LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – Twenty-four West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) students will receive financial assistance through the generosity of five organizations that have provided scholarships through the WVSOM Foundation, the school’s nonprofit office responsible for charitable and philanthropic efforts.
The WVSOM Foundation hosted a July 30 reception on its Lewisburg, W.Va., campus celebrating the Maier Foundation, Encova Foundation, Dr. William B. Mullen and Jennifer White Scholarship, Stephen C. Shy, D.O., MBA, Memorial Scholarship and James F.B. Peyton Scholarship recipients.
A total of $99,000 was awarded for the 2026-27 academic year through the five organizations.
Donette Mizia, WVSOM’s executive director of foundation relations, said she is proud to witness the growth of the reception each year, as more donors recognize the need to support future physicians.
“Each year, this reception reminds us of the incredible impact philanthropy has on our students and on the future of health care. Seeing donors and scholarship recipients connect underscores how lives are changed through generosity and shared purpose,” Mizia said. “We are proud to celebrate these students, and we’re grateful to the organizations and individuals who invest in their success. Their support helps ensure that future physicians can pursue their medical education and, in turn, improve the health of communities throughout our region and beyond.”
Since 2021, the Maier Foundation — a private, nonprofit charitable corporation based in Charleston, W.Va., that focuses on higher education — has challenged the WVSOM Foundation with an escalating scholarship match. The grant requires the foundation to raise funds for scholarship endowments or for current use. Maier Foundation scholarship recipients for the current academic year were Bridgette Altizer, Matthew Cheuvront, Hannah Hunter, Jayden Wilkerson and Palmer Sexton, all from the Class of 2030.
The Encova Foundation created scholarships funded by an endowment at WVSOM in 2016, when the organization was known as the BrickStreet Foundation. The Encova Foundation of West Virginia is a charitable arm of the Columbus-based Encova Insurance, which also funds the Encova Foundation of Ohio.
The Encova Scholars Award recipients for the current academic year were Class of 2027 students Jacqueline Cole, Autumn Horner, Gianna Liguori and Leya Zarrelli; Class of 2028 student Evan Ballard; Class of 2029 student Japneet Sarai; and Class of 2030 students Olivia Deem, Delyar Delavari, Tyann Dotson, Blake Flinchum, Hanah Gartland, Maria Irfan, Ana Jimenez-Tadlock and Chaysee Putnam.
The Dr. William B. Mullen and Jennifer White Scholarship was created in recognition of Dr. William B. Mullen of Logan, W.Va., a physician who cared for his patient, Jennifer White, who passed away in 2011. This year’s recipients were MaKenzie Harness and Amanda Hensley of WVSOM’s Class of 2030.
The Stephen C. Shy, D.O., MBA, Memorial Scholarship endowment was established in honor of WVSOM alumnus Stephen C. Shy, D.O., who passed away in 2020 but left behind a legacy of health care service that extended far beyond his Huntington, W.Va., home base. His son, Stephen Shy II, D.O., a WVSOM Class of 2001 graduate, business partner Robert Hess, M.D., and other OVP Health administrators, including his other son, Stacey, helped establish the scholarship. This year’s recipient was James Egnor of the Class of 2030.
This was the first year the James F.B. Peyton Scholarship was recognized during the reception. Peyton passed along his wealth by leaving a $57 million bequest. The fund supports charitable endeavors that benefit Greenbrier County residents. Angus Peyton, the donor advisor, awarded the grant request to the WVSOM Foundation in 2021 to initiate the endowment. Class of 2030 students Josi Ervin and William Gabbert were this year’s recipients.
Ervin, a native of Lewisburg, W.Va., said it is an honor to attend medical school in the town in which she was raised and that it is heartening to know donors support the institution.
“I’ve wanted to attend WVSOM since I was about 6 years old. Growing up here, I was always around it, and it’s a full-circle moment being a first-year student,” she said. “We need more doctors, especially in West Virginia, so it’s awesome to know people are pouring back into our school and its mission.”
WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., thanked donors for their contributions.
“We greatly appreciate your generosity and support of future physicians — people who will go out and serve this state and beyond in a way that really makes a difference,” he said.
