First-year students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will receive their white coats in a ceremony that officially recognizes them as student doctors — the first milestone they will celebrate as a class in medical school.
The Convocation and White Coat Ceremony will mark the Class of 2026’s commitment to a life of health care service. The event will take place at 2 p.m., Friday, Sept. 23, at the Conference Center in the WVSOM Student Center. This year’s class consists of 215 students.
Ryan Newell, D.O., a 1999 graduate of WVSOM, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker.
Newell is a third-generation physician practicing in Oak Hill, W.Va. Prior to medical school, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at West Virginia University. He completed a family medicine residency at Charleston Area Medical Center before he and his wife, Lisa Newell, D.O., joined Newell’s father in private practice at the Fayette Clinic. The practice, now part of AccessHealth, is in the same location and building in which his grandfather, Donald Newell Sr., D.O., one of WVSOM’s founders, started in 1969.
Newell has been in private practice for 20 years and has had roles as chairman of the Medical Executive Committee at Plateau Medical Center and as local medical director for Amedisys Home Health. Newell is board certified in family medicine. He is vice president of the board of the WVSOM Alumni Association and has a seat on the Local Advisory Board for Truist Bank.
The White Coat Ceremony will have limited seating, and tickets will be required for admission. Visitors without a ticket may view the ceremony via livestream on the WVSOM website.