Camp will allow high-schoolers to experience WVSOM’s anatomy lab

This summer, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will bring high-school-age students to its campus for a weeklong camp that immerses them in the science of anatomy.

WVSOM’s fourth annual Clinical Anatomy Summer Experience (C.A.S.E.) camp will take place June 22-26 in Lewisburg. Sessions will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. The camp is open to students entering their junior or senior year of high school as well as new graduates.

Designed to introduce young science enthusiasts to human anatomical structures and their clinical importance, C.A.S.E. allows students to receive hands-on education in WVSOM’s gross anatomy lab and participate in interactive classroom activities. It also offers students an overview of the various career paths available in the health professions.

Karen Wines, a WVSOM faculty member who leads the camp with assistance from medical student interns, said past attendees have reported their experiences at C.A.S.E. are proving useful as they continue their education.

“Now that the camp has completed three successful years, hearing from past campers is a delight,” Wines said. “These students are building on their experiences from the program and developing confidence for future educational encounters. Our hands-on activities and classroom programming provide a wonderful first look at medical education.”

One former participant, Noah Edwards, of Lewisburg, is in his final semester of high school and has been accepted to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., in the fall. He attended the camp because he plans to study biology and hopes to eventually become a physician or physical therapist.

Edwards said he learned the most while experiencing WVSOM’s gross anatomy lab.

“It was amazing to see how much more real the muscles and nerves looked in person compared to pictures and diagrams in a textbook,” he said. “In a book, everything is easy to find, but in the anatomy lab, it all blends together. It helped me see how complicated the body is.”

Interested students can apply at WVSOM's website by submitting a letter of recommendation from a teacher, a signed parent permission form and a one-page essay outlining their experience in learning anatomy and what they hope to gain from the camp.

Applications will be accepted through May 1. Accepted campers will be notified the following week. Space is limited to 15 participants.

C.A.S.E. is free to attend. Participants will receive meals, lab clothing and a commemorative T-shirt.

The 2026 camp is sponsored by the Jeanne G. Hamilton and Lawson W. Hamilton Jr. Family Foundation, the WVSOM Foundation and the WVSOM Alumni Association.

For more information, contact Karen Wines.