Director - Coalfield Health Center
CAREER SUMMARY
After graduating from nursing school, I worked clinically for four years in both inpatient and outpatient settings and for both for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals. I continued to work clinically while obtaining my Masters degree in Health Care Administration where I graduated with honors. I have an extensive background including physician recruitment experience, credentialing, HR, 340b pharmacy, grant writing and grant management, federal reporting, physician recruitment and retention, compliance, facilities, and management.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
11/2013- Present Coalfield Health Center Chapmanville, WV
Executive Director
Responsibilities: I am responsible for the direction of a federally qualified health center look-alike including, federal reporting, staffing, finance and billing, state and federal compliance, research oversight, educational opportunities, clinical oversight, electronic medical records, grant funding, and daily operations. Our clinic has 37 employees.
5/2009-2/2012 Logan Regional Medical Center Logan, WV
Director-Physician Recruitment
Responsibilities: I was the sole director of physician recruitment reporting to the hospital CEO to effectively recruit and retain physicians for a 140-bed for-profit facility.
Education
Licenses/ Certifications
Registered Nurse WV current # 66747
Memberships
Awards
DIRECTOR OF RURAL OUTREACH - WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Janet Hinton, M.S., became WVSOM’s director of rural outreach in October 2018, a position in which she manages projects, programs and grants involving rural outreach activities. From 2010 to 2018, she served as program coordinator for WVSOM’s Rural Health Initiative program. Prior to joining WVSOM, Hinton served for 10 years as an assistant professor of medical assisting and allied health. Hinton has a Master of Science degree in health sciences and a Bachelor of Science degree in health education and wellness.
She has more than 29 years of experience in rural and emergency medicine in underserved areas of West Virginia. Hinton is a member of the National Rural Health Association and serves on the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Health Advisory Board. Additionally, she was appointed to the National Surface Mine Rescue Advisory Board to assist in planning and implementing first aid scenarios for competitions across the U.S. Hinton is passionate about rural health and enjoys seeing WVSOM’s students stay in or return to the state to improve the health care needs of West Virginians. She has been a member of the West Virginia Rural Health Association since 2010, serving on the organization’s board of directors since 2017 and becoming president-elect in February 2023.
CAMC - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NETWORK DEVELOPMENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PARTNERS IN HEALTH NETWORK
More information coming soon!
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MARSHALL UNIVERSITY JOAN C. EDWARDS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
More information coming soon!
PRESIDENT - SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY, AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
More information coming soon!
PRESIDENT - WEST VIRGINIA DRUG INTERVENTION INSTITUTE
Dr. Susan Bissett is the president of the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute and is committed to reducing overdose deaths in West Virginia.
Bissett has over 25 years of administrative experience with non-profits and higher education. She is fiercely committed to public health and health education. Most recently, she has developed and implemented opioid prescription and medication safety programs aimed to educate all young people and the public about the dangers of prescription and illicit drug use/misuse. She is an advocate for evidence-based prevention programming, harm reduction services, and common sense SUD response. Susan has written over 100 articles to date with her most recent publications focusing on harm reduction programming, medication safety, and increasing the pipeline of healthcare professionals in Appalachia. When not combatting the substance abuse epidemic or on her yoga mat, she can be found on a yoga mat, exploring the mountains of West Virginia, or curled up with her two dachshunds and a good book!
ASSISTANT DEAN - WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Dr. Bob Foster, D.O. is the Assistant Dean for Osteopathic Medical Education and Professor of Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM). He is a native of Arizona and practiced Family Medicine with OB and Emergency Medicine in Tucson before coming to WVSOM in 1978 because of its mission to train rural physicians. He was previously the Associate Clinical Dean responsible for all the clinical programs at hospitals and clinics all around the State of WV. Dr. Bob served as Deputy Medical Examiner for 38 years, was Medical Director of 3 ambulance squads, was on the founding Board of the Family Refuge Center, Served on the Board of WV Children’s Home Society, 11 years on the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine, Greenbrier Valley Health Alliance, Child Abuse Task Force, and many other community organizations. His current passions in medical education include: the Rural Enhancement Program (with hand chosen Medical Students from every class), teaching reversing degenerative disease with Nutrition in Medicine, Spirituality in Medicine, International Medicine and the uniqueness of Osteopathic Medicine.
