WVSOM cuts ribbon on new Statewide Campus center in Charleston

By Matthew Young, RealWV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), on Tuesday, celebrated the opening of the school’s newest Statewide Campus center with a commemorative ribbon-cutting and catered luncheon.

Leased by WVSOM from CAMC/Vandalia Health, the newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility – located on MacCorkle Avenue, directly across the street from CAMC Memorial Hospital – will serve as a space for students learning in the south-central region to study and socialize. The space will also serve as WVSOM’s Charleston-area event hub. 

“This is really such a special day for WVSOM, and for CAMC,” said WVSOM President James Nemitz, Ph.D. “Realize that this is the home of our south-central Statewide Campus, and it’s the base-site for the largest concentration of WVSOM students doing clinical rotations in the state.”

“Realize that WVSOM is the largest med-school in the state as it pertains to number of students,” Nemitz continued. “And we have over 120 students in this region alone – learning medicine with our clinical partners.”

WVSOM’s Statewide Campus is made up of seven regions, where third and fourth-year medical students complete their clinical rotations. 

“We’re the leading producer of physicians for this state, and it’s so great to see our name in lights,” Nemitz added, while describing the logo-signage on the location’s exterior. 

Nemitz then recognized Associate Dean for Pre-Doctoral Education Art Rubin, D.O., for his “vision” regarding the facility, and his tenacity in growing the region. 

“If you can get students to come here and get to know the city,” Nemitz said, “They hopefully get into a residency with one of our hospital partners, and they end up staying.”

“It’s a proven formula,” Nemitz added.

Before delivering his remarks, Rubin introduced WVSOM Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs Linda Boyd, D.O., to the podium. Boyd echoed the sentiments expressed by Nemitz.

“As Dr. Nemitz said, we work with a lot of partners around the state, and CAMC is probably our largest partner,” Boyd said. “We [send students] to several Vandalia Health hospitals.”

“For those of you who might not know, our statewide campus system is quite unique in medical education – especially in osteopathic medical schools,” Boyd continued. “We divide up our state into seven regions, and we divide up our students to go to those regions. […] What’s so unusual about our system is that we have three full-time staff members at all of our campuses. And because our south-central campus here is so large, we actually have six full-time faculty members here.”

“They’re there to be mentors, coaches and advisors for our students during their third year,” Boyd added. 

At the conclusion of Boyd’s remarks, Rubin spoke briefly about the need for recognizing opportunities, saying, “Acting upon them can lead to innovation, resilience, and adaptability – which is something that’s important in today’s environment.”

“I have been privileged to have both observed, and to have learned from some great people who have presented some opportunities to me,” Rubin continued, noting that his grandfather, Joe Rubin, was one such person. 

“He was an immigrant from Eastern Europe, whose mother sent her sons to America with nothing, […] to have a better life in this country,” Rubin said. “He is the one who provided the opportunity and inspiration to his sons, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and to now his great, great-grandchildren to appreciate graduate education.”

The all new WVSOM Statewide Campus center is located at 3211 MacCorkle Avenue SE, in Charleston.