June 4, 2009
Governor Manchin Speaks at WVSOM Commencement Ceremony
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Lewisburg, WV (HNN) – One hundred-one students graduated from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and received their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees during WVSOM’s thirty-second annual commencement ceremony on May 30, 2009 at the State Fair Event Center in Fairlea, WV.
WVSOM president Richard Rafes, Ph.D., J.D., and Michael Adelman, D.O., J.D., vice president for academic affairs and dean, presided over the ceremonies. The Honorable Joseph Manchin, III, Governor of West Virginia, delivered the keynote address.
In his remarks, Governor Manchin revealed the ties that he and his family have to Lewisburg. “My family goes back to the early 1940s at this school, back when it was the former Greenbrier Military Academy. My father, Joe Manchin, II, was a cadet there,” Manchin explained.
“We had not been exposed to osteopathy in Marion County, but Dr. Frank Wallington, one of your college’s founders, was a good friend of our family and he referred my brother here. He was accepted here in 1974 in the first class. There were only 36 students back then. I recall being here in 1978 when John graduated,” Manchin said. The Governor’s brother, John Manchin, II, D.O., practices medicine in Farmington in rural Marion County.
Turning to look at Roland Sharp, WVSOM’s first president, the Governor related that he and Dr. Sharp had just been discussing the early years of WVSOM. “Back then, we weren’t sure the school was going to make it. But not only did it survive, it has thrived. If it were not for this school and the amount of caring, passionate, loving people that you’ve put in rural West Virginia, we would not be able to deliver the health care services to those that need it the most. So I say thank you on behalf of this state for what you have done and what you will continue to do.”
Governor Manchin ended his remarks by expressing his hope that this latest batch of WVSOM graduates would help make West Virginia a better and healthier place. “To the students, I say congratulations. You are truly the backbone of our medical delivery system in West Virginia. We need and appreciate you. My desire is that you will practice in West Virginia. There is no other place that will appreciate you more.”
The WVSOM Class of 2009 includes 50 West Virginians and others from nearly every state in the nation. Graduates will now report to internship programs at hospitals across the state, region, and nation to begin their respective careers. As a group, they will specialize in a wide variety of medical disciplines, with the majority selecting primary care specialties such as family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, and emergency medicine.
WVSOM is an award-winning, dynamic institution where a cutting edge curriculum exists side by side with the traditional values of care, compassion, and empathy. WVSOM offers a legacy of excellence and is recognized worldwide for its efforts in rural, family, and primary care medicine. The college has been recognized for eleven consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report magazine in its “Best Graduate Schools” edition. Visit WVSOM online at www.wvsom.edu.
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Governor Manchin Speaks at WVSOM Commencement Ceremony
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Lewisburg, WV (HNN) – One hundred-one students graduated from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and received their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees during WVSOM’s thirty-second annual commencement ceremony on May 30, 2009 at the State Fair Event Center in Fairlea, WV.
WVSOM president Richard Rafes, Ph.D., J.D., and Michael Adelman, D.O., J.D., vice president for academic affairs and dean, presided over the ceremonies. The Honorable Joseph Manchin, III, Governor of West Virginia, delivered the keynote address.
In his remarks, Governor Manchin revealed the ties that he and his family have to Lewisburg. “My family goes back to the early 1940s at this school, back when it was the former Greenbrier Military Academy. My father, Joe Manchin, II, was a cadet there,” Manchin explained.
“We had not been exposed to osteopathy in Marion County, but Dr. Frank Wallington, one of your college’s founders, was a good friend of our family and he referred my brother here. He was accepted here in 1974 in the first class. There were only 36 students back then. I recall being here in 1978 when John graduated,” Manchin said. The Governor’s brother, John Manchin, II, D.O., practices medicine in Farmington in rural Marion County.
Turning to look at Roland Sharp, WVSOM’s first president, the Governor related that he and Dr. Sharp had just been discussing the early years of WVSOM. “Back then, we weren’t sure the school was going to make it. But not only did it survive, it has thrived. If it were not for this school and the amount of caring, passionate, loving people that you’ve put in rural West Virginia, we would not be able to deliver the health care services to those that need it the most. So I say thank you on behalf of this state for what you have done and what you will continue to do.”
Governor Manchin ended his remarks by expressing his hope that this latest batch of WVSOM graduates would help make West Virginia a better and healthier place. “To the students, I say congratulations. You are truly the backbone of our medical delivery system in West Virginia. We need and appreciate you. My desire is that you will practice in West Virginia. There is no other place that will appreciate you more.”
The WVSOM Class of 2009 includes 50 West Virginians and others from nearly every state in the nation. Graduates will now report to internship programs at hospitals across the state, region, and nation to begin their respective careers. As a group, they will specialize in a wide variety of medical disciplines, with the majority selecting primary care specialties such as family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, and emergency medicine.
WVSOM is an award-winning, dynamic institution where a cutting edge curriculum exists side by side with the traditional values of care, compassion, and empathy. WVSOM offers a legacy of excellence and is recognized worldwide for its efforts in rural, family, and primary care medicine. The college has been recognized for eleven consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report magazine in its “Best Graduate Schools” edition. Visit WVSOM online at www.wvsom.edu.
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