A student at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) was named the recipient of the West Virginia Rural Health Association’s (WVRHA) 2021 Outstanding Rural Health Student Award during the organization’s annual conference.
Second-year student Matthew Parsley will receive a $1,000 cash award, an engraved piece of Blenko glass and a certificate as this year’s recipient. The award recognizes extraordinary student-initiated and student-performed activity in the field of rural health by nominees whose accomplishments include clinical, infrastructure development, research, promotional or volunteer activities.
Parsley, a native of Williamson, W.Va., has been involved in numerous outreach efforts during his time as a medical student. He said he hopes to inspire residents of rural areas to achieve their goals despite obstacles they may face.
“I was raised by a single mom who always encouraged me and pushed me to try my hardest when it came to academics and planning for my future,” he said. “Even though our family was of low socioeconomic status, all I needed to get where I am was support from somebody like her. I’m thankful for whatever role I might be able to have in contributing to rural West Virginia, in being that figure in somebody’s life who helps them strive for whatever they want to do.”
Courtney Hereford, MSPH, MSW, research director for WVSOM’s Center for Rural and Community Health (CRCH) and a WVRHA board member, said she met Parsley during his first year at WVSOM as a member of the school’s Medical Student Pride Alliance, of which he is now vice president. She praised Parsley for his passion and leadership skills.
“Matthew is a bright, compassionate, inspiring future physician leader who embodies the mission to advance rural health in West Virginia,” she said. “He brings the same energy and authenticity to serving rural community priorities that he does to every project he encounters.”
Parsley was one of several WVSOM students who approached the CRCH to develop and launch Fit Kids, a youth outreach program that began in spring 2021 and is currently hosting biweekly activities across Greenbrier County to promote nutrition and fitness among children. Hereford noted that Fit Kids is just one of multiple local initiatives to which Parsley’s participation has been integral.
“We were delighted to have Matthew join the CRCH team as a work-study student, assisting with our community health worker program and community-centric events,” she said. “During this time, he also helped bring to fruition the inaugural Greenbrier Valley Pride event and the first Race Matters in Greenbrier Valley block party. Matthew was instrumental in partnering with the Greenbrier County Health Alliance (GCHA) to establish the Greenbrier Valley Pride board, and continues as interim vice president and GCHA community ambassador.”
Additionally, Parsley serves as community outreach co-chair of WVSOM’s student-run Health Yeah! program and contributes to the school’s diversity and clinical skills education lecture series and the LGBTQ+ subcommittee of WVSOM’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He was vice president of WVSOM’s Class of 2024 during the 2020-21 academic year.
During his time at WVSOM, Parsley has received the Student Government Association Student Character Scholarship and the Ephraim McDowell Foundation Scholarship.