The mission of the West Virginia University School of Medicine is to improve the health of West Virginians through the education of health professionals, through basic/clinical scientific research and research in rural health care delivery, through the provision of continuing professional education, and through participation in the provision of direct and supportive health care. The School of Medicine’s goals include stimulating the interest of students and residents to practice in rural areas of West Virginia and to lead in the development of programs which maximize the State's investment in education by focusing on healthier communities, and targeting the needs of persons in West Virginia with special emphasis on high quality rural health care delivery and providing support to health providers.

The Graduate Medical Education programs of the School of Medicine provide a variety of clinical services to the citizens of West Virginia and the surrounding region. Our residents receive their training at Ruby Memorial Hospital, WVU Children's Hospital, Chestnut Ridge Hospital , and the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center in Morgantown, in Charleston and at the Eastern Division. They also provide services and train in hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices throughout the state as well as through an established network of outreach clinics in many local communities. Residents and fellows at WVU see patients from every county in the state.

Annually, our physicians care for more than 516,000 patients in outpatient settings and admit more than 28,000 patients to our teaching services. Our extensive outreach programs touch the lives of West Virginians in every part of our state.

A large percentage of West Virginia's healthcare professionals received some or all of their training at WVU. In 2004 there were 348 graduates of the Internal Medicine Residency Program alone in West Virginia continuing to serve our citizens. Their work is vital to the health of the state.

One national study listed WVU fourth in the world in the percentage of graduates who serve rural communities in the United States; this fulfills one of WVU’s core missions to serve the people of West Virginia.