and understanding . James W . Nemitz , PhD , WVSOM ’ s president , said the school continually looks for ways to reach underrepresented groups and encourage cultural awareness .
“ While WVSOM ’ s numbers for underrepresented minorities are not where we want them , the overall diversity of our student body has changed dramatically . Our diversity demographic has ranged from 27 to 32 % of our student body in recent years ,” he said .
Rebecca Morrow , PhD , WVSOM ’ s assistant dean for student affairs and diversity committee chair , has played an integral role in the implementation of programs sponsored through Diversity for Equity grants from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission .
“ When we are part of a diverse group of people , we have the opportunity to listen and learn about experiences and perspectives that are different from our own ,” Morrow said . “ This is especially important for our students as they prepare to go out into the world to make a critical impact on the health of their communities .”
WVSOM previously presented a program in which third- and fourth-year students of diverse identities spoke to first- and second-year students about how they were received during rotations in rural communities . The school also hosts an annual educational series on topics related to the LGBTQ + community . Most recently , the diversity committee implemented a Developing Effective Allyship training to help the WVSOM community consider what it means to be an ally , identify the difficulties some members of identity-based groups experience , and explain how allies can support them .
WVSOM also works to foster a more diverse environment through admissions initiatives . Staff in the school ’ s admission office visit historically black colleges and universities for recruiting events , and staff attend predominately minority programs and fairs such as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students , National Hispanic Medical Association Fair , and the National Association of Medical Minority Educators Fair .
“ If you have people who are all the same culture and race , it could lead to stagnancy of ideas ,” said Danny Seams , WVSOM ’ s assistant director of admissions . “ Our goal is to encourage students to come to our campus and see our facilities , because they ’ ve probably been to Philadelphia , New York or Washington , D . C .— but how many people of color have been to Southern West Virginia ? If they visit and discover for themselves what it ’ s like here , they may be more likely to choose to attend WVSOM .”
WVSOM Class of 2023 student Raekwon Timmons meets with a standardized patient on WVSOM ’ s campus in Lewisburg , WV .
The West Virginia Health Care Hall of Fame is open to doctors , nurses , hospital administrators , educators , researchers , innovators , and entrepreneurs who are positively impacting the health care industry in the Mountain State .
Submit your nomination by November 1 , 2021 , to info @ wvexecutive . com .
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