Jill Cochran, Ph.D., a professor at WVSOM among 2025 ‘West Virginia Wonder Women’
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.
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.
The Health Plan awards Full Medical School Scholarship to WVSOM's Lenzie Stiltner of Matewan
Seated Left to Right: Principal Brandon Cline; Jeff Knight, President & CEO of The Health Plan,
Scholarship Winner Lenzie Stiltner; English Teacher Elizabeth Cline; Delegate Mark Dean,
Director of CTE; Don Smith, Associate Vice President of Government and
External Relations, WV School of Osteopathic Medicine
A Matewan native is attending medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) without the burden of tuition and fees thanks to a medical scholarship program offered by The Health Plan (THP).
WVSOM first-year student Lenzie Stiltner has been awarded The Health Plan Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees and is renewable for four years, allowing Lenzie to graduate medical school without worrying about those costs.
“I am truly grateful to The Health Plan for awarding me this scholarship, which allows me to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a physician,” Stiltner said. “Growing up in Matewan I was shaped by a community that instilled in me the values of resilience, compassion, and service. My goal is to return home after my training to practice rural medicine, giving back to the community that raised me and working to improve access to quality healthcare within our region.”
Since 2009, The Health Plan has provided more than $3 million in full scholarships to more than 50 medical and nursing students who attend West Virginia institutions and intend to practice healthcare in West Virginia. Stiltner is one of four students awarded a full medical scholarship this year.
“Our team was really taken with Lenzie’s pride in her hometown of Matewan and her passion for improving healthcare access in rural West Virginia,” said Jeff Knight, President and CEO of The Health Plan. “We anticipate great things from Lenzie and know her hard work, compassion and love for Mingo County will serve our state well.”
James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., president of WVSOM, congratulated Lenzie.
Nemitz thanked Knight and The Health Plan for offering the scholarship program at WVSOM, which educates an average of 800 medical students each year. According to a report by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the school is No. 1 in producing both primary care physicians who practice in West Virginia and who practice in rural areas of the state.
“With this program, The Health Plan is directly impacting the physician shortage in West Virginia. WVSOM is appreciative that The Health Plan includes osteopathic medical students in its scholarship program. Medical school is not inexpensive. This scholarship, by financially assisting recipients who want to stay in West Virginia, benefits not only our students but the state,” Nemitz said.
Lenzie’s family, several members of the faculty at Mingo Central High School and other local leaders attended the announcement. Associate Vice President for Government and External Relations Don Smith represented WVSOM.
Seated Left to Right: Principal Brandon Cline; Jeff Knight, President & CEO of The Health Plan,
Scholarship Winner Lenzie Stiltner; English Teacher Elizabeth Cline; Delegate Mark Dean,
Director of CTE; Don Smith, Associate Vice President of Government and
External Relations, WV School of Osteopathic Medicine
A Matewan native is attending medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) without the burden of tuition and fees thanks to a medical scholarship program offered by The Health Plan (THP).
WVSOM first-year student Lenzie Stiltner has been awarded The Health Plan Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees and is renewable for four years, allowing Lenzie to graduate medical school without worrying about those costs.
“I am truly grateful to The Health Plan for awarding me this scholarship, which allows me to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a physician,” Stiltner said. “Growing up in Matewan I was shaped by a community that instilled in me the values of resilience, compassion, and service. My goal is to return home after my training to practice rural medicine, giving back to the community that raised me and working to improve access to quality healthcare within our region.”
Since 2009, The Health Plan has provided more than $3 million in full scholarships to more than 50 medical and nursing students who attend West Virginia institutions and intend to practice healthcare in West Virginia. Stiltner is one of four students awarded a full medical scholarship this year.
“Our team was really taken with Lenzie’s pride in her hometown of Matewan and her passion for improving healthcare access in rural West Virginia,” said Jeff Knight, President and CEO of The Health Plan. “We anticipate great things from Lenzie and know her hard work, compassion and love for Mingo County will serve our state well.”
James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., president of WVSOM, congratulated Lenzie.
Nemitz thanked Knight and The Health Plan for offering the scholarship program at WVSOM, which educates an average of 800 medical students each year. According to a report by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the school is No. 1 in producing both primary care physicians who practice in West Virginia and who practice in rural areas of the state.
“With this program, The Health Plan is directly impacting the physician shortage in West Virginia. WVSOM is appreciative that The Health Plan includes osteopathic medical students in its scholarship program. Medical school is not inexpensive. This scholarship, by financially assisting recipients who want to stay in West Virginia, benefits not only our students but the state,” Nemitz said.
Lenzie’s family, several members of the faculty at Mingo Central High School and other local leaders attended the announcement. Associate Vice President for Government and External Relations Don Smith represented WVSOM.
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine hosted Concord University President Bethany Meighen and her team — Dr. Amanda Sauchuck, Associate Provost; Dr. Michael Bean, Associate Professor of Education; and Andrew Sulgit, Chief Grants & Government Relations Officer — on the WVSOM in Lewisburg on Oct. 16.
During the meeting, President James Nemitz was joined by Gail Swarm, Assistant Dean of Clinical Sciences; Brian Griffith, Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences; Matthew Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences; Ronnie Collins, Executive Director of Enrollment; and Don Smith, Associate Vice President of Government and External Relations.
WVSOM and Concord have a strong working relationship and the meeting allowed the sharing of ideas.
During the meeting, President James Nemitz was joined by Gail Swarm, Assistant Dean of Clinical Sciences; Brian Griffith, Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences; Matthew Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences; Ronnie Collins, Executive Director of Enrollment; and Don Smith, Associate Vice President of Government and External Relations.
WVSOM and Concord have a strong working relationship and the meeting allowed the sharing of ideas.
Machelle Linsenmeyer, Ed.D., West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine's (WVSOM) assistant vice president of institutional effectiveness and academic resources and the chair of the school's AI Task Force, talks with Caleb Oaks of 59 News WVNS TV about the Task Force. Linsenmeyer also participates in the AI Advisory Workgroup with the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), an organization that supports all U.S. osteopathic medical schools.
Rod Doss, D.O., WVSOM Class of 2003, and a member of the United States Navy, presents WVSOM President Jim Nemtiz with a U.S. Military Challenge Coin.
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine leadership was represented at the West Virginia Business Roundtable annual meeting on Oct. 13 at the University of Charleston. Thee was a presentation on data centers.
WVSOM hosted a Fall Fest on Oct. 6-10. These are photos from the event.
WVSOM hosted a Fall Fest on Oct. 6-10. These are photos from the event.
The 2025 American Osteopathic Association’s Osteopathic Medical Education Conference (OMED) took place in Nashville, Tenn. These are photos from WVSOM's participation and activities at OMED.