Twenty-three years after receiving the medical degree that set him on the path to a career as a family physician, Ryan Newell, D.O., welcomed the 215 members of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine’s (WVSOM) Class of 2026 in an address in which he advised new students to “understand your role as healers.”
Newell was the keynote speaker at WVSOM’s Convocation and White Coat Ceremony, an observance that marks first-year students’ entry into the medical profession and the beginning of their career in health care service. As the grandson of one of WVSOM’s four founders, Donald Newell Sr., D.O., Newell’s speech made frequent references to the history of the school, which this year is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding.
The WVSOM Class of 1999 graduate counseled students to have the kind of courage the medical school’s founders had in forging a path that led to WVSOM’s creation in the face of seemingly overwhelming obstacles.
“We don’t like to talk about fear and uncertainty in our culture,” he said. “But our founders had to wrestle with fear and uncertainty because they were doing something remarkable. You will have to deal with them because you’re doing something remarkable. And courage doesn’t stop with admission to medical school. It’s required in classes. It’s required in rotations. Soon you’ll be interns, then residents. Then, as attending physicians, I’ll have the pleasure of calling you colleagues. I will lean on you for your wisdom and your guidance for patients who are beyond my capacity to help.”
He told students, assembled with their families and friends on WVSOM’s campus that the coats they received during the ceremony come with a high level of responsibility.
“The white coat is powerful. There are perks to wearing the coat, but believe it or not, it takes courage to wear it, because there are higher expectations,” Newell said. “When you succeed by passing your tests, successfully completing your rotations and graduating — and when you go out into the world and do something remarkable — you honor our school and our legacy. Acknowledge the fear, but stay courageous, take care of each other, have fun and stand a little taller knowing there’s a collective effort behind you and that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Prior to medical school, Newell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal and veterinary sciences at West Virginia University. He completed a family medicine residency at Charleston Area Medical Center before he and his wife, Lisa Newell, D.O., joined Newell’s father in private practice at the Fayette Clinic in Lochgelly, W.Va. The practice, now part of AccessHealth, is in the same location and building in which his grandfather started in 1969.
In an introduction to the ceremony, WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., emphasized how important it is for students to pay attention to their own well-being as they learn to look after the health of others.
“Work hard, Class of 2026, but also remember to take care of yourselves. Take care of your mind, body and spirit as you go through your studies. Have a vision for yourself. See yourself as the osteopathic physician that you will become,” he said.
Other speakers during the ceremony included Robert Holstein, D.O., chair of the WVSOM Board of Governors; Manuel Ballas, D.O., president of the WVSOM Alumni Association; and Linda Boyd, D.O., the school’s vice president for academic affairs and dean.
In recognition of the opioid crisis that has especially impacted rural Appalachia, members of the class received the medication Narcan before the ceremony to carry with them in case they encounter an overdose victim. Narcan is a brand of naloxone, a drug that can block the effects of opioids and potentially prevent the death of someone who is experiencing an overdose.
Before leading students in reciting an oath of commitment, Boyd told the aspiring physicians that while medical school will be more demanding than previous goals they have accomplished, she hopes the next four years will leave time for students to have periods of rest and to lean on the support of their families. She assured the class that time flies in the midst of rigorous study.
“I am committed to creating a kinder and gentler medical school experience during which you can work hard, learn a lot, but have enough breaks so that you can retain your humanity and spirit,” she said. “I know it’s hard to believe now, but I guarantee that these next four years will go by quickly and that before you know it, we’ll be gathered here for you to receive your degree and begin your careers as osteopathic physicians.”