Drema Mace, Ph.D., M.S.P., joined WVSOM as the executive director of the Center for Rural and Community Heath (CRCH) on Nov. 7. Mace will be responsible for overseeing the expansion, operation and management of the CRCH. The mission of the CRCH is to improve healthcare, lifestyle and chronic disease management among individuals, families and communities throughout rural West Virginia through research and outreach programs focused on social, environmental and behavioral change. Mace was formerly the director of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, the six-county regional health office in Parkersburg. She has a distinguished career history in public health, working 22 years for the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health. Additionally, Mace worked for the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health; the Tennessee Department of Health; and served as chief executive officer of the Vanderbilt Health Management Foundation and Comprehensive Care Center in Tennessee. Mace received the 2016 Award for Excellence in Rural Health at the 24th annual West Virginia Rural Health Association conference in October. She was recognized for exceptional, meritorious contributions to the improvement of health to the people in rural West Virginia. The award honors creative work of particular effectiveness in applying knowledge or innovative organization to the betterment of community health. “I am excited to become a part of the WVSOM team. I look forward to working with communities around our state to positively impact the health of the people we serve,” Mace said. Mace is a native West Virginian from Boone County. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and sociology from West Virginia State University; a Master of Science degree in public service management from Cumberland University in Tennessee; and a Ph.D. in human services with specialization in health care administration from Capella University with institutional review through Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
