West Virginia Executive Winter 2022 February 2022 | Seite 110

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Health Sciences at West Liberty University

In 2009 , West Liberty State College , the oldest institution of higher education in West Virginia , experienced a transformation as it became West Liberty University ( WLU ). In 2013 , WLU embarked on a new strategic focus in health sciences . The school opened the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences to meet the needs of West Virginia ’ s communities . Today , WLU has more than doubled its enrollment and offers a total of 11 graduate programs , eight of which have a focus on health sciences . It also offers a Healthcare Management track within the MBA for medical professionals wanting to advance their careers .
Campbell Hall of Health Sciences
In 2021 , WLU opened two new clinical spaces that will work to increase the public ’ s access to affordable health care : the Behavioral Health Clinic and the Speech and Hearing Clinic . “ The clinics will provide diagnostic and treatment rooms for patients ,
( 304 ) 336-5635 208 University Drive West Liberty , WV 26074
allowing students and faculty to be directly involved in patient care . This type of learning experience is invaluable for students , as it promotes critical thinking and problemsolving skills ,” says Dr . Karen Kettler , dean of the College of Sciences .
Students in the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degree program are overseen by licensed faculty and will treat the behavioral health clients that visit the clinic .
“ We ’ re very excited to be part of the effort to expand mental health care in West Virginia ,” says Kettler . “ Opening this clinic not only allows us to provide affordable psychological services to the surrounding communities , it also provides students the opportunity to practice their skills under close supervision before transitioning to internships as they work toward their degrees .”
This clinic also offers psychological assessment services like testing for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder . Teletherapy is also available for those that prefer a virtual appointment .
In addition to the Behavioral Health Clinic , the expanded Speech and Hearing Clinic is open to the public . Clinical services now available include comprehensive hearing assessments and speech and language diagnostic and treatment options for patients of all ages .
“ We began to offer hearing clinical services nearly two years ago to meet a community need and provide our students with more patient experience , right here on campus . Now we ’ ve added speech and language services to our clinic so that we have a complete communication disorders clinic ,” says Carol Zombotti , assistant professor of Speech Language Pathology .
For more information , visit westliberty . edu .