David Barger said this form of giving benefits the recipient as well as the donor.

“Charitable gift annuities are a win-win,” he said. “WVSOM wins because the donations, while delayed, support the foundation’s mission in providing crucial funding to the school. Donors win because they receive income for life from their CGA.” The family’s $50,000 gift helped the WVSOM Foundation meet the conditions of the Maier Challenge Grant, through which the Maier Foundation provided $300,000 in matching contributions in 2023.

If the WVSOM Foundation can raise an additional $400,000 for student scholarships by Sept. 30, 2024, the challenge grant will provide a matching donation to the Dr. Olen E. Jones Jr. Scholarship Fund, part of the West Virginia Emulation Endowment Trust to benefit WVSOM students. As part of a previous challenge, the Maier Foundation matched $200,000 the Foundation raised in 2021-22.

Charitable gift annuities are made possible by the Enhancing American Retirement Now (EARN) Act, enacted by the U.S. government to encourage retirement planning and including provisions relating to charitable giving via IRAs. Under prior law, donors could make qualified charitable distributions by directing part of their annual required minimum distribution amount directly to a public charity and were not required to report that amount as income. The EARN Act indexes the qualified charitable distribution for inflation and allows for a donation of IRA funds up to $50,000 via a special charitable trust or annuity.

But the Bargers’ CGA represents only a portion of the couple’s generosity toward WVSOM. The couple also provided a $100,000 donation that will be used for multiple sustainability purposes, including the Drs. David and Bonita Barger Campus Preservation

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and Green Initiative Scholarship, awarded to a student who has voiced an interest in the environment and who has research or volunteer experience demonstrating an interest in sustainability or decreasing the global ecological footprint.

Dewayne Duncan, president of the WVSOM Foundation’s Board of Directors, acknowledged the Bargers for the scholarship fund.

“Words cannot express my gratitude to the Bargers for their generous donation,” Duncan said. “The foundation will work diligently to make sure medical students receiving this scholarship share a vision and passion for sustainability and green initiatives.”

James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, said the Bargers’ gift will help ease the financial burden of scholarship recipients.

“Like Drs. David and Bonita Barger, WVSOM is mindful of environmental concerns, and their endowment will be invaluable to our students who have an interest in sustainability. We appreciate their support, and we hope other donors will make use of charitable gift annuities when considering planned giving,” Nemitz said.

The donation has already made an impact on WVSOM’s campus. Through the Barger Campus Preservation and Green Initiative Endowment, it provides partial funding for the school’s sustainability consultant, who has implemented a campus-wide recycling program and will ensure the continued coordination of projects resulting from the fund. Additionally, it has funded sustainability-themed student projects such as solar-powered charging station umbrellas for campus picnic tables.

The Bargers’ gift also funds an investment account and promotional materials encouraging others to donate to sustainability efforts through the WVSOM Foundation. David Barger said their gift allows them to combine their passion for sustainability and love for WVSOM. “We believe in the future of WVSOM and the viability of a greenfriendly and sustainable campus environment,” Barger said. “In order to launch this initiative, leadership, commitment and program implementation are fundamental. Solar-powered charging stations for students, an electric car charging station, dog waste containers, a recycling program and an employee-student education campaign are the first steps to bring this vision to life.”

Those who wish to make gifts, including charitable annuities, to the WVSOM Foundation can do so at wvsomfoundation.org or by calling 304-793-6852.

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 33

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER RECEIVED

NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH AWARD

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A senior administrator at WVSOM received a national award for her work in health care administration.

Drema Hill, Ph.D., WVSOM’s vice president for community engagement and chief operations officer, was recognized at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) annual meeting and expo on Nov. 14 in Atlanta, Ga. She received the APHA Health Administration Section Excellence in Health Administration Award for 2023.

The award recognizes exceptional and sustained achievement in public health administration, as evidenced by contributions in the fields of practice, science, research, teaching or writing. The APHA includes more than 25,000 members, with the Health Administration Section alone comprising more than 2,000 members.

Hill, who received an engraved statue from the APHA, said she is thankful to be honored by the organization.

“To be selected for excellence at a national level by my colleagues in the country’s largest public health association is beyond anything I could have imagined,” she said. “As WVSOM’s chief operations officer, I use my health care administration skills and experience to ensure WVSOM’s economic future is secure. I understand the importance of strategic planning and transparent financial management in higher education, and I believe in partnerships — not only within our state, but national partners, like those I meet through my work with the APHA.” James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, praised Hill for her long history of work to improve the health of rural communities.

“This recognition acknowledges Dr. Hill’s decades of accomplishments that address some of the most important health care challenges of our times, including HIV, COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic,” Nemitz said. “She is an amazing person who is committed to serving others throughout West Virginia and beyond.”

Hill has more than three decades of experience in public health leadership. She joined WVSOM in 2016 and became a vice president of the school in 2019. Hill also serves as a consultant on issues relating to opioid settlement funds for the Office of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

Her past honors include the Excellence in Rural Health Award from the West Virginia Rural Health Association; the Small Communities, Big Solutions Advocate Award from the Alliance for Economic Development of Southern West Virginia, the West Virginia Community Development Hub and Coalfield Development; and West Virginia Executive magazine’s Health Care Hall of Fame award. She received the Neil Diehl Award for Innovation and Excellence in HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment from Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Center in Nashville, Tenn.

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WADDELL HONORED AS WVRHA

OUTSTANDING RURAL HEALTH PROVIDER

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WVSOM’s Mark Waddell, D.O., won the West Virginia Rural Health Association’s (WVRHA) 2023 Outstanding Rural Health Provider award. He received the award during a Nov. 16 luncheon at the 31st annual WVRHA conference at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, W.Va. The association’s provider award recognizes a direct service provider who has exhibited outstanding leadership in the improvement of health care services in rural areas of West Virginia.

WVSOM Class of 2024 student Jessica Brumbaugh nominated Waddell for the award and outlined his efforts in a letter to the WVRHA: “Through his many academic roles he has inspired and taught hundreds of students across West Virginia. He has personally persuaded many medical students to remain in West Virginia to provide medical care and continue his legacy. … In everything he does, Dr. Waddell lives using the model of servant leadership, and his ultimate impact on the health care of West Virginia may never be fully known.”

While the award is presented by a West Virginia-based association, Brumbaugh’s letter noted that Waddell’s influence extends beyond the state.

