INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia University School of Medicine and West Virginia State University are partnering to offer a pre-medical track program on the State campus in Institute.
University officials met Friday morning at WVSU to sign a memorandum of understanding to allow for the program.
The undergraduate curriculum will provide pre-med students the opportunity to work with physician mentors and shadowing experience with the track to further their training at WVU.
Jeff Driggs, director of communications at WVU Charleston, said the program also provides a pipeline for WVU’s Morgantown campus.
“(It’s) for students from southern West Virginia, from the Kanawha Valley, who have invested the time and energy in their education and look to stay in the state to continue that medical education,” Driggs said.
WVSU joins the already established pre-medical track programs at West Virginia University, Shepherd University and Waynesburg University.
Over the years, WVSU has evolved to serve a diverse population in the Kanawha Valley. Driggs said the program benefits both institutions. He said it will enhance WVSU’s mission to support the educational needs of the community.
“This opportunity now to partner with West Virginia State University, who does an amazing job of preparing the students as they look forward to health care careers, is just the perfect example of a partnership that is a win-win for for both institutions,” he said.
There is no set date for when the program will be offered for students at WVSU.