Bob Foster, D.O. is a third-generation Arizona native. His mother, Nelle Dorris Greene Foster, was born there before it was a state. Her mother, Veronica Victoria Dorris Greene, picked cotton from Mississippi to Pima, Arizona, then settled in Phoenix in the 1880s when Wyatt Earp was still in Tombstone. His father, R. Lee Foster, M.D., was a pioneer in radiology in Arizona. It was his dad who ignited “Dr. Bob’s” passion for medicine which stuck with him since starting as a dark room boy at age 12.
Foster later went to osteopathic medical school at the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine and returned to Tucson to practice family medicine along with obstetrics and emergency medicine. He is board-certified in Family Practice and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and worked as the county medical examiner for 38 years in West Virginia. He has been active in many boards and committees in local, state and national organizations throughout his medical practice. He met the love of his life, Mary Leb, who was the “O” School’s photographer shortly after his move to the Mountain State. Leb had moved to Lewisburg West Virginia in 1976 to work as an actress with the Greenbrier Valley Theatre. Thus, their journey began and later included two daughters, Nikalee Foster Turner and Emma Foster.
[WVDN] Why did you choose to make Greenbrier County your home?
While practicing in Tucson, I began looking for a small town in the southwest to practice rural medicine. I received a phone call from an old friend, Paul Kleman, D.O., who told me he was working at a new osteopathic medical school whose mission was to train rural physicians. My ears perked up, and even though I was a dyed-in-the-wool “desert rat” and finding out it was in the East and a green place where it rained (West Virginia), I decided to take a look. It was three beautiful days in March of 1978 and lo and behold, I was on my way by May to Greenbrier County to assist Dr. Kleman with the school’s outpatient obstetrics and birthing center. At first, I wasn’t thinking about staying for an extended time, and in fact, I kept my house in Tucson for 11 years before I decided this was the place for me to stay. It was the people, students and the unique and important mission of the school that convinced me that I belonged here and this was where my Journey was taking me. This is why I later coined the expression that D.O. sometimes stands for Divine Orchestration. When people ask me how I got here, I usually point my finger up to the heavens and say……God!
[WVDN] Why did you choose your career as a physician, and especially in Osteopathic Medicine?
My journey led me to Osteopathic Medicine and I firmly believe Osteopathy “chose” me. Upon returning from the army, I completed my pre-med studies and began to apply to medical schools. While supporting myself as an X-ray technician during this time, I met a couple of D.O.s (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine). I asked my father about them and their philosophy of medicine. He encouraged me to find out for myself. I liked the way they treated patients and paid attention to their minds and spirits as well as their bodies. I had always been impressed that my father, as a Radiologist, cared for his patients in a similar fashion. When I applied to both professions, I was accepted by two Osteopathic schools and not one Allopathic (M.D.) school. I was still very happy as I just wanted to be a “doctor”.
[WVDN] You’ve been a long-time advocate for more rural physicians in West Virginia. Why do you think this is important?
I have worked with rural patients in the plains of the Midwest, the mountains of the Ozarks, Rockies, and Appalachians, as well as the deserts of the Southwest. Any rural person can tell you about the lack of access to health care (including emotional health), the prevalence of poverty, difficulty with transportation, and even access to healthy food. Rural America encompasses a large population (about 46 million people) that is at greater risk for many health issues as compared to urban citizens. West Virginia has some of the worst statistics when it comes to health issues. However, placing rural physicians in rural communities has proven to improve the quality of life and health for this population. Our graduates are demonstrating this every day, and because of this, WVSOM has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top medical schools in the country for over 20 years. One rural doc, through community involvement, can kick start its’ population on the way to healing their health challenges. I thank the state of West Virginia and its people for supporting the mission of WVSOM for these past 50 years.
[WVDN] Can you share a particularly memorable person or situation during your career and how it impacted you? How did it restore your faith in community and service?
The first President of WVSOM, who hired me in 1978, was Roland Sharp, D.O.. He grew up in Pocahontas County and attended Osteopathic Medical School at the first Osteopathic School in Kirksville, Missouri. Dr. Sharp returned to practice in the coal fields in southern West Virginia. He was a company doctor and delivered babies and treated all the miners and their families for more than 30 years. He joined WVSOM to lead the school in its early days. Once the school gained stability, he returned to his hometown of Frost, West Virginia, and practiced until age 103. At the age of 105, he told me “I should never have quit seeing patients”. When I asked him why he said, “Now I feel tired”. This enabled me to understand part of why he was loved and respected by his entire community and profession. He put his life and energy into his service to the community while also raising a family and outliving 2 wives. His relationship with the community was his source of energy to do the work he loved to do. This was a great awareness for me as it is the passion I have felt for nearly five decades as an osteopathic physician.
[WVDN] If you could go back in time and spend an hour with any West Virginian from history, who would it be and what burning question would you ask them?
I would be very interested in what the founders of WVSOM would think about our progress and journey as a profession. When the school was founded, there were only a little over 60 osteopathic physicians in the state, and it was a struggle starting a medical school on a shoestring. It really is a credit to the pioneer spirit and tenacity of the men and women who chose to brave it in the heart of this very rural Appalachian wilderness of medicine.
As many may know, I officially retired from WVSOM on my 77th birthday on July 31. However, I plan on remaining active in the profession and the life of WVSOM as it continues to move forward.
About The Greenbrier County Hero
Greenbrier County Hero is a weekly column highlighting interesting people living in Greenbrier County. The column was originally named “Meet a Greenbrier Countian” which ran in The West Virginia Daily News for multiple decades. If you know of a person or organization that embodies the spirit of humanitarian service, volunteerism and/or has exceptional talent, please, let us know! Send your nominations to hero@wvdn.com.
