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LEWISBURG -- For Josalyn Mann, D.O., one of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine's eight regional assistant deans, one day of the year stands head and shoulders above all others.
"There's nothing better than graduation day," said Mann, who leads the Central East Region of WVSOM's Statewide Campus. "Seeing students persevere through the challenges of medical school and walk across the stage is incredible. I've had students specifically ask me to hood them, and knowing that I've helped shape their education or made a difference in some way is almost like seeing your own child graduate."
WVSOM's Central East Region is home to the school's third- and fourth-year students who are on rotations at hospitals and medical centers in Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Elkins, Weston, Buckhannon, Gassaway and Morgantown. Mann is headquartered at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, though she spends much of her time traveling among the various facilities that partner with WVSOM to help train students during what are known as a medical school's "clinical years."
Mann was raised in Bridgeport, the daughter of a registered nurse and nursing educator who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees while Mann was in grade school. Her mother instilled in Mann and her two sisters the importance of learning.
"I remember seeing her better her education, pushing herself and staying motivated to improve things. She became our cheerleader, and she pushed us to be as well-educated as possible," Mann said.
While in junior high school, where her father was a math teacher, Mann discovered a love for science. In high school, an anatomy teacher nurtured her interest in medicine -- a profession she was drawn to for its emphasis on bringing comfort to others.
"I wanted to be able to help people by preventing and treating disease, but I've also always loved hearing people's stories," she said. "Everyone has a story to tell, and as their primary care provider, I get to hear about their lives and share in their joys and sorrows. I'm part of their support system."
Mann went on to earn a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.Va., and when the time came to accept an offer to medical school, the choice was easy.
"I applied to all three state schools, but my first interview was at WVSOM, and I fell in love with it. It felt right. It felt like home," Mann said. "I liked the small nature of Lewisburg, and everybody was warm and friendly and made me feel welcome. After that, I didn't even want to complete my other interviews, but I did, even though I'd decided I was going to WVSOM."
Mann graduated in WVSOM's Class of 2004 after spending an additional year working as a graduate teaching assistant in the school's Department of Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP). The experience allowed her to hone her skills in providing the hands-on therapeutic techniques that are part of the foundation of osteopathic medicine.