September/October - West Virginia State Medical Association

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine | NEWS
Dr. Pence Named Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
and Dean at WVSOM
Lorenzo L. Pence,
DO, FACOFP, is
serving as the Interim
Vice President for
Academic Affairs
and Dean at the West
Virginia School of
Dr. Pence
Osteopathic Medicine
(WVSOM).
Dr. Pence, a tenured professor
of Family Medicine, is serving in
this position replacing Dr. Michael
Adelman, who was appointed Acting
President. In addition to his new
duties as Interim Dean, Pence will
continue to serve as associate dean of
Graduate Medical Education, a post
he has held since 2003. He also is the
chief academic officer of the Mountain
State Osteopathic Postdoctoral
Training Institutes and chairman
of the Southeastern Area Health
Education Center board of directors.
Previously, Pence served as
director of medical education
at three hospitals: Greenbrier
Valley Medical Center (GVMC)
in Ronceverte, WV, St. Vincent
Mercy Medical Center in Toledo,
Ohio, and The Toledo Hospital.
He also served as the director of
the Family Medicine program at
GVMC , the director of the Osteopathic
Family Medicine Program at Toledo
Hospital, the associate director of
the Family Medicine Residency
program at St. Vincent Mercy Medical
Center and the assistant dean of the
Northwest CORE for Ohio University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
(OUCOM) in Athens, Ohio.
Pence earned a Bachelor of Science
degree from Bluefield State College in
Bluefield, W.Va. He graduated from
WVSOM in 1985 and completed his
residency training in Family Medicine
at Parkview Hospital in Toledo.
Dr. Nemitz Named Vice President for Administration and
External Relations at WVSOM
James W. Nemitz,
Ph.D., has been named
Vice President for
Administration and
External Relations
at the West Virginia
School of Osteopathic
Dr. Nemitz Medicine (WVSOM).
In this position,
Dr. Nemitz will oversee marketing
and communications, rural outreach,
strategic planning, space allocation,
accreditation, special events and
will assist with legislative issues.
He will continue to lead WVSOM’s
new curriculum initiative.
Nemitz is a tenured professor
of Anatomy with 25 years of
service at WVSOM. Since 2004, he
served as the Associate Dean for
Preclinical Education overseeing
the first two years of the program.
Nemitz received his Bachelor
of Science degree in Biology from
Randolph-Macon College in
Ashland, VA, and his Doctorate in
Anatomy from the Medical College
of Virginia in Richmond, VA.
He has been the recipient of
numerous awards and honors,
including the George W. Northup
D.O. Distinguished Service Award, the
American Osteopathic Foundation’s
Educator of the Year award, and
Faculty Merit Foundation’s West
Virginia Professor of the Year award.
Dr. Schriefer Named Associate Dean for Pre-Clinical Education
at WVSOM
John A. Schriefer,
Ph.D., has been named
Associate Dean for
Pre-Clinical Education
at the West Virginia
School of Osteopathic
Medicine (WVSOM).
Dr. Schriefer
Dr. Schriefer, a
tenured Professor of Pharmacology,
replaces Dr. James W. Nemitz, who
is Vice President for Administration
and External Relations. During his
25 years at WVSOM, Schriefer has
maintained an active research lab.
Previously, he served as chairman of
the Research Committee and as the
Pharmacology course coordinator.
Schriefer received a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Biology from the
University of Missouri in St. Louis.
He earned his Master of Science and
Doctorate degrees in Pharmacology
from Purdue University in West
Lafayette, IN. Previously, Schriefer
served as an Assistant Professor of
Pharmacology at the Ponce School
of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
40 West Virginia Medical Journal