A faculty member at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) has received a statewide award for his work in teaching aspiring students how to practice medicine in rural communities.
Ret. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dwight Bundy, D.O., an associate professor in the school’s Department of Clinical Sciences, was presented the West Virginia Rural Health Association’s (WVRHA) Dr. Bob Foster Award for Excellence in Rural Health Professions Education on Nov. 13 during the organization’s annual conference in Huntington, W.Va.
The award was named for Bob Foster, D.O., a longtime osteopathic medical educator who was a member of WVSOM’s faculty for 45 years, retiring as assistant dean for osteopathic medical education.
Bundy, who earned a medical degree from WVSOM in 1984 and joined the school’s faculty in 2013, said he was grateful to receive the award in his former professor’s namesake.
“Dr. Foster was one of my teachers at WVSOM,” Bundy said. “I’ve always had the greatest respect for him. He was a fantastic teacher and has been a real asset to the school through the years. Receiving an award that has his name attached means a lot.”
Bundy’s history of service to rural West Virginians is extensive. Following a tour of duty in the U.S. Army in the early 1970s, he taught science in the Greenbrier County community of Williamsburg, W.Va. After earning his osteopathic medical degree, Bundy practiced emergency medicine at Marlinton General Hospital in Marlinton, W.Va., and family medicine with the National Health Service Corps in Hillsboro, Williamsburg and New Haven. He spent time in North Carolina and Maryland as an Army physician, but returned to practice family medicine and occupational medicine at the Robert C. Byrd Clinic in Lewisburg.
After retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel, Bundy was recruited to help WVSOM students prepare for national board exams, then spent six years as a regional assistant dean in the school’s Statewide Campus system before becoming an associate professor. In his current role, he introduces students to the foundations of osteopathic medicine and teaches clinical skills and cardiopulmonary courses.
He has worked with students in WVSOM’s Rural Health Initiative, helping them obtain training related to health issues associated with industries common in West Virginia, such as the mining and lumber industries. Bundy also is an advisor to the school’s chapter of the Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons.
He said his years in medical education have taught him that what students sometimes lack is self-assurance, not knowledge. He works to help them overcome mental obstacles that stand in the way of achievement.
“If I’ve been successful, it’s because I’ve shown people how to have confidence, to stop listening to the negative thoughts racing through their heads,” he said. “When you walk into a test, you know more than you think you do, so don’t have doubts. What I did for students more than anything was to teach them that their best is always good enough.”
Bundy said it’s especially meaningful that the award specifically honors his work in the Mountain State.
“I love this state and I owe it a lot. I got to teach in its secondary education system. I got to be a West Virginia National Guard officer. I was trained in medical school in West Virginia and was fortunate to be a doctor here. And I’m still here, living the dream,” he said.
Additionally, Alexandria Arthur, D.O., a WVSOM Class of 2023 alumna, received the WVRHA’s Outstanding Rural Health Resident Award during the conference.
Arthur, a family medicine physician at AccessHealth in Beckley, W.Va., was acknowledged for exceptional patient care, advocacy and commitment to addressing health disparities in rural populations. She said she was honored to receive the award.
“I’ve learned so much through my residency about how to treat people in rural primary care,” Arthur said. “My patients have taught me invaluable life lessons that I’ll carry with me as I further my practice. I’m also grateful to WVSOM for the excellent medical education the school provided. It feels good to be recognized by the West Virginia Rural Health Association.”
The WVRHA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for empowering West Virginians to advance their quality of life, well-being and access to rural health care.