“It is clear that Dr. Waddell has a passion for providing health care to the underserved in West Virginia, but a unique aspect of his work is his ability to see the bigger picture. Dr. Waddell has taken his leadership and experience in rural West Virginia to be a medical provider and leader in nine countries … in more than 27 international short-term mission trips across five continents,” Brumbaugh said.

Waddell, who joined WVSOM’s clinical sciences faculty in 2020, is the school’s global health coordinator and an associate professor. His work as a physician includes serving for 18 years as medical director for Braxton County Memorial Hospital’s emergency department. He practices at CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Ronceverte, W.Va., where he is assistant director of the family medicine residency program, and at the Robert C. Byrd Clinic in Lewisburg, W.Va. Prior to receiving his D.O. degree from WVSOM in 1990, Waddell received a Bachelor of Science degree from Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, W.Va., in business management and management information systems.

Waddell also has served as a WVSOM preceptor and advanced cardiac life support instructor. Additionally, he assists with the school’s wilderness medicine program. Waddell was named the WVSOM Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni of the Year for 2022.

He joins Carolyn Bridgett Morrison, D.O., in 2020, and Bob Foster, D.O., in 2019, as WVSOM faculty who previously won the WVRHA provider award.

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 35

Vice president and two WVSOM alumnae named as

‘West Virginia Wonder Women’

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Three women affiliated with WVSOM have been recognized for their work throughout the state.

Leslie Bicksler, MSW, WVSOM’s vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer; Hilary Miller, D.O., MPH, a WVSOM graduate and physician at Little Kanawha Family Medicine, a private practice in Glenville, W.Va.; and Sherri Young, D.O., MBA, FAAFP, a WVSOM graduate and cabinet secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health, have each been named to this year’s “West Virginia Wonder Women” by WV Living magazine.

They are three of 50 women featured in the publication’s fall 2023 issue, having been identified by the magazine as “raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries and forcing change for the greater good.”

“I’ve known previous ‘Wonder Women,' and I really look up to them. When you become part of a class of people you respect and admire, it makes you feel fortunate to be in that group with them,” Bicksler said of her recognition.

Bicksler is a Lewisburg native and has a master’s degree in social work, which proved to be the impetus for her transition from her position of executive director of the United Way of the Greenbrier Valley to work in human resources. She began a career in human resources at First National Bank in Ronceverte, W.Va., before joining WVSOM in 2005.

Bicksler said overseeing the personnel at the state’s largest medical school and one of Greenbrier County’s largest employers is gratifying because it allows her to help connect individuals to their ideal job.

“I like getting to know people. I like getting the right people into the right jobs.

Interviewing, hiring and onboarding is my favorite part of working in human resources,” she said.

As part of her role, Bicksler strives to ensure that the school has the faculty and staff to educate West Virginia’s future physicians. She has helped provide the personnel that has made the institution a leader in rural health care throughout West Virginia, as evidenced by the 64 percent of physicians practicing in rural areas of West Virginia who are WVSOM graduates.

“I grew up in this community and was taught that if you’re going to be part of something, then you need to be involved and active in it. If you have skills to contribute, then you should contribute them.”

36 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

LESLIE BICKSLER

One WVSOM graduate and “Wonder Woman” recipient is Miller, who earned her medical degree from WVSOM in 2002.

“I was surprised at being chosen for this statewide recognition,” Miller said. “As women, we work hard every day with no expectation of accolades. I come from a family and community full of wonder women who quietly make the world a better place. I think it is imperative to recognize women throughout the state for the positive impact they are having on our communities. We are living in unprecedented times and with the constant uncertainty in our world, women hold together the fabric of our families, communities, churches, traditions, health care and schools.”

After graduating from medical school, Miller completed a residency at United Hospital Center in Clarksburg, W.Va. In 2004, she moved back to her hometown of Glenville, where she began operating her own practice, Little Kanawha Family Medicine. Miller and her husband, Eddie Anderson, D.O., live in Glenville with their children, Kaitlyn, Kara and Kolton Anderson.

Outside her professional responsibilities, Miller advocates for better educating West Virginia’s students. She is a member of the Board of Education for Gilmer County and works closely with schools. One of her goals is to improve the academic proficiency and career-readiness of students.

“Our children should leave high school fully prepared to enter the job market or enter higher education,” she said. “During the last year, we have made monumental strides toward that goal.”

Young has proven her commitment to positive change in West Virginia through years working in public health. The newly formed West Virginia Department of Health is one of three departments that replaces the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) in January 2024 as mandated by the passage of West Virginia House Bill 2006.

Young said she has enjoyed diving into her new role.

“What I love most about my role as cabinet secretary is ‘opportunity.’ As we restructure DHHR, we have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact on West Virginians. This allows us to focus on programs that deliver essential public health and other resources to the public.”

She said it was an honor to be named among so many other women who have made positive strides in the state.

“I’m grateful to WV Living magazine for highlighting these women and the impact they are making in their communities,” Young said. “These ‘Wonder Women’ should be celebrated for their achievements to inspire others to serve.”

After graduating from WVSOM in 2003, Young completed a family medicine residency at Charleston Area Medical Center. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Young has dedicated a significant part of her career to health policy roles, seeking ways to improve the care patients receive and address the challenges they face in becoming healthier.

She said better health requires an investment in our communities.

“We live, work and play in our communities,” Young said. “To give back is to make an investment in the future for ourselves and generations to come. It truly takes a village.”

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 37

FACULTY MEMBER NAMED TO

‘YOUNG GUNS’ LIST FOR 2024

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Another faculty member at WVSOM has received statewide recognition for his work in driving West Virginia forward.

Christopher Pankey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of physiology in WVSOM’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, is one of 10 Mountain State professionals named to West Virginia Executive magazine’s “Young Guns” list for 2024.

Pankey was recognized by the magazine during a Nov. 14 reception at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston, W.Va. The Young Guns program celebrates individuals 43 years of age or younger who make a difference in West Virginia’s business world and in their communities.

Linda Boyd, D.O., WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer, said Pankey meets the definition of a young professional who is advancing the state through his work in educating future physicians.

“Dr. Pankey is one of our impressive young faculty members who is good at everything,” Boyd said. “He’s an excellent teacher, and students feel comfortable going to him with questions. Dr. Pankey always includes students in his research so that they have opportunities to learn the research process and earn publications or presentations from their work. He also serves on key committees and has been instrumental in the group that developed our new curriculum.”

