The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) vice president of academic affairs and dean and chief academic officer will retire Jan. 6, 2026, after more than four years of service to the medical school in Lewisburg, W.Va.
Linda Boyd, D.O., began working at WVSOM in summer 2021 when the school was still navigating the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing to change its decade-old curriculum. The school’s Finding Health curriculum was in part Boyd’s vision, whose passion has always included fostering a kinder, gentler medical school environment for students that also promotes wellness.
“I wanted to create a curriculum where there was more nutrition and a focus on health and prevention as well as disease and treatment. As that evolved, I wanted a schedule where there would be Friday exams with Thursday off and I wanted, if possible, some breaks so students could have substantial rest between courses or in the middle of a semester,” she said. “As educators, we need to do a better job of supporting medical students so they can find balance, health and wellness. Incorporating time to decompress and reinvigorate oneself is important for all of us.”
Boyd believes she and WVSOM’s faculty have created that environment with the new curriculum. It incorporates wellness, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and preventive medicine. It was named for a quote by A.T. Still, D.O., M.D., the founder of osteopathic medicine, that states: “To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease.”
Under the curriculum, students spend their first two years at WVSOM completing eight organ system-based course blocks along with two integrated longitudinal courses — Clinical Skills and Osteopathic Principles and Practice — and two curricular threads. Courses balance guided independent learning activities with in-class activities, hands-on labs, medical simulation and simulated patient and virtual reality encounters where students apply what they have learned.
When she first became WVSOM’s dean, Boyd oversaw a pandemic task force that made decisions for the school on government regulations and school operations regarding COVID-19.
During her time at WVSOM, she also initiated a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences program, which after only a year has nearly doubled in class size.
“That is a program that has been discussed for 16 years by the Board of Governors and WVSOM leadership and I got that going quickly. It has been more successful than I would have imagined. A majority of the students in the first graduate program class were able to move into medical school programs, which was the goal,” she said.
She also made ultrasound education a priority at WVSOM, procuring handheld and portable equipment for student use, and was a proponent of increasing the use of medical simulation such as virtual reality and manikins.
WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., said Boyd enriched the school during a time when the world was coping with a global health issue.
“Dr. Boyd provided a gentle approach when students, faculty and staff needed it the most. She has continued keeping students’ best interests in mind and has always understood the importance of health and wellness. I have learned a lot from her — how we all need to take better care of ourselves,” Nemitz said. “She has been an incredible dean who has made significant contributions to our academic program. While we will miss her, we are excited to find a dean who can be another visionary for WVSOM.”
Though Boyd is not a West Virginia native, she said she appreciates Appalachian culture and the genuine nature of its residents.
“There is a community spirit here and everybody wants to help each other. I see that every day at work and with our students. I also see that in the community where I live,” she said. “WVSOM is a wonderful school. When I moved here, I quickly learned that it was the best kept secret in the country, and my goal was to not have it be a secret. I wanted to get the word out and to highlight all the wonderful resources WVSOM has and what a great place it is to learn.”
Before joining WVSOM, Boyd spent eight years as a senior associate dean for academic affairs at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM) in Stratford, N.J. She joined RowanSOM in 2013 and helped the school transition from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine — where she received her medical degree in 1984 — to Rowan University.
Boyd completed a rotating osteopathic internship and a family medicine residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, N.J. She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has remained clinically active throughout her career, including work in osteopathic manipulative medicine.
WVSOM is interviewing candidates for vice president of academic affairs and dean. Boyd will continue to serve as a part-time faculty member until June 30, 2026.