West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appointed Caitlyn Santer, D.O., as the newest addition to the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) Board of Governors, effective April 6.
The WVSOM Board of Governors oversees the financial, business and educational policies under which the state’s largest medical school operates. It consists of nine members appointed by the governor and three elected representatives, one each from the school’s faculty, staff and student body.
Santer is a family medicine physician who lives in Parkersburg, W.Va., and practices at Marietta Memorial Hospital in Marietta, Ohio. She also serves as a family medicine preceptor for WVSOM’s third- and fourth-year students.
After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2008, Santer attended WVSOM, where she earned a D.O. degree in 2012 before completing a residency at Shenandoah Valley Family Practice in Winchester, Va.
Santer said that as an alumna of the school, she is honored to be appointed to its board.
“I feel a particular pride and dedication in supporting WVSOM and seeing the school be successful, and I hope to bring positive energy and ideas for its advancement,” she said. “As a West Virginia resident and physician in the region, I seek to be surrounded by colleagues who meet our local health care needs and provide quality care with competence and compassion. My hope has always been that WVSOM will continue to be the school that provides those physicians.”
Santer is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Cranial Osteopathy Association.
She replaces Steven Sarver, M.S., whose term on the Board of Governors expired. Sarver served on the board for eight years, including two years as its chair.