President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., after acknowledging recent accomplishments of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), broke from tradition on Mar. 18 by focusing most of his annual State of the School address on strategic initiatives to move the school forward.
“That is where we need to focus – on the future,” Nemitz said.
The president told an assembly of faculty and staff in the school’s conference center that the administration is finalizing a strategic plan based on four measurable pillars to ensure WVSOM’s continued success.
“We need to be a data-driven institution with defined success metrics,” he said.
Nemitz shared an outline of the plan, noting the pillars: Educating the health workforce for West Virginia and beyond, advancing research and clinical science to improve health and well-being in West Virginia, investing in the school’s people and culture, and driving sustainability and innovation throughout WVSOM.
“We can’t focus on past achievements. We need to continue to move forward. We are in an incredibly competitive market,” Nemitz said, noting the growth in the osteopathic medical profession and the number of new and planned osteopathic medical schools.
The president, who hosted “What’s Next, WVSOM” meetings with every department at the school during the past year, said his goal is to get everyone thinking strategically for the institution’s good.
“It takes everyone working together. Nothing happens without you. You are the reason for WVSOM’s success. I’m grateful for your work, day in and day out,” he said.
Nemitz discussed a biomedical economic development plan for the school’s $35 million expansion of its existing research center and spoke of work to improve community health in the state and the region through research, evidence-based programs and community outreach through WVSOM’s Center for Rural and Community Health.
The president discussed each pillar’s potential goals, challenges and solutions.
Nemitz said enrollment is the biggest challenge. The strategic plan includes recruiting and matriculating students from West Virginia and across the country who have the potential to be exceptional osteopathic physicians, scientists, and other health professionals.
He congratulated the admissions team for filling the current first-year class. WVSOM remains the largest medical school in West Virginia, with about 800 students in four classes.
Other achievements Nemitz mentioned include working on the Higher Learning Commission’s 10-year reaccreditation, implementing the school’s new “Finding Health” curriculum, developing a graduate program and a dual degree program, stabilizing the Robert C. Byrd Clinic, and obtaining $13.5 million in deferred maintenance funding from the West Virginia Legislature.
Nemitz noted that according to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Health Sciences annual report, WVSOM remains a medical education leader in several key areas.
According to information published in the commission’s 2024 West Virginia Health Sciences and Rural Health Report, issued in December, WVSOM produces the highest number of physicians who practice in the Mountain State in all specialties and the largest number who practice in rural areas. The report provides data for all three medical schools in the state.
A total of 159 WVSOM graduates from classes between 2014 and 2019 practice in West Virginia, compared with 155 from the second-highest school and 119 from the third-highest school. Seventy-two physicians who graduated from WVSOM during those years practice in rural areas of the state, compared with 43 combined from the other two schools.
“We are proud of all of the accomplishments of our graduates,” Nemitz said.
After acknowledging the recent successes of the faculty, staff, students, graduates, administration and board, Nemitz pledged to continue his efforts to prepare the school for future challenges.
“We’re doing great right now, and we want to do great five years from now, 10 years from now, long after my tenure here. That’s my goal,” he said.
