The Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Health Sciences is seeking nominations and applications for new members of its advisory committee, which provides guidance on initiatives aimed at improving healthcare education in West Virginia.
“We are particularly interested in recruiting individuals who are interested in primary care and access to care in underserved areas,” said Dr. Cynthia Persily, Senior Director of Health Sciences. “We want our new membership to reflect our constituency groups – including community members, the higher education system, the healthcare system, and community-focused agencies.”
The Division of Health Sciences coordinates programs, policies, and collaborative activities among the state’s health sciences degree granting institutions and other stakeholders. It oversees the Rural Health Initiative and the Health Sciences Service Program, both efforts to recruit and retain healthcare providers in underserved areas of the state. Some of the Division’s current areas of interest are:
- Strengthening the state’s graduate medical education system,
- Supporting primary care practice-based research,
- Using geographic mapping to inform healthcare decision making, and
- Behavioral health workforce development.
Members of the committee can expect to discuss and review both ongoing and proposed division initiatives, and to focus on work that will expand the knowledge base of the division, especially in the areas of access to health care and the needs of underserved West Virginia communities.
A full description of the position requirements and responsibilities, as well as instructions for nominations and applications, can be found at www.wvhepc.edu/inside-the-commission/offices-and-affiliates/health-sciences/.
