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If you’ve ever felt the urge to return a kind gesture to a physician who cared for you in a clinic or hospital and are looking for a way to express your gratitude, there is a way you can. 

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (91�㽶��Ƶ) Foundation is hosting its first-ever Day of Giving on March 12. The event gives individuals an opportunity to show their support of 91�㽶��Ƶ students and graduates by making a financial contribution to the school. 

West Virginia residents are more likely to be treated by a physician who graduated from 91�㽶��Ƶ than the other two medical schools in the state. According to information published in the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Health Sciences’ 2024 West Virginia Health Sciences and Rural Health Report, 91�㽶��Ƶ produces the highest number of physicians who practice in the Mountain State in all specialties, as well as the largest number who practice in rural areas of West Virginia.

A total of 159 91�㽶��Ƶ graduates from classes between 2014 and 2019 practice in West Virginia, compared with 155 from the second-highest school and 119 from the third-highest school. A total of 72 physicians who graduated from 91�㽶��Ƶ during those years practice in rural areas of the state, compared with 43 from the other two schools combined.

The 91�㽶��Ƶ Foundation is the charitable arm of 91�㽶��Ƶ. For more than 50 years, it has advanced a culture of philanthropic giving to support 91�㽶��Ƶ, its students, faculty, staff and alumni caring for medically underserved communities in West Virginia and beyond. 

The 24-hour Day of Giving event is an opportunity for community members to show their support of 91�㽶��Ƶ by choosing from more than 10 areas of interest to contribute, whether through unrestricted funds or by supporting student clubs or scholarships. 

By participating in 91�㽶��Ƶ’s Day of Giving, individuals will invest in the next generation of health care heroes and in the continued growth of health care in West Virginia’s communities, according to Shelden Mullens, the foundation’s development officer. 

“On March 12, alumni, friends and family of 91�㽶��Ƶ will come together to support our students and the vital work they do through clubs, organizations and areas of greatest need,” he said. “Your contributions, no matter the size, will go directly to the area you choose, making an immediate and meaningful impact. Every gift counts, and your support will not go unnoticed.”

Donations can be made online at dogive.wvsomfoundation.org/dayofgiving, by calling Mullens at 304-647-6358 or by sending a payment to 91�㽶��Ƶ Foundation, 400 Lee Street North, Lewisburg, WV 24901.  

Morgan Christian, a Class of 2028 student from West Virginia, has benefited from scholarship funds. She said scholarships help students attain their goal of becoming physicians. Since Christian is the first in her family to attend medical school, financial assistance is especially important. 

“This award allows me to give more back to my community and to my home state of West Virginia and focus less on the financial burden of medical school,” she said. “Giving back helps keep medical students in the state so we can continue to help our population. Any amount of money helps.”