Four alumni receive national awards for family medicine

Four graduates of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), each a member of the West Virginia chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (WV-ACOFP), are being recognized by the national professional organization, which includes more than 26,000 current and future osteopathic physicians in the U.S.

The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians is presenting Deborah Schmidt, D.O., with its Osteopathic Family Medicine Educator of the Year; Chris Kennedy, D.O., with its New Osteopathic Family Physician of the Year; and Jessica McColley, D.O., with its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award on April 15 at the organization’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla. 

Additionally, Lorenzo Pence, D.O., a WVSOM Class of 1985 graduate who served as WVSOM’s vice president for academic affairs and dean from 2011 to 2014, will be inducted as a Distinguished Fellow during the conference. In 2024, he was presented the organization’s Excellence in Advocacy Award, which recognizes family medicine physicians who have significantly contributed their time and talents to health care policy issues at the local or federal level.

The ACOFP awards honor in-practice physicians, residents and students who make exemplary contributions to the field of osteopathic medicine. 

Shannon Warren, WVSOM’s executive director of alumni relations, said having alumni receive national recognition for their work in the osteopathic profession confirms that WVSOM graduates make an impact.

“We are proud to see our alumni recognized nationally by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians,” Warren said. “Their achievements reflect not only their individual dedication to patient care, education and advocacy, but also the mission-driven training they received at WVSOM. It’s especially meaningful to see others beyond our institution recognize just how exceptional our alumni are and the difference they make in health care every day. WVSOM alumni truly are the best, and their impact on patients and communities is remarkable.”

Schmidt earned her medical degree from WVSOM in 1988. After completing a family medicine residency at Community Hospital in Lancaster, Pa., and working at community health centers in Colorado, South Carolina and Virginia, she returned to Lewisburg, W.Va., and began teaching at WVSOM as a part-time clinical instructor in 1999. The following year, she co-founded a medical practice with her husband and another partner in downtown Lewisburg that later moved to Covington, Va. She became a full-time WVSOM faculty member in 2010.

Kennedy earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from WVSOM in 2017 and completed a family medicine residency at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, W.Va., where he received the program’s Resident Teacher Award.

Since joining WVSOM’s faculty in 2020, he has received numerous institutional and statewide awards acknowledging his many contributions to the osteopathic profession as a newer physician. 

McColley is a WVSOM Class of 2009 graduate and chief medical officer of Cabin Creek Health Systems, a comprehensive health system that operations seven main clinic sites and seven additional school-based health centers across Kanawha County. In addition to her role with Cabin Creek, she has a practice at Riverside Health Center. She completed a family medicine residency in Newport News, Va., and a maternal-child health fellowship in Chicago, Ill. She performs outpatient women’s health procedures in addition to treating newborns, pediatric patients and adolescents. 

Matthew Davis, D.O., of WVSOM’s Class of 2012, is the current president of the West Virginia’s state society of ACOFP. He said he’s proud to see three WVSOM graduates represent West Virginia on the national stage. 

“These honors reflect the strength of osteopathic family medicine in West Virginia and the meaningful impact our physicians have on patients, communities and the future of the profession,” he said. “They also speak to the exceptional training and mission-driven culture of WVSOM, which continues to develop physician leaders committed to advancing rural health, serving underserved populations and elevating the standard of care across our state and beyond.”