The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) has long had a reputation for providing a high-quality education to medical students. While scientific inquiry has always been a part of that education, the school is expanding its research focus to include externally funded clinical trials.
This summer, WVSOM’s Center for Rural and Community Health (CRCH) received funding for two trials to evaluate how workplace support programs improve recovery and clinical outcomes for people with substance use disorders.
Brian Hendricks, Ph.D., executive director of the CRCH and the principal investigator for both studies, said the institution’s entry into clinical trials reflects a broader interest in conducting applied research.
“Clinical trials are the gold standard of health research,” Hendricks said. “These efforts alert our statewide partners to the fact that WVSOM is capable of more robust and clinically rigorous studies. They also serve as an indicator of well-timed growth given the news of our expanding research enterprise.”
In August, the school hosted its WVSOM Bio event, which celebrated the upcoming major expansion of its Fredric W. Smith Science Building and showcased West Virginia’s Greenbrier Valley as a potential hub for the bioscience industry. Hendricks said while “bench science” – hands-on research conducted in a lab setting – will be a focus of the expanded facility, clinical trials and population-based studies can help facilitate new partnerships that lead to more opportunities for WVSOM and its community.
Both clinical trials evaluate a work-based intervention called Community Restitution Apprenticeship-Focused Training (CRAFT), designed to support individuals in recovery from substance use disorder. CRAFT works by pairing people in recovery with supportive employers who will provide mentorship. Individuals complete volunteer hours to gain skills related to their career aspirations.
Rural communities in the U.S. receive less federal funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Thus far in 2025, only 0.14% of NIH dollars awarded to U.S. states have gone to West Virginia, according to an NIH report.
This is a problem in the case of intervention-based research, Hendricks said, because West Virginia communities are unique, and strategies that improve health in other communities might not apply in this state.
He said the trials not only position WVSOM to join other universities in conducting rigorous clinical research, they also provide opportunities for students.
“We have more students helping with our community-based programs and research this year than ever before. This includes our clinical trials,” Hendricks said. “This is critical, as our students will gain exposure to research designs commonly implemented at major healthcare facilities like the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic or other hospitals tied to academic centers.”
While the long-term implications of the studies remain to be seen, James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, said this kind of research is essential to the school’s future and the well-being of the state’s population.
“These trials mark a new stage for WVSOM – one that includes not just training future physicians, but contributing to research aimed at addressing the health challenges West Virginians face,” Nemitz said.
