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
44 • WVSOM Magazine • WINTER 2024
“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.
