Health

Jeffrey Coben, M.D., has been named dean of the West Virginia University School of Public Health.

Michael Ost, M.D., pediatric urologist, has been named associate surgeon-in-chief for WVU Medicine Children’s and professor of surgery at the West Virginia University School of Medicine effective Sept. 1.

Amy Rodgers Smith, M.M.T., assistant professor in the West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Department of Physical Therapy, was recently named as the university’s first healthcare-focused music therapist.

Nothing could stand in the way of more than 4,500 West Virginia University students earning their rite of passage this Commencement weekend (May 12-14).

As WVU prepares to send more than 4,500 graduating students onto their next journey, President Gordon Gee pens a letter to his younger self in this Gee Mail after pondering, “What if I was a member of the Class of 2017?”

Chelsea Bragg always dreamed of making a difference by helping others. A recent experience with cancer reinforced her resolve to pursue a career in diagnosing diseases and infections. Along with about 4,500 other students, Bragg will receive her degree —on time—this weekend as WVU brings another academic year to a close.

If you ask Kat Deremer what she plans to do after graduating with her master’s degree in nursing from West Virginia University, she is quick to tell you that her dream job is to one day drive a van around West Virginia as a nurse practitioner providing healthcare resources to those who need it most. It sounds simple, but in many rural communities, access to care is limited.

West Virginia University is committed to training a new generation of health care providers and scholars and recently received support from the National Institute on Aging to expand a pre-doctoral training program in stroke research. WVU’s Center for Basic and Translational Stroke Research received a grant award from the National Institute on Aging for total of nearly $1.4 million over five years.

In this edition of Gee Mail, the president shows members of the WVU family firsthand how much he appreciates their dedication to the gold-and-blue.

William (Bill) Petros, Pharm.D., FCCP, has been named the Gates Wigner Dean of the WVU School of Pharmacy.