Jill Cochran, Ph.D., a professor in the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine’s (WVSOM) Department of Clinical Sciences, is the school’s latest faculty member to receive statewide recognition. She is listed as one of the “West Virginia Wonder Women” for 2025 by WV Living magazine.
Cochran is among the 50 women featured in the publication’s fall issue who have been identified as “living boldly, bringing solutions and championing their families and communities.” WV Living honored the recipients at a West Virginia Wonder Women luncheon on Oct. 29 in South Charleston, W.Va.
Cochran said she is grateful to be selected for the honor.
“It feels unbelievable to be chosen, especially given the women who have previously been cited,” she said. “When I went to nursing school, it was very traditional and we were given nursing capes. I always thought it was fitting, because everyone feels when they’re young that they want to be a superhero and ‘save’ people. We usually outgrow that, but this award makes me feel like that dream is a reality.”
It is the second time Cochran was recognized statewide in the past two years. In 2024, she was inducted into West Virginia Executive magazine’s Health Care Hall of Fame.
Cochran — WVSOM’s only faculty member with a Ph.D. degree in nursing — began working with mothers and their newborns in the late 1970s. She has served as a nurse practitioner at Rainelle Medical Center, inRaleigh General Hospital’s emergency department and, for more than 20 years, as a family nurse practitioner at Lewisburg’s Robert C. Byrd Clinic. She continues to fill in at the clinic as needed and maintains involvement in research, all while operating a pediatric practice at Pocahontas Memorial Rural Health Clinic in Buckeye, W.Va.
A member of WVSOM’s clinical sciences faculty since 2010, Cochran said her background allows her to bring a unique point of view to educating medical students.
“In many ways, the pursuit of excellence is universal among all health care disciplines. However, through the lens of nursing, I hope I bring a different perspective, looking at the impact of illness on the patient, their family and the community,” she said.
Christopher Wood, D.O., chair of WVSOM’s Department of Clinical Sciences, praised Cochran for being a valuable resource to the department.
“Dr. Cochran has been an educator for as long as I have known her,” Wood said. “In educating patients and families, medical students, and her colleagues, she brings a fun and enlightening aspect to every situation. I seek her advice often because of her knowledge and experience, particularly in research.”
Cochran earned bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the West Virginia University School of Nursing, and is licensed in the state as an advanced practice nurse practitioner. In addition to a number of nursing positions in West Virginia and Virginia, she worked as a registered nurse in various hospitals and home health facilities before joining the Robert C. Byrd Clinic and, later, WVSOM.
In her role at the school, she has received the President’s Outstanding Faculty Award and Outstanding Employee Award. In 2015 she was selected as a finalist for the state’s Professor of the Year award by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia.
In 2018, Cochran became a fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
She has been involved in translational research focused on diabetes, childhood obesity and the health care needs of children in rural Appalachia. As a WVSOM faculty member, she also has conducted clinically based research. One program implemented as a result of her research was the “telesoothe” program, utilizing an infant simulator to demonstrate swaddling to family members.Cochran credited WVSOM with giving her the chance to achieve her career goals.
“WVSOM has played an integral role in my professional and personal development,” she said. “I’ve been allowed the opportunity to pursue my research interests, pursue community development and bring my health care perspective to the educational arena.”
She said she especially enjoys helping medical students advance their knowledge through practical learning.
“Some of the most rewarding parts of my work involve seeing students have a ‘lightbulb moment’ when they have mastered a concept — watching them learn hands-on skills like how to do assessments, listen to heart sounds or examine ears. It’s also rewarding to be among faculty who help develop the curriculum for the next generation of D.O.s,” she said.
Other WVSOM employees who have been named past West Virginia Wonder Women include Leslie Bicksler, Katherine Calloway, D.O., Drema Hill, Ph.D., and Deborah Schmidt, D.O. Several alumnae of the school have also received the honor.