Pankey, who joined WVSOM in 2019, was instrumental in gaining national recognition for the school through the American College of Sports Medicine and American Medical Association’s Exercise is Medicine program, which works to create a campus culture of wellness through physical activity. Pankey and two students led WVSOM to receive a silver designation from the program in 2022, and WVSOM achieved a gold designation — the program’s highest rank — in 2023.

He received the school’s President’s Outstanding Faculty Award in 2022, and became a certified medical exercise specialist that same year. The certification allows health care professionals to prescribe exercise to patients with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and respiratory disease.

Pankey participates in WVSOM’s annual Day of Service, in which students provide manual labor and services to local organizations in need of volunteer work. He assisted with the school’s 2023 Just Say KNOW to Lifestyle Medicine camp, which brought high school students to the WVSOM campus to learn how factors such as exercise and nutrition affect health.

He is also a researcher with numerous publications and presentations to his credit, including 11 manuscripts since joining WVSOM, as well as more than 30 abstracts with student authors. Much of Pankey’s recent research focuses on the role of nutrition and physical activity and how lifestyle can affect individuals as well as their future offspring.

He said he is inspired by WVSOM’s medical students, some of whom have won research competitions and published manuscripts after assisting with studies conducted in his lab.

“My greatest successes are the moments I share with students,” Pankey said. “I have had the honor of mentoring wonderful students who are incredibly hard workers. Many of them work 10, 12 or more hours a day, almost every day, for the first two years of medical school. Over and over, they make sacrifices. But amidst their struggles, they have unique stories of the motivations that keep them true to their mission and passion. They consistently seek out more work, more opportunities and more ways to be productive.”

38 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

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WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 39

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES WILL HELP WVSOM MAINTAIN STATUS AS A LEADER IN MEDICAL EDUCATION

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WVSOM announced a number of organizational changes coinciding with the start of the 2023-24 academic year. The changes will allow WVSOM to retain its financial and academic strength while replenishing the school’s leadership team following the retirement of several longtime administrators.

With the retirement of Larry Ware, MBA, WVSOM’s vice president for finance and facilities since 2009, David Meadows, MBA, assumed the role of vice president for finance and facilities and chief financial officer starting Aug. 14. Meadows has extensive administrative experience in private and public education and in the banking industry. Most recently, he served as senior vice president for administration and chief financial officer at Carlow University, a 2,200-student private university in Pittsburgh, Pa. James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, said Meadows’ work will focus on maintaining and improving the school’s financial and physical infrastructure.

“WVSOM’s ongoing financial stability continues to be a high priority,” Nemitz said. “We are fortunate to have had great stewards of our finances over the years, and we must continue to focus on our financial health. It is imperative that WVSOM function as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

Drema Hill, Ph.D., WVSOM’s vice president for community engagement, took on an additional role as the school’s chief operations officer. She will develop and implement protocols for cross-functional collaboration and the analysis of business processes that help WVSOM achieve its strategic objectives.

Hill also oversees the school’s Center for Rural and Community Health, Marketing and Communications Department, Audio Visual and Production Department, Information Technology Department, WVSOM’s rural health policy director and the school’s foundation relations and institutional grants officer.

She will continue to work with external partners on statewide initiatives to improve the health of West Virginians.

Hill said she is pleased to accept a position that will help the school achieve its objectives.

“This is an exciting time to work at WVSOM. It’s a time of growth, especially in the areas of research, programs and community engagement,” she said. “My goals as chief operations officer

40 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

are to maximize WVSOM’s performance, drive revenues and maintain profitability while serving the school’s overall mission.”

As WVSOM continues to expand its research enterprise, Linda Boyd, D.O., WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean, replaced retired vice president for administration and external relations Edward Bridges, Ph.D., in overseeing the school’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Boyd, who serves as WVSOM’s chief academic officer, oversees Dovenia Ponnoth, Ph.D., who joined WVSOM in 2020 as an associate professor of pharmacology and became the school’s interim associate dean for research and sponsored programs.

Additionally, Jeffrey Shawver, J.D., WVSOM’s vice president for legal and governmental affairs, added security and external affairs to his areas of oversight and serves as the school’s chief legal officer. Along with his existing role of representing WVSOM in legal matters and providing legal guidance to the Office of the President, the WVSOM Board of Governors and school employees, Shawver develops and implements WVSOM’s government relations, legislative affairs and policy agenda.

Machelle Linsenmeyer, Ed.D., formerly the school’s associate dean for assessment and educational development, was promoted to assistant vice president for institutional effectiveness and academic resources. Linsenmeyer provides leadership for institutional effectiveness, strategic, tactical and operational planning; assessment; accreditation; and student learning outcomes. She also manages resources such as WVSOM’s academic management system and library.

Nemitz said the organizational changes are key to WVSOM’s continued success as a leader in medical education in West Virginia and in the osteopathic medical profession nationwide.

“These changes will help us to refine our organizational efficiencies so that we can continue to offer the highest level of osteopathic medical education to our students and provide our state and nation with the next generation of physicians,” he said.

“I’m proud that WVSOM stands positioned for expansion and continued success in meeting and exceeding the vision of its founders.”

DAVID MEADOWS, MBA

Vice President for Finance and Facilities/ Chief Financial Officer

DREMA HILL, PH.D.

Vice President for Community Engagement/Chief Operations Officer

JEFFREY SHAWVER, J.D.

Vice President for Legal, Governmental and External Affairs/Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

LINDA BOYD, D.O.

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean/Chief Academic Officer

MACHELLE LINSENMEYER, ED.D. Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Resources

DON SMITH JOINED WVSOM AS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

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James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM's president, named Don Smith the school’s director of communications, starting Oct. 2.

Smith said he will work to draw state and national attention to WVSOM and its accomplishments.

Smith has extensive experience working with print, broadcast and online media as well as government, business and industry officials in West Virginia. Nemitz said Smith’s proven leadership skills and deep familiarity with the needs of news media make him the ideal candidate to help increase the school’s visibility.

“As director of communications, I want to add value to the excellent team of people who are making a difference in the quality of life in our state and beyond. My goal is to use my expertise, experience and connections to promote WVSOM, its students and its alumni in West Virginia and across the country,” he said.

Smith served for 10 years as executive director of the West Virginia Press Association (WVPA) following a decade of service on the organization’s board of directors. In his role as executive director, Smith restructured the WVPA, developed its legislative lobbying operation and business network, and worked with 70 newspapers to create the organization’s news network, among other achievements.

