Institutional Strategic Plan

Mission Statement

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) empowers students to find health within themselves and the people and the communities they serve. We advance health and well-being in West Virginia and beyond through cutting-edge training, pioneering research, and immersive clinical experience. By blending innovation, compassion, and a deep-rooted dedication to osteopathic principles, we are shaping the future of health.

Strategic Planning Process

An ad hoc strategic planning committee with representatives from the WVSOM’s administration, alumni, Board of Governors (BOG), faculty, staff, students and the Lewisburg community created a strategic plan outline which was reviewed by each constituent group. The strategic plan was revised based on input from the constituent groups prior to submission to the WSOM BOG for approval. The five-year Institutional Strategic Plan was approved by the WVSOM BOG at its March 2020 meeting.

Strategic Plan Overview

The WVSOM Institutional Strategic Plan is focused on the school’s mission and addresses the following five areas: Educational Excellence, Research, Community Outreach, Infrastructure and Reputation. The strategic plan affirms that education is the primary focus of the institution with the other areas supporting the educational mission. Research is also an area of focus of the strategic plan to enhance the educational and service goals of the institution. Finally, service to West Virginia and its citizens to address the health care needs of the state is a major focus of the institutional strategic plan.

  1. Educational Excellence

    • Refine recruitment activities to attract the best possible students that align with WVSOM’s mission
    • Maintain content excellence while strengthening the curriculum
    • Utilize proactive strategies to enhance the success of our students
    • Prepare students to successfully pass all levels of COMLEX USA examinations
    • Develop and implement a plan for restructuring the state wide campus system
    • Develop and implement plans for improvement of the Rural Health Initiative program
    • Transition the Mountain State Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institution (MSOPTI) and Graduate Medical Education (GME) office to support postgraduate education programs to meet the needs of D.O. program students. The MSOPTI assist new and existing GME Programs in meeting the requirements for accreditation by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and provide a mechanism to assist GME Programs accredited by ACGME in meeting the requirements of Osteopathic Recognition.
    • Explore global opportunities that align with WVSOM’s mission
    • Further WVSOM’s mission with strategic partnerships and collaborations with other organizations
    • Respond to workforce and community health needs by expanding academic offerings in health related fields complementary to the D.O. program
    • Enrich the student experience by expanding co-curricular opportunities

  2. Research

    • Advance medical knowledge through biomedical, translational, clinical, and educational research
    • Maximize sponsored program funding and sources
    • Explore initiatives to enrich the research environment and foster productivity

  3. Community Outreach

    • Enhance current programs and implement new initiatives to meet community needs
    • Continue outreach and education through school supported programs such as Anatomy Education, Just Say KNOW!, and the Healthy Children’s Initiative
    • Support and collaborate with the Robert C. Byrd Clinic and other health care organizations

  4. Infrastructure

    • Develop and implement a new Facilities Master Plan that assesses and advances the facility needs of the institution
    • Maintain WVSOM’s long history of strong financial health and stability
    • Build systems and infrastructure to ensure quality and support future growth
    • Continue execution of the comprehensive workforce strategy
    • Seek out and capitalize on opportunities to lower WVSOM’s dependency on tuition revenue working with the WVSOM Foundation

  5. Reputation

    • Enhance and increase WVSOM’s media presence statewide and nationally
    • Establish and maintain a new and constantly updated web presence that attracts students to our school and raises public awareness
    • Support the activities of the WVSOM Alumni Association