West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appointed Ryan Fitzwater, D.O., a Greenbrier County native, to the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) Board of Governors, the body that oversees the financial, business and educational policies under which the school operates.
The new board member’s appointment became effective April 29, replacing Robert Holstein, D.O., whose term as a board member expired.
Fitzwater is the chairman/medical director of urological surgery at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) and has had 25 years of experience in the medical field. He has extensive experience in urinary conditions and urinary calculi and removal.After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in physician assistant studies from Mountain State University and becoming a West Liberty University graduate with a Master of Business Administration degree, Fitzwater earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from WVSOM in 2006. He completed a urological surgery residency at CAMC.He is an adjunct clinical assistant professor at WVSOM, a member of the American Osteopathic Association and a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. He has served as a board member on various medical facility committees at CAMC.
Fitzwater said he is happy to have been selected for board membership and is prepared to serve as a representative.
“Being an alumnus, this was a chance for me to give back to my school. As I went through my career, it was a good time for me to serve and possibly offer some insight to the school as to what is happening in clinical practices now and in health care to try to improve the overall aspect of training students,” he said. “It’s also a way for me to work with Dr. [James] Nemitz to understand how health care is changing and how we can prepare students moving forward as they graduate.”The WVSOM Board of Governors consists of nine lay members appointed by West Virginia’s governor and three elected representatives, one each from the school’s faculty, staff and student body.