DON SMITH

Director of Communications

He will serve as the spokesperson for WVSOM, and as press secretary for WVSOM’s Office of the President. Smith also will develop, implement and coordinate communications and public relations strategies for the school and for Nemitz’s office.

Part of WVSOM’s mission is to educate physicians to serve in rural communities. According to data in the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s 2022 West Virginia Health Sciences and Rural Health Report, WVSOM produced more physicians practicing in rural areas of West Virginia than the state’s other two medical schools combined, for the classes of 2012-2017. Smith said WVSOM’s success in this area is one of the things that drew him to the school.

“Having worked as a journalist across West Virginia, I see an increasing need for health care and health education in our rural communities. With that background, WVSOM’s personal and holistic approach to medicine makes sense to me,” Smith said.

“As a native West Virginian, I love that WVSOM is recognized for producing graduates who practice in rural settings. Knowing our state, that’s important to me.”

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 41

NEW HIRES AND TRANSITIONS KATIE WILLIAMS, PH.D.

ADRIENNE WILLIAMS, PH.D.

Director of Academic Technology and Support

Associate Professor in the Office of Graduate Programs

Katie Williams, Ph.D., joined WVSOM on June 26. Williams will oversee the operations and administration of WVSOM’s academic management system, manage projects related to academic data and technology, and assist with the oversight of faculty, staff and student development offerings. She has a Ph.D. degree in sustainability education from Prescott College, an M.S. degree in education from Purdue University, an M.A. degree in library and information science from the University of South Florida, and a B.A. degree in communications studies from West Virginia University. Williams most recently served as a professional development educator and assistant professor of education at Kentucky’s University of Pikeville.

Adrienne Williams, Ph.D., joined WVSOM on July 15. Williams will serve as course director for a human anatomy and physiology course and will teach in a cell biology and genetics course as well as a microbiology and immunology course in the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree program. She will serve on the committee that oversees and manages the program’s curriculum, and will assist in recruiting and admitting students to the program. Additionally, Williams will mentor and advise graduate students as they seek advanced training in health care professions.

She has a Ph.D. degree in medical sciences from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and investigative science from West Virginia University. Most recently, Williams taught undergraduate students at WVU Institute of Technology.

KAYLA CUADROS, D.O.

VASAVI GORANTLA, PH.D., M.SC.

Assistant Professor of Osteopathic Principles and Practice

Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences

Kayla Cuadros, D.O., joined WVSOM on July 31. Cuadros is a graduate of William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, Miss., and has a Master of Science degree in biomedical sciences from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Ill., and a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology and molecular biology from the University of Central Florida in Orange County, Fla. Additionally, she has completed an osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine residency. Cuadros also has worked as a high school science teacher.

42 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

Vasavi Gorantla, Ph.D., M.Sc., joined WVSOM on Sept. 11. Gorantla received a Ph.D. degree in neuroanatomy and an M.Sc. degree in medical anatomy from Manipal University in India. He also received a certificate in biostatistics, epidemiology and research methodology. Most recently, Gorantla was a faculty member at St. George’s University.

Additionally, he served as a professor at the American University of Antigua College of Medicine and lectured at Kasturba Medical College in India. Gorantla’s research involves a systematic review of the complications associated with inferior vena cava filter retrieval.

AARON PHILLIPS, PH.D.

BRIAN HENDRICKS, PH.D.

Assistant Dean for Multicultural and Student Affairs

CRCH Executive Director, Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences

Aaron Phillips, Ph.D., joined WVSOM on Oct. 16. He will provide strategic vision and oversight for activities and programs in the Office of Multicultural and Student Affairs. Phillips received B.S. and B.A. degrees from Eastern Kentucky University, a Master of College Student Personnel Services degree from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. degree in counseling and personnel services, also from the University of Louisville.

He was director of academic support at DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University, assistant professor at the American University of Antigua, admissions counselor senior and assistant director for academic services/graduate admissions at the University of Louisville and assistant director of enrollment services at Ivy Tech Community College.

Brian Hendricks, Ph.D., joined WVSOM on Nov. 18, overseeing the operation, management and expansion of WVSOM’s Center for Rural and Community Health as its executive director. Hendricks also will serve as an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences.

He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at West Virginia University in spatial epidemiology after receiving a doctorate degree in epidemiology, also from WVU. Hendricks has a Master of Science degree from the University of Tennessee with an emphasis on medical and veterinary entomology, and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Charleston. Most recently, he was an assistant professor in WVU’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a senior policy analyst for the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Office of National Drug Control Policy.

DOVENIA PONNOTH, PH.D.

KRISTIE BRIDGES, PH.D.

Interim Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Programs

Associate Dean for Preclinical Education

Dovenia Ponnoth, Ph.D., assumed the role of interim associate dean for research and sponsored programs on July 1. She will oversee all research and sponsored programs at WVSOM and will supervise research assistants and animal lab staff.

Ponnoth plans to continue her research and maintain some teaching duties in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Kristie Bridges, Ph.D., became WVSOM’s associate dean for preclinical education on Nov. 4. Bridges has worked at WVSOM for 16 years. She has served as chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences since 2018. Bridges also has directed courses, taught in new content areas, introduced teaching modalities, served multiple terms on the curriculum committee and assisted with Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation and Higher Learning Commission accreditation submissions.

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 43

PAUL HERR, D.O., FACOFP

FORMER WVSOM ACTING DEAN PASSES AWAY AT 99

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Paul Herr, D.O., FACOFP, who served as WVSOM’s acting dean of academic affairs in 1986-88, passed away Aug. 28 in East Petersburg, Pa., at the age of 99.

Herr joined WVSOM in 1985, initially with the goal of helping the school develop a geriatrics program. He took on the role of acting dean the following year, and remained in that position until he became chair of the clinical sciences department.

Herr taught family medicine at WVSOM while also working as a medical examiner for Greenbrier County, and in 1998 was chosen as the West Virginia Society of Osteopathic Medicine’s West Virginia Practitioner of the Year, before the organization became known as the West Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association.

James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, recalled visiting medical organizations throughout the state with Herr when Nemitz was the school’s director of physician recruitment and retention.

“Dr. Herr was an experienced clinician compared to the rest of us, so he had a lot more stories to tell about the topics he was teaching. He had a good rapport with students and faculty. He was gentle, down to earth and very patient-centered, as you’d expect a well-loved rural physician would be. He was a great role model for rural osteopathic physicians.”

