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The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (91�㽶��Ƶ) continues to lead the state in training physicians who stay in West Virginia, practice primary care and serve rural communities in the state, according to a new report on health sciences education.

Data from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s 2025 Health Sciences and Rural Health Report shows that 91�㽶��Ƶ ranks highest among the state’s three medical schools in producing physicians who practice in West Virginia — particularly in areas where access to medical care is limited.

The report, released in early December, profiles West Virginia’s three medical schools as well as detailing behavioral health workforce development, graduate medical education, nursing workforce development, emergency medical services workforce development and health care career pathway development in the state.

James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., 91�㽶��Ƶ’s president, said the report confirmed that the school is successfully continuing its tradition of educating physicians prepared to practice where medical care is needed most.

“The commission’s report provides evidence that we’re still doing an excellent job in the areas in which 91�㽶��Ƶ has long been a leader,” Nemitz said. “Of the state’s medical schools, we’re No. 1 in producing physicians for rural areas of West Virginia and for the state as a whole. And while we give students the knowledge to continue training in any specialty, we also lead the state in graduates practicing primary care in West Virginia.”

With about 200 students in each class, 91�㽶��Ƶ continues to be the state’s largest medical school. A total of 810 students were enrolled in 91�㽶��Ƶ’s D.O. program during the 2024-25 academic year. 

91�㽶��Ƶ had the lowest 2024-25 tuition cost of the state’s three medical schools for both in-state and out-of-state students. The report also stated that in-state tuition at all West Virginia medical schools is among the nation’s most affordable.

Significantly, the mean undergraduate grade point average of the school’s first-year class was higher than the national mean GPA for incoming osteopathic medical students, according to data in the report.

Perhaps most notably, the report highlights 91�㽶��Ƶ’s impact on West Virginia’s physician workforce. The report noted that 187 91�㽶��Ƶ graduates from classes between 2015 and 2020 currently practice in West Virginia. By comparison, the second-highest school produced 162 in-state physicians, while the third-highest produced 69.

91�㽶��Ƶ graduates also account for the majority of physicians from state schools practicing in rural areas of West Virginia. Of 91�㽶��Ƶ graduates from 2015 to 2020, 86 currently practice in rural communities, compared with 32 from the state’s other two medical schools combined.

The report shows that 126 91�㽶��Ƶ graduates from those same years practice primary care in West Virginia, surpassing the combined total of 103 from the other two schools. Primary care specialties include family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine/pediatrics, OB-GYN and pediatrics.

That trend continues among new graduates. For 91�㽶��Ƶ’s Class of 2025, a total of 105 students — 56% of the class — entered primary care residency programs, the highest number in the state.

For Nemitz, the report underscores 91�㽶��Ƶ’s role in shaping the future of health care in West Virginia.

“This data supports what we already know — that 91�㽶��Ƶ is a great place to learn to become a compassionate, highly skilled physician,” he said. “As a result, communities in West Virginia and beyond are seeing the benefits.”

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission oversees the state’s higher education institutions. Its Division of Health Sciences fosters collaboration and supports innovation to improve the health of West Virginians, collaborating with stakeholders statewide to address key issues in West Virginia’s health care landscape.