SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Monday was a new day for medical education in the state of West Virginia.
That according to West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) President Dr. James Nemitz as he signed a memorandum of understanding with Marshall University Dr. Jerome Gilbert to collaborate on medical education efforts between osteopathic and allopathic programs at each institution.
“This is both of our medical schools working together to improve medical education in the state and to better serve West Virginians, to produce more physicians for West Virginia,” Nemitz said.
“Anything that we can do to work together to allow our students to stay in the state and serve the people of West Virginia, that is what we are about.”
The signing through Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine took place Monday morning at the institution’s South Charleston campus.
The agreement states the schools will work to develop and expand clinical rotations for medical students at institutions associated with the Mountain Health Network, a regional health system comprising three hospitals, and explore opportunities to enhance residency placement for graduates, according to Marshall.
“We see this as a way for us to join forces, to share information about instruction, to collaborate in research, and to have overlapping clinical rotations and clinical experiences for our students,” Gilbert told the media.
Nemitz said Monday’s MOU adds to WVSOM’s collaborations with hospital systems and clinics all over the state. He expects the one with Marshall to bring an increased presence by his students to Huntington.
Gilbert agreed with Nemitz and said it’s always helpful to give students additional opportunities and support from another institution. He said together it allows universities to put strengths together and work on critical areas.
“One area that we work together is the opioid crisis and certainly there’s an example of where we can do things to help the osteopathic school and vice versa so we can address a problem that is affecting lots of people in southern West Virginia,” Gilbert said.
Marshall and WVSOM will also advocate jointly on issues of mutual interest before the West Virginia Legislature, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) and other governmental bodies, according to a release.
HEPC Chairman Michael J. Farrell attended Monday’s signing and spoke on the importance of collaborations in the state.