BOB FOSTER, D.O. FORMER WVSOM FACULTY MEMBER

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“Dr. Herr and I spent time together traveling around West Virginia, where he introduced me to the state’s many hospitals and clinics as I learned about family medicine residencies,” Nemitz said. “He was a warm, friendly, giving person who cared about others, and it was always fun to be around him. He was also an incredible role model of an osteopathic family medicine physician who served rural communities for decades.”

Herr received a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Goshen College in Goshen, Ind., and an osteopathic medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1952. Before relocating to Lewisburg, he served as deputy coroner of Lancaster County, Pa., for nearly 20 years, and practiced family medicine in Quarryville, Pa., for more than 30 years — including making frequent house calls to care for a large Amish population.

While practicing in Pennsylvania, Herr was secretary and treasurer as well as district chair of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association. Additionally, he was a delegate to the American Osteopathic Association.

Bob Foster, D.O., a longtime WVSOM faculty member who taught alongside Herr and helped usher him into his role as a Greenbrier County medical examiner, said members of the WVSOM community appreciated Herr for his kind demeanor and his decades of clinical experience.

“Dr. Herr was an experienced clinician compared to the rest of us, so he had a lot more stories to tell about the topics he was teaching. He had a good rapport with students and faculty,” Foster said. “He was gentle, down to earth and very patient-centered, as you’d expect a well-loved rural physician would be. He was a great role model for rural osteopathic physicians.”

In 2002, upon his retirement, Herr was named Physician of the Year by the American College of Family Physicians, of whose Pennsylvania state chapter he was one of three founding members. He also was awarded the S. Lawrence Koplovitz, D.O., Dedicated and Meritorious Award, the highest award bestowed by the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Family Practice Society, at the organization’s 60th-anniversary celebration in 2019.

GLOBAL ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZES D.O., M.D. EQUIVALENCE FOR U.S.-TRAINED PHYSICIANS

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U.S.-trained physicians with D.O. degrees are now recognized worldwide as being equal to M.D.s, thanks to a decision by the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA).

On Nov. 8, during an IAMRA general assembly in Bali, Indonesia, medical regulatory boards of 47 countries approved a resolution recognizing U.S.-trained D.O.s as fully licensed physicians equivalent to U.S.-trained M.D.s. The resolution eliminates barriers to practice in countries that are IAMRA members.

Linda Boyd, D.O., WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer, said the resolution will create new opportunities for the school’s graduates to practice around the world.

“This recognition is a huge step in the direction of parity for the American D.O. degree,” Boyd said. “There has been confusion about the term ‘osteopath’ around the world, because in some countries the training and practice is more like a physical therapist than a medical doctor. In the U.S., Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine are fully trained medical doctors who also can perform osteopathic manipulation. This decision opens the door for WVSOM graduates to serve in global medical service

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opportunities, or even move to other countries to practice.”

In a news release by the American Osteopathic Association, Ira Monka, D.O., the organization’s president, said the decision will help expand health care access on a global scale.

“We anticipate that D.O.s wishing to care for patients in IAMRA member countries will now have a more streamlined process to secure licensure and practice rights,” Monka said in the release.

“The resolution also paves the way for the rest of the world to develop a greater understanding of the osteopathic medical model and its potential to help solve access to care issues and empower patients to take a leading role in advancing and ensuring their own health.”

IAMRA is a global organization that promotes medical regulation by guiding the medical profession and supporting best practices, innovation, collaboration and knowledge sharing in the interest of public safety.

WVOMA IS YOUR VOICE AT THE LEGISLATURE, REPRESENTING YOUR PROFESSION AND YOUR PRACTICE

TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.wvoma.org • 304.793.6842

CONFERENCE 122 ND ANNUAL CME OCT. 31-NOV. 3,2024 THE GREENBRIER

CONFERENCE 123 RD ANNUAL CME NOV. 7-9,2025 THE GREENBRIER

*Credits are recognized by the AOA Council on CME. The complete program schedule will be posted when it becomes available.

CLASS NOTES 1984 Dan Wilson, D.O., became chief of emergency medicine at Heywood Healthcare in Gardner, Mass., in November. He also oversees six emergency medical services agencies.

Norman Wood, D.O., designed an emergency evacuation system for firemen that can be carried in cargo pockets. His Fireman FireEscape Harness has been certified by Underwriters Laboratories to National Fire Protection Association standards and will be available at a future date.

1985

1998

Tom Gibbs, D.O., joined Phoenix Rising Behavioral Healthcare and Recovery in Alliance, Ohio, where he provides outpatient treatment for substance use disorder. Gibbs also works at Neurobehavioral Clinical Research in Canton, Ohio, conducting clinical trials on drugs to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, he provides primary care in Hartville, Ohio.

Karen Snider, D.O., FAAO, FNAOME, received the American Osteopathic Association’s Distinguished Service Award in July.

1986 Karen B. Mulloy, D.O., MSCH, received the Alice Hamilton Award from the Occupational Health and Safety Section of the American Public Health Association in November. The award recognizes the lifelong contributions of individuals whose careers have improved workers’ lives.

1989 Mark Mitchell, D.O., relocated to Chicago and is chief medical officer of Glutality, a company that performs remote patient monitoring and telemedicine for patients with diabetes. He also continues to practice emergency medicine in Grand Island, Neb., and was named Emergency Physician of the Year by the Nebraska Emergency Nurses Association.

1994 Edmond Pasternak, D.O., retired from practice.

1997 Forest Arnold, D.O., FIDSA, published a book, Created in Christ for COVID-19, about his experience as an infectious disease physician at an academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1999 George Sokos, D.O., FACC, was appointed interim chair of the Department of Cardiology at West Virginia University. Sokos also will continue to serve as medical director of the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute’s Advanced Heart Failure Program and the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance’s Heart Transplant Program.

2001 Catherine “Mindy” Chua, D.O., completed a fellowship with the American Association for Physician Leadership, received a Master of Science degree in population health from Thomas Jefferson University and had a chapter published in The Chief Medical Officer’s Essential Guidebook.

2002 Heather Straight, D.O., joined Memorial Health System on Nov. 1 as medical director of rural health services in West Virginia. Straight will continue to practice in her clinic in St. Marys, W.Va.

2006 Natalie King Selario, D.O., received the Women Inspiring Success Award from West Virginia’s Harrison County Chamber of Commerce in October.

