Clay Marsh, M. D.
Chancellor & Executive Dean, West Virginia University Health Sciences and Dean, West Virginia University School of Medicine
Written by Brooke Brown
Hard work, curiosity about learning, growth and improvement have always been at the forefront of Clay Marsh’ s mind. As chancellor and executive dean of West Virginia University( WVU) Health Sciences and dean of WVU School of Medicine, Marsh oversees one of the most comprehensive academic health systems in the region, guiding education, research and clinical care across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and public health.
A native of Charleston and a proud alumnus, Marsh earned his medical degree from WVU before completing his internal medicine residency and pulmonary and critical care fellowship at The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, he also completed four years of biomedical research training and coursework through the Fisher College of Business.
He initially chose pulmonary medicine and intensive care because he was drawn to the complexity of caring for critically ill patients
“ I loved being in the ICU with the wide range of life-threatening issues that our patients have and the acute nature of the care,” he says.
Throughout his training and career, Marsh benefited from influential mentors who helped shape his philosophy of medicine and leadership. He credits Dr. Bob D’ Alessandri, former vice president of WVU Health Sciences and dean of WVU School of Medicine, as an early mentor at the start of medical school. Dr. Rashida Khakoo, preeminent infectious diseases specialist and professor, helped Marsh develop a deep love for education. Through Dr. Jim Stevenson, one of WVU’ s longest serving department chairs, Marsh found lifelong friendship.
As the son of the late Don Marsh, longtime Charleston Gazette editor and MetroNews Talkline co-host, his life was shaped by the hallmark of objective
Photo by West Virginia University.
and fair journalism and defending the less powerful. He was influenced by the paper’ s internal catch phrase often cited by his father: Sustained outrage for social injustice.
Marsh’ s career was never mapped out from the start. Instead, his career led him down a path of continuous learning and improvement. He served as a physician leader in critical care, director of research and innovation at Ohio State’ s Wexner Medical Center and leader of personalized medicine initiatives. When former WVU President Gordon Gee invited him to return home
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