The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) recognized medical students for their academic and community achievements through scholarships and employees for their commitment to educate the future physicians.
The school’s annual Spring Awards Ceremony was a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, scholarship and award recipients were still acknowledged during a virtual ceremony on April 30. A total of $370,076 was distributed through 30 scholarships, awards and certificates of appreciation.
Student scholarships and awards were:
The Dr. Roland P. Sharp President’s Award and Foundation Award of Excellence for Student Achievement is given to a first-year student based on academic performance, osteopathic professional interest, leadership and citizenship to a student. This year’s winner was Lindsey Ray.
WVSOM Alumni Association Scholarships are given to two students who exemplify scholarship, osteopathic professional interest, leadership and citizenship. The winners were Nathaniel Jordan and Heather Reeves.
The Greenbrier Military School Alumni Association Scholarship is presented to two students who excel academically and show strong leadership, determination and discipline. This year’s recipients were Lindsey Ray and Elizabeth Sheppard.
The Fredric W. Smith Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a student completing his or her second year of medical school. The student must plan to practice family medicine and have a strong interest in the school and community. The winner was Nathaniel Jordan.
The West Virginia Emulation Endowment Trust/Dr. Olen E. Jones Jr. Scholarship was established in 2016 and named after Olen E. Jones Jr., Ph.D., who served as president of WVSOM from 1987 to 2009. The scholarship is awarded to West Virginia students based on literary and scholastic attainments, morality, leadership and physical vigor. This year’s scholarship recipients were Matthew Santer, Loc Tran, Natan Harel and Haley Craig.
The Legacy Scholarship Endowment was created by the WVSOM Foundation in an effort to help offset the cost of medical school for WVSOM students. This year’s winners were Kelsey Scott, Jaime Basham, Alexandra Bowman, Abigail Sedgwick and Aarron Ward.
The Jarrell Family Award was given for the first time through the WVSOM Foundation. The newly established award recognizes second-year students who are West Virginia residents with preference given to females from Raleigh, Fayette, Boone or Kanawha counties. This year’s inaugural winners were Alexandria Arthur and Haley Craig.
The Dr. William B. Mullen and Jennifer White Scholarship was created in recognition of Dr. William B. Mullen of Logan, W.Va., a physician who cared for his patient, Jennifer White, who passed away in 2011. Aarron Ward was the scholarship recipient.
The Cheryl and Michael Adelman WVSOM Leadership Scholarship is awarded to students who have demonstrated character and leadership during their time at WVSOM and who have the potential to be future leaders in the osteopathic profession. Jubel Puthusseril was this year’s recipient.
Six WVSOM students received recognition for Encova (formerly BrickStreet) Scholarships donated by the Encova Foundation of West Virginia. This year’s scholarship recipients were Jordan Allen, Lauren Cronise Searls, Lucas Goodwin, Megan Farley, Madeleine Gwinn and Anthony Aswad.
The West Virginia State Medical Association Alliance Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for medical students from West Virginia who have a desire to practice in the state after they graduate. The alliance is an organization that comprises physician spouses, who in the fall of 2016, established an endowment at each of the three medical schools in West Virginia. This year’s WVSOM scholarship was presented to Justin Sharp.
The James R. Stookey, D.O., Manipulative Medicine Scholarship was formed in honor of James Stookey, vice president for academic affairs and dean from 1988 to 2002. The scholarship is given to a student who has demonstrated proficiency in manipulative medicine. This year the scholarship was awarded to Alexis Cash.
The MOSS Scholarships honor the late Marlene Wager, D.O., and are presented to students who are out-of-state residents. This year, 15 students received the scholarship. They were Lucas Betterton, Zachary Bloom, Andrew Colebank, Karthik Dhanireddy, Paige Evans, Sydney Gualtieri, Kylee Karczewski, Nicholas Labatch, Hannah Lynch, John Michael Pirtle, Zachary Scibetta, Kayla Setzer, Elizabeth Sheppard, Logan Smith and Riley Smith.
The Marlene Wager 10-Fingered OPP Scholarship was created by the osteopathic principles and practice department in 2008 to recognize a second-year student with outstanding skills in osteopathic manipulative treatment. Candidates are nominated and voted by classmates. The winner has his or her name engraved on a plaque that is displayed in the osteopathic clinical skills lab. This year’s recipient was Adam Cook.
The Paul Kleman, D.O., Family Practice Student Award (Kleman family and West Virginia Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians) recognizes a student who plans to use osteopathic manipulation in treatment of their patients and is willing to instill the importance of osteopathic principles and practice in the next generation of WVSOM students. Adam Cook received this year’s award.
The WVSOM Family Practice Scholarship is awarded to a second-year West Virginia student who has intentions of practicing family medicine upon graduation. The scholarship was awarded to Nathaniel Jordan.