2007 Jason Genin, D.O., is director of the Cleveland Clinic’s tendon center and a team physician for the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.

46 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

2009

2010

Maria Setlak, D.O., FACOI, became associate program director of the internal medicine residency at Ohio’s Trinity Health System in May. Setlak also teaches in the organization’s continuity clinic.

Joshua Zarowitz, D.O., and his wife, Diana, welcomed a daughter, Matilda Rose, on Aug. 11.

2010 Joshua Zarowitz, D.O., a psychiatrist, was promoted to medical director of behavioral health services at University Hospitals of Cleveland Lake Health. Zarowitz is a department leader in the deployment of electronic medical records and leads initiatives to expand mental health services in underserved areas of northeastern Ohio.

2012 Stephanie Lauren (D’Agostino) Rose, D.O., was promoted to assistant director of the emergency department at the Salisbury Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salisbury, N.C. Rose will continue to serve as the emergency department’s medical student supervisor. She is developing an emergency medicine curriculum and workbook for students and residents.

2015 Jordan Gaal, D.O., is chief medical officer and medical director of Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital, an acute care mental health facility in Huntington, W.Va.

2016 Ashley Huggett, D.O., is an assistant professor of infectious diseases at Medical College of Georgia. She is also a co-assistant program director and is program director for external education.

Mark Yost, D.O., was named Primary Care Preceptor of the Year for the South East Region of WVSOM’s Statewide Campus. Yost is a family medicine physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic in Princeton, W.Va.

ENGAGEMENTS/MARRIAGES 2009 Maria Setlak, D.O., FACOI, is engaged to Lee Martineau.

2018 Emily Zagorski, D.O., and Daniel Butler were married April 29 in Perkasie, Pa.

2022 Logan Cheshire, D.O., and Jaden Cheshire were married June 17.

BIRTHS 2009 Maria Setlak, D.O., FACOI, and Lee Martineau welcomed a son, Rowan Joseph Martineau, on April 2.

2016 Ashley Huggett, D.O., welcomed a daughter on Feb. 15, 2022.

Megan Lee, D.O., and her husband, Luke Koczela, welcomed a son, William Lee Koczela, in March.

2022 Logan Cheshire, D.O., and Jaden Cheshire welcomed a son, Myles Cheshire, on Oct. 24.

IN MEMORY OF 1979 Walter David Trenton, D.O., passed away Dec. 12, 2023, in York, Pa. After completing an OB-GYN residency at Doctors Hospital of Stark County in Massillon, Ohio, Trenton built a practice in Somerset, Pa., becoming a champion for women’s reproductive health. He was one of only three WVSOM alumni who also attended Greenbrier Military School.

1983 Ambrous “Butch” Findley Jr., D.O., passed away Oct. 6. Findley served as a U.S. Army physician with the rank of captain and was a family medicine physician in Rabun County, Ga., for 42 years.

1987 William “Bill” Casto, D.O., passed away June 9 in South Charleston, W.Va. Casto was chief of staff at Jackson General Hospital in Ripley, W.Va., and emergency department director at Montgomery General Hospital in Montgomery, W.Va. He also operated a private practice in Ripley.

1993 Glenn Elliott, D.O., passed away Nov. 4 in Wheeling, W.Va. Elliott entered private practice in 1999 and worked at the Noble Correctional Institution in Caldwell, Ohio, until retiring in 2017.

Larry Holifield, D.O., passed away Aug. 11 in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Holifield practiced family medicine in Laurel, Miss., for many years.

2001 Billy Michael Apostolon Jr., D.O., passed away June 23 in Wheeling, W.Va. Apostolon practiced throughout the Ohio Valley and other parts of the U.S., serving as chief medical officer and national medical director for Rose Medical Management since 2018.

2003 Jaclyn Gabriel, D.O., passed away July 22 in Bridgeport, W.Va. Gabriel was a physician at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.Va., for seven years. She also worked for Shinnston Medical Center in Shinnston, W.Va., WVU Medicine Urgent Care in Morgantown, W.Va., St. Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa., Fairmont General Hospital in Fairmont, W.Va., and MedExpress in Fairmont and Bridgeport.

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 47

GIFTS TO WVSOM LIFETIME GIVING LEADERS President’s Council Donors $100,000+

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Obrokta/Olivia Claire Obrokta Foundation

Robert Flowers, D.O.

Drs. Michael and Cheryl Adelman

Patrick Pagur, D.O., and Billie Wright, D.O.

Penny and Gregory Jarrell, D.O.

Drs. David and Bonita Barger

Mr. and Mrs. David Rader

Samuel Muscari Jr., D.O.

Charles Davis, D.O./Davis Eye Center Inc.

Carole Stookey

James Nemitz, Ph.D.

James Harless

Andrew Thymius, D.O., and Tiffany

Deena Obrokta, D.O.

Ray Harron, M.D./Harron Foundation

Thymius, D.O.

John Manchin II, D.O.

Mrs. John Tirpak

Roland Sharp, D.O.

Harold Ward, D.O.

Marlene Wager, D.O.

BUSINESSES

Lydia Weisser, D.O. Gary White

Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation Humana

BUSINESSES

National Osteopathic Foundation

Encova Foundation of West Virginia

West Virginia Emulation Endowment Trust

The Greenbrier Hotel Corp.

West Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association

Hildegard P. Swick Estate Hollowell Foundation Inc. Maier Foundation Inc.

Patron Donors $25,000-$49,999

J. Robert Holmes, DDS

Lorenzo Pence, D.O. Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Rubin/Carmel-Greenfield Charitable Trust Rosa Stone, D.O. Peter Stracci, D.O. Phillip Triplett Jr., D.O. Lori Tucker, D.O. Rafael Villalobos, D.O., and Letetia Villalobos, D.O. Lewis Whaley, D.O. BUSINESSES CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center

Michael Antolini, D.O.

CAMC Health Education and Research Institute

Manuel Ballas, D.O.

City National Bank

Founder’s Club Donors $50,000-$99,999

Catherine Bishop, D.O. Craig Boisvert, D.O., FACOFP

Jeanne G. Hamilton and Lawson W. Hamilton Jr. Family Foundation Inc.

Christopher Beckett, D.O.

Jeffery Braham, D.O.

Highmark Inc.

Sean Brain and Jandy Hanna, Ph.D.

Edward Bridges, Ph.D., and Kristie Bridges, Ph.D.

