The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) has appointed Gail Swarm, D.O., its interim vice president of academic affairs and dean starting Jan. 7.
Swarm, a longtime medical educator, joined WVSOM in 2003. She served as an assistant professor, associate professor and professor of family medicine at the school, and chaired the Department of Clinical Sciences from 2013 to 2016 before becoming the department’s assistant dean in 2020.
Swarm also has been the director of WVSOM’s Clinical Evaluation Center since 2016, and last year was named the school’s interim senior associate dean of academic affairs. She said she looks forward to helping the school achieve long-term success.
“I am excited and honored to serve as interim dean,” Swarm said. “My immediate goal is to ensure support across academic units while supporting our faculty, staff and students in their daily work. I hope to advance initiatives already underway — particularly those aligned with accreditation readiness, curriculum quality, and faculty and student wellness. I also aim to strengthen collaboration across divisions so that decisions remain mission-driven and student-centered.”
A board-certified family physician and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Swarm received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from West Virginia Wesleyan College and an osteopathic medical degree from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a family medicine residency and a rotating American Osteopathic Association (AOA) internship, both in the Cleveland, Ohio, metropolitan area.
As a physician, she practiced family medicine in North Royalton, Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, before relocating to Lewisburg and joining WVSOM’s faculty.
Swarm has been recognized with multiple institutional awards. She received the Outstanding Family Physician Award at Ohio University and the AOA’s Mentor Hall of Fame Award, and has twice received the President’s Award for Excellence for Faculty Achievement at WVSOM.
While at WVSOM, Swarm has led projects in virtual reality and artificial intelligence. She worked with a third-year medical student to obtain grant funding to develop an app to allow medical students to access video of special physical diagnosis tests using wearable glass. A second app was later launched to provide access to the physical exam videos on YouTube.
In addition to her work at WVSOM, she is an associate editor for the West Virginia Medical Journal and serves as an accreditation reviewer for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. She is currently participating in the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s Senior Leadership Development Program.
James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM’s president, said Swarm brings a wealth of experience and dedication to her new role.
“Dr. Swarm has served WVSOM for more than two decades in leadership positions that have advanced curriculum integration, faculty development and simulation-based education. I am delighted that she has accepted this interim appointment, and I am committed to her success,” Nemitz said.
Swarm’s appointment follows the retirement of Linda Boyd, D.O., who had served as WVSOM’s vice president of academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer since 2021.