The Ronald P. Billips Memorial Scholarship was formed by a 2002 WVSOM graduate to honor his friend and classmate killed in a car accident. The award is given to a first-year student who is a graduate of Big Creek, Iaeger, Mount View, Princeton or Bluefield high schools in West Virginia or Graham, Tazewell, Richlands or Pocahontas high schools in Virginia. This year the award went to Hasan Muzaffer.
The Loretta Moore Memorial Award recipient is chosen by first-year students and given to a classmate who has overcome obstacles in order to succeed. Paige Evans was this year’s recipient.
The Samantha Ketchem Muncy Primary Care Memorial Scholarship was formed to honor Muncy, a student killed in a car accident. The scholarship is awarded to a third-year medical student from Barbour, McDowell, Taylor, Preston or Harrison counties in West Virginia who plans to remain in the state to practice in a primary care specialty. This year’s scholarship recipient was Whitney Workman.
The Rural Physician Service Program incentivizes WVSOM students to remain in West Virginia to practice medicine. This was the first year that students were selected for the program. Students agree to practice at an eligible service site within the state and receive enhanced rural health training through WVSOM’s Rural Health Initiative during medical school. The program is presented with financial assistance as a grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. This year’s recipients were Stacy Aleks Lane, Kayla Odle, Emily Rider, Mary Rosiek, Jennifer Voorhees and Michael Nicholas Yost.
This was also the first year for the Choose West Virginia Practice Program, a tuition waiver program that incentivizes nonresident West Virginia medical students to remain in the state to practice. Two out-of-state students accepted or enrolled at each of the three medical schools in West Virginia are eligible for the program. The recipients will receive a tuition waiver for the cost difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition and agree to practice in a primary care or shortage specialty in West Virginia for a minimum of one year. The inaugural winners were Katsiaryna Morgan and Pratima Ramkissoon.
The WVSOM Diversity Task Force – Eva Teter Hammer Award is given to a student who demonstrates an interest in osteopathic medicine and eliminating the inequities of individuals. Eric Nicolau was recognized this year.
The Student Government Association Leadership Scholarship is presented to first-, second- and third-year students who have mentored fellow students, have shared their own resources to facilitate the learning of others, have founded clubs or organized events and have brought students together in new and creative ways. The recipients were first place Haley Craig, second place Sidharth Sahni, third place Jacob Paul and fourth place Jessica Vu (Class of 2023); first place Sam Stein, second place Heather Reeves, third place Brooke Grill and fourth place Molly O’Neil (Class of 2022); first place Benjamin Keaton, second place Noah Jordan, third place Raymond Lam and fourth place Caroline Gormley (Class of 2021).
The Student Government Association Character Scholarship is presented to first-, second- and third-year students who possess and demonstrate characteristics that may sometimes go unnoticed but are noted by peers. This year’s recipients were Nidhi Dheman, Katherine Spurlock, Niharika Vedherey, Shawn Plyler, David Williams and Lindsey Ray (Class of 2023); Graham Federico, Conor Wilson, Adam Cook, Diana Duong, Jacob Redden and Blake Jones (Class of 2022); and Salima Conteh, Molly Deakin, Chris Gauthier, Joseph Chafardon, Kayla Schlosser and Kathleen Herman (Class of 2021).
The Community Outreach and Relief Effort (C.O.R.E.) recognizes members for their service. This year, six students were honored for participation in the program. They were Jaime Basham, Chia-Chen “Jane” Chuang, Brooke Grill, Jacqueline Khalil, Sam Stein and Hannah Wheeler.
The Fredric W. Smith Community Service Award recognizes a campus organization or club that demonstrates a commitment to the Lewisburg community, the WVSOM community and classmates. The Student Advocate Association was given this year’s recognition.
A Special Award Presentation recognized Student Government Association President Aaron Byczynski and Vice President Stephanie Arnold. The award recognizes service and leadership to WVSOM and the student body.
WVSOM faculty and staff who were recognized by students were:
The Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) Integration Teaching Award is given to faculty members recognized for their efforts in teaching, as well as those who have excelled in integrating OPP in their classes. This year’s winners were Tuoen Liu, M.D., Ph.D. (biomedical sciences), Maple Landvoigt, M.D. (clinical sciences), and Porsche Beetham, D.O. (adjunct clinical sciences preceptor).
The Atlas Club Golden Key Award is given to a biomedical sciences faculty member and clinical sciences faculty member selected by students. This year’s recipients were Marc Benson, Ph.D., and Brian Kendall, M.D.
The Student Government Association Appreciation Recognition is given to employees by SGA members for their work and support on behalf of medical students. This year’s recipients were Jeff Dowdy, on behalf of the institutional services staff; Adam Sydenstricker, on behalf of the food service operations staff; Andrea Nazar, D.O.; Brian Kendall, M.D.; Jeremy Proctor, D.O.; Aaron McGuffin, M.D.; Gretchen Lovett, Ph.D.; James Nemitz, Ph.D.; and Abdul Nazif, OMS IV.