Highmark West Virginia

Clyde Brooks III, D.O.

Robert C. Byrd Clinic Inc.

Cathy Dailey, D.O.

Smith Kline & French Laboratories

Steven Eshenaur, D.O., and Lori Eshenaur/Haven Ltd.

Truist Corporation

WVSOM Alumni Association

Joseph Cincinnati, D.O. James Deering, D.O., and Jodi Flanders, D.O. Troy Foster, D.O. Abdollatif Ghiathi, D.O. Robert Hunter, D.O., and Rachel Hunter, D.O. William McLaughlin, D.O. Michael Nicholas, D.O. 48 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

Ahmed Faheem, M.D. Allen Finkelstein, D.O.

OVP Health Inc.

West Virginia State Medical Association Alliance

DONATIONS BY LIFETIME GIVING CATEGORY MAY 1, 2022 – OCT. 31, 2023

Dean’s Circle Donors $10,000-$24,999

West Virginia State Medical Association

BUSINESSES

WVU Medicine — West Virginia United Health System

Astorg Auto of Charleston

ZMM Architects and Engineers

Boone Memorial Hospital

Randall Belt, D.O.

Benefactor Donors $5,000-$9,999

Jeanne G. Hamilton and Lawson W. Hamilton Jr. Family Foundation Inc.

Jonathan Beyer, D.O.

Robert Blok Jr., D.O.

David Brown, Ph.D.

Linda Boyd, D.O.

Richard Carey, D.O.

Cynthia Butler, D.O.

Elizabeth Clark, D.O.

John Carvalho

Linda Eakle, D.O.

Craig Chambers, D.O.

Leslie Bicksler

Dan and Marilyn Evans

James Chambers, D.O.

Edward Brennan II, D.O.

Robert Foster, D.O.

Michael Cope, Ph.D.

Marilea Butcher

John Garlitz, D.O.

Charles and Jean Cornell

Brande Carpenter

Donald Gullickson II, D.O.

David Crandall, D.O.

J.P. Casher, D.O.

Marla Haller, D.O., and U.S. Navy Master Chief Paul Haller

David Cummings, D.O.

Gail Dudley, D.O.

Ray Greco II, D.O.

Allison Evans-Wood, D.O.

Ralph Hess III, D.O.

Lawrence Fabrizio, D.O.

Drema Hill, Ph.D.

Monte Finch, D.O.

Lisa Hrutkay, D.O.

Jamette Garrett, D.O.

Buddy Hurt, D.O.

Kathy Goodman, D.O.

Afeworki Kidane, D.O.

Bruce Gorby, D.O.

John Lackey, D.O.

Ray Hayes, D.O.

Gretchen Lovett, Ph.D.

Richard Herndon Jr., D.O.

Kathleen Maley, D.O.

Holly Hill-Reinert, D.O.

Andrea Nazar, D.O.

Brant Hinchman, D.O.

Donald Newell II, D.O.

Johnny Howell, D.O.

Dallas Petrey, D.O.

Mark Hrko, D.O.

Steven and Sharon Rubin

Kristy Huffman, D.O.

Ronald Smith, D.O.

Ryan Runyon, D.O.

Anthony Johnson, D.O.

Russell Stewart, D.O., and Sally Stewart, D.O.

Gary Sajko, D.O.

James Kohari, D.O.

Andy Tanner, D.O., and Dewayne Duncan

Michael Shrock, D.O.

Forrest Lane Jr., D.O.

Daniel Trent, D.O.

Sophia Sibold, D.O.

James Lebolt, D.O.

George Triplett, D.O.

Jan Silverman, D.O.

Josalyn Mann, D.O.

Thomas White II, D.O.

Clinton Sloan, D.O.

Dominick McLain, D.O.

Naomi Wriston, D.O., FAOCOPM

Marc and Ellen Slotnick

Richard Meadows, D.O.

Pat Spangler, D.O.

Satish Menon, D.O.

BUSINESSES

John Talbott, D.O.

William Moore, D.O.

Bailey & Wyant PLLC

Robert Vass

Rebecca Morrow, Ph.D.

Jackson Kelly PLLC

Mark Waddell, D.O.

Kara O’Karma, D.O.

MagMutual Foundation Inc.

Shannon Warren

David Parker, D.O.

MAKO Medical Laboratories

Samuel Yates, Ph.D.

James Paugh II, D.O.

David Allen, D.O. Hal Armistead, D.O., and Amelia Roush, D.O. Helen Baker, Ph.D.

John Hibler, D.O. Robert Holstein, D.O. Susan Ketchem Cynthia Mayer, D.O. Richard McClung, DDS Dodie Montgomery Karen Montgomery-Reagan, D.O. Karen Mulloy, D.O. Stephen Naymick, D.O. Susan Painter, D.O. Pete Palko III, D.O. Bruce Petersen, D.O., and Millie Petersen, D.O.

Bank of Monroe

Monongalia Health System Inc. Rainelle Medical Center

Sponsor Donors $2,500-$4,999

Mason & Barry Inc.

Alinda Perrine

OVP Foundation for Healthier Communities

Rebecca Perry, D.O. WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 49

DONATIONS BY LIFETIME GIVING CATEGORY MAY 1, 2022 – OCT. 31, 2023

Bonita Portier, D.O.

Jason Dees, D.O.

David “Monte” Ward

Mary Pozega, D.O.

Mark Dodd, D.O.

Winter Wilson, D.O.

Jeffory Prylinski, D.O.

Richard Durham, D.O.

Karen Wines

Angelo Ratini, D.O.

Zouheir Fares, D.O.

Roi Reed, D.O.

Darla Gallentine, D.O.

Albert Smith Jr., D.O.

Georgette George

Natalie Stepputat

Patricia Hamilton

Maria Tranto, D.O.

Tim Holbrook

Kathryn Wallington Freeland

Alice Hollingsworth

Kenneth Warner

Tom Hutchison

Jennifer Wildpret, D.O.

Dainty Jackson, D.O.

Friend Donors $500-$999

John Wilson, DVM

Ben and Renda James

Linda Arnold

Gregory Wood, D.O.

Mark Jeffries, D.O.

Derek Ballas, D.O.

Norman Wood Jr., D.O.

Brandon Johnson, J.D.

Marshall Barker, D.O.

Sherri Young, D.O.

Anna Jolliffe, D.O.

Diana Bird

Charles Kirkland, D.O.

Kristina Brown, D.O.

