Changing Health

We want West Virginia to be the healthiest state.

As a land-grant institution, West Virginia University serves the people of West Virginia. At Health Sciences, we take that mission seriously. It’s why our students participate in rural rotations. Why our physicians serve our community members. It’s why our students work with state-of-the-art technology and the latest techniques in medical treatment. Everything we do here ripples throughout the state.

We’re fueled by a desire to reduce the burden of disease and illness for our citizens. We want West Virginians to be happier, healthier and safer in their communities.

All of that begins with seeing opportunities for change — and going first in bringing that change to reality.

A statewide network of care.

West Virginia has some of the nation’s hardest-hitting health issues. WVU Medicine, with facilities in communities across the state, is seeking to transform the lives of West Virginians — through research, education and excellence in patient care.

When Guillain-Barré syndrome left me almost paralyzed, I saw nursing care from the patient’s perspective. I felt nursing is the most influential profession in the country, because we take care of people at their most vulnerable state.
Seth Burk School of Nursing

Signature Programs

Our commitment to improving the lives of West Virginians is paramount to everything we do. We have identified five key areas that allow us to aggressively target major health disparities in the state and deliver real medical solutions that have a genuine impact on our citizen’s health.

The WVU Cancer Institute, Heart and Vascular Institute, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Critical Care Institute and WVU Medicine Children’s are tackling big issues that plague our state’s citizens and others around the world — cancer, heart disease and stroke, Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurological conditions, substance use disorder, obesity, women and children’s health, injury prevention and more.

Centers & Institutes

Understanding, and eliminating, vexing health problems requires specialists and researchers who are collaborating across the organization and with peers and partners in the industry. With numerous centers and institutes, we are advancing care in Alzheimer's disease, cancer research and treatment, heart and vascular care, as well as developing strategies to combat the country’s opioid crisis.