Students Begin Medical School Journeys, Step into the Future of Pharmacology Education and More
Published December 10, 2025
Campus Roundup Inside OME
WVSOM Shares New Strategic Framework
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) has always been guided by a foundational concept that drives the school toward success. Now, four pillars will help guide the medical school as part of its new strategic framework, which includes a new vision, mission statement and strategic goals for the next five years.
“A strategic plan is an essential part of any higher educational institution’s growth and will allow us to be successful in continuing to evolve as a respected school,” said James W. Nemitz, PhD, WVSOM’s president. “We never want to rest on our laurels, which is why it’s always important to reevaluate where we want this school to go in the future. Defining specific areas of importance, along with actionable goals to implement, will ensure we deliver an exceptional education for our medical students and graduate students.”
Read more about WVSOM’s strategic planning process and vision for the next five years.
Following His Calling: How Thomas McKinley Found His Way to Med School at 51
For Thomas McKinley, first-year medical student at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana), the path to medical school has been anything but ordinary. Born and raised in rural northeast Louisiana, Thomas graduated from a high school class of just 10 students. “Let’s just say I wasn’t top of the class,” he said with a smile. “In fact, there were people who weren’t sure I’d graduate at all.”
After high school, Thomas didn’t have a clear plan, but he knew one thing for sure: He wanted to serve others. He explored many jobs, from construction to restaurant work, before discovering his true passion for emergency medicine. “Becoming a paramedic changed everything,” he said. “Not only did I love the work, I thrived in it.”
For more than 30 years, Thomas served rural communities across northeast Louisiana. In the final decade of his career, he worked as a flight paramedic and educator, providing vital access to care and training others to do the same.
Read more about Thomas’ inspiring journey to becoming a physician.
Trailblazing KCU Alumna Champions Service, Medicine and Giving Back
From the cockpit to the clinic, few have broken as many barriers as Rebecca E. deVillers, CAPT, MC, USN, DO. One of the first women to serve as a U.S. Navy flight surgeon and a leader in both military and civilian medicine, she has spent her career paving the way for others.
A 1976 graduate of the Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM), her career has been defined by service to her country, her patients and the osteopathic profession. Commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in 1973, she became the tenth woman in history to be designated a naval flight surgeon. Her first assignment took her to Naval Air Station Brunswick in Maine, where she deployed to Spain, Iceland and Portugal, caring for service members and their families.
Read more about Dr. deVillers’ groundbreaking military and medical career.
Bridging the Gap: Carolina Restini on Causal Mechanistic Reasoning and the Future of Pharmacology Education
When Carolina Restini, PharmD, PhD, an associate professor in the Michigan State University Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, talks about teaching pharmacology, her enthusiasm fills the room. A pharmacist by training with a PhD in pharmacology, she has spent nearly a decade at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) refining how future physicians approach one of the most complex areas of medicine. Her most recent research, published in June 2025, focuses on causal mechanistic reasoning, or CMR, a way of thinking that connects cause and effect to explain why things happen.
Her goal is clear. “It is not enough for students to memorize a drug name or a list of side effects. I want them to think critically about why a drug works and how it works,” Dr. Restini said.
Read more about Dr. Restini’s innovative approach to pharmacology education.