Maple Landvoigt, M.D.

John Buckland, D.O.

Clay Lee, D.O.

Jonathan Cook, D.O.

Judith Maloney, Ph.D.

Diane Cutler and Dan Williams

David Marshall, D.O.

Timothy Decker, D.O.

William Martin, D.O.

Matthew Deitz

William Martin, Ph.D.

James Dietz

Janice Miller, D.O.

Marina Diioia, Ph.D.

Mark Mitchell, D.O.

Roderick Doss, D.O.

Susan Morgan

Robert Eaton, D.O.

John Myer

Kathy Fry

Catherine Noone

Mitchell Fuscardo, D.O.

Connie Perkins, D.O.

Jesamyn Fuscardo Marshall, D.O.

Melinda Ratini, D.O.

Katherine Galluzzi, D.O.

Thomas Richardson, D.O.

Rae Godsey, D.O.

Steve Richman, D.O.

Associate Donors $1,000-$2,499

Karen Hausler

Madonna Ringswald, D.O.

Chris Howard, D.O.

Sharon Rowe

Scott Keller, D.O.

Patrice Bauserman

Eric Schneider, D.O.

Robin King-Thiele, D.O.

Dan Breece, D.O.

Stephen Shy II, D.O.

Cindi Knight

Leslie Buchanan, D.O.

Linda Smith, D.O.

Terry Knowles, D.O.

Joseph Calvert, D.O.

Shannon Sorah, D.O.

Lianna Lawson, D.O.

John Cavell, D.O.

Jonathan Stanley, D.O.

Wendy Lee, D.O.

Sonia Chattha-Sandhu, D.O.

Robert Thiele, D.O.

Brian McDevitt, D.O.

Heidi Clark, D.O.

Cynthia Thomas, D.O.

Aaron McGuffin, M.D.

Shawn Clark, D.O.

Emily Thomas, D.O.

Donette Mizia

James Cooper II, D.O.

Kimberly Tieman

Karthik Mohan, D.O.

Carmen Damiani, D.O.

John Todorczuk, D.O.

John Mooney

Christopher Daniel, D.O.

W. Trenton, D.O.

Bobbi Morgan

BUSINESSES American Beer Co. Greenbrier Valley Board of Realtors HospiceCare Huntington National Bank Marshall Health Mountain Health Network Pallottine Foundation of Huntington PracticeLink Professional Business Products River Park Hospital West Virginia Rural Health Association West Virginia Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital

50 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024

BUSINESSES Frederick Health Hospital Inc. Greenbrier Medical Arts Pharmacy PostNet WVSOM Staff Council

DONATIONS BY LIFETIME GIVING CATEGORY MAY 1, 2022 – OCT. 31, 2023

Cynthia Osborne, D.O.

BUSINESS

Dena Smith, D.O.

Roland Powers Jr., D.O.

United Health Group

Gary Smith, D.O.

Glenn Roberts, D.O. Barbara Sanders Sharon Shelton, D.O. Eric Smith, D.O. Karen Snider, D.O. Robert Snuffer, D.O. Don Swift II, D.O. Christopher White, D.O. David Whitmore, D.O. Lisa Zaleski-Larsen, D.O. BUSINESSES Comquest Osteopathic Specialists LLC Suttle & Stalnaker PLLC

Caduceus Donors $50-$249 Forest Arnold, D.O. Shinichi Asano, Ph.D. Karen Ayers John Benson John Kevin Bradley Craig Brown Turner Bunn III Jennifer Calafato, D.O. Jocelyn Chang, D.O. Pat and Jeff Chesson

Eric Snider, D.O. Karen Sparks Billie Toler, D.O. Adrienne Tucker David Webb, M.D. Katherine Williams, Ph.D. BUSINESSES Dave Courey Media and Imaging Greenbrier College Alumnae Association New York Life Insurance Underwood Estates Property Owners Association

Sally Cooper Sara Crickenberger

Supporter Donors $250-$499

Salvatore DeFilippo, D.O.

Gregg Anders, D.O.

David and Olgusha Forrest

Scott Brown, D.O.

William Fredericks, D.O.

Lisa Costello, M.D.

Paul Grist

Matthew Davis, D.O.

Dawn Hamlin

Joy Elliott, D.O.

Holly Hardesty

James Endicott, M.D.

Richard Harris, D.O.

Jenifer Hadley, D.O.

Karen Hauster

Bradley Harris

Haylee Heinsberg

Herbert Hutchison

Cecilia Hottovy

Andrew Ickes

Rhonda Hughes

Drew Kagan

Crystal Jackson

1982

Gregg Anders, D.O.

Scott Keffer, D.O.

Christopher Kennedy, D.O.

1988

Bruce Gorby, D.O.

Laura Liles, D.O.

Jessica Lewis

Jon and Christine MacQuilken

2004

Heather Haley, D.O.

Victoria Marcus

Kent McBride

2015

Jessica Amos, D.O.

Patricia McClintic

Susan Medalie, D.O.

Jeffrey McCormick, D.O.

2015

Rachel Hunter, D.O.

Christine Moore, D.O.

Miles Medina, D.O.

2017

Christopher Kennedy, D.O.

Marilyn Perry, D.O.

Gregory Molter, D.O.

2022

Anna Gillin, D.O.

Richard Reece, D.O.

Fara Movagharnia, D.O.

Jeffrey Shawver, J.D.

Nicholas Muscari, D.O.

Brentz Thompson, J.D.

Sherry and Craig Myers

Carolyn Thompson, Ed.D.

Steve Obermeyer

Larry Ware, MBA, CPA

Janet Piasecki

Michael Warlick, D.O.

Razelle Reyes, D.O.

Brittanie West, D.O.

Vi Ritschel

Christopher Wood, D.O.

Chad Sisk, D.O.

Beth Divelbiss

WVSOM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEW LIFE MEMBERS June 15 to Nov. 20, 2023

WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024 • 51

West Virginia School of OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

400 Lee Street North Lewisburg, WV 24901

finding health

preparing medical students to find health working in any specialty 800+

medical students enrolled each year — more than any other medical school in the state WV HEPC Health Sciences and Rural Health Report, 2022

@WVSOM.1

$133+ MILLION

economic impact in the state

100%

residency placement rate Class of 2023

Tripp Umbach Economic Impact Study, 2020

/WVSOM

/WVSOM

60

hospitals and clinics for medical student rotation experiences

7

regional campus sites

WVSOM.edu