SENIOR RESEARCH SPECIALIST, WVU OFFICE OF HEALTH AFFAIRS
Courtney A. Hereford is an experienced researcher driven to enhancing holistic health and care among WV communities.
In her role with West Virginia University’s Health Affairs Institute (HAI), Courtney provides dynamic research and evaluation support in collaboration with the WV DHHR in efforts to expand and enhance mental and behavioral health services for WV youth and families. Courtney is a proud WV native and a returned Peace Corps volunteer with dual masters and fellowship in the science of public health and social work (MSPH, MSW) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining HAI, Courtney was the research director for the Center for Rural and Community Health at the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine in partnership with the WV Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Courtney is passionate for holistic health access and equity with research and programmatic experience spanning refugee and migrant resettlement, child protective services, workforce services, LGBTQ+ and underserved communities across WV, the Carolinas, and abroad. She is board member and conference chair of the WV Rural Health Association and has been active across local inclusion efforts including Greenbrier Valley Pride, Greenbrier County Health Alliance, Race Matters, Lewisburg Literary Festival, and Communities in Schools.
Education
MSPH, Master of Science of Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
MSW, Master of Social Work, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
BA, Political Science, College of Charleston, SC
VP COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR RURAL & COMMUNITY HEALTH
More information coming soon!
VICE PRESIDENT - MEDICAL STUDENT PRIDE ALLIANCE, BOARD MEMBER, GREENBRIER VALLEY PRIDE, COMMUNITY OUTREACH CO-CHAIR, HEALTH YEAH!, INTERN, WVSOM CENTER FOR RURAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH (CRCH), WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
More information coming soon!
WVU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RURAL PROGRAMS, PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY
Professor Department of Pediatrics
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Executive Director WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health
Larry A. Rhodes, MD is a Professor of Pediatrics at West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine in Morgantown, WV. Dr. Rhodes has served on the faculty at WVU School of Medicine from 1991 to 1995 and 2005 until present. A native of West Virginia, he is a 1980 graduate of Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi WV and a 1984 graduate of WVU School of Medicine. Following medical school, he completed a Pediatric Residency at WVU Children’s Hospital and a Cardiology Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. He served as the Pediatrics Residency Program Director from 1993-1995. He then spent ten years at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as the Director of Pediatric Electrophysiology and on the fellowship recruitment committee. With his return to WVU in 2005 he served as the Chief of Pediatric Cardiology until 2012 when he became the Chairman of Pediatrics. Dr. Rhodes stepped down as the Chair of Pediatrics in July 2016 to take on a full-time role in rural and community medicine. He has served on several hospital committees including the UHA Board, Medical Executive Committee, and the Ruby Memorial Hospital Planning Committee. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and was named Rural Practitioner of the Year in 2013 by the National Rural Health Association. He has received the resident teaching award 6 times as a faculty member in Pediatrics. Dr Rhodes has published over 60 peer reviewed articles, 10 book chapters and is an editor of a textbook on pediatric pacing and electrophysiology. He has over 30 years of experience in mentoring medical students and residents. He is hopelessly devoted to the State of West Virginia, its people and their health.
VP FOR GOV. & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AT CAMC
The health of people in rural and underserved communities has been the guiding light of Bob Whitler’s life ever since he was a Peace Corps volunteer in the west African nation of Senegal, bringing clean water to isolated villages, 50 years ago.
Since then, Bob has become one of the leading figures of West Virginia’s public health community.
After moving to West Virginia from his native Illinois (via Senegal) in 1968, he worked for WVU Extension Service and then for the Charleston Division/ WVU Medical Center.
In 1978 Bob and his wife and young son lived in Sierra Leone, where Bob was Associate Peace Corps Director for Health and Rural Development.
Back in West Virginia, he worked for the West Virginia Hospital Association establishing its first small and rural hospital committee and was Vice President for Public Policy.
Bob is now Executive Director of the Partners in Health Network, Inc., a collaborative network of healthcare organizations, and Vice President for Government and Community Affairs at Charleston Area Medical Center.
We need this diversity of ideas, to come together to work toward real solutions.
Bob says that right now is a pivotal moment for West Virginia as it struggles to address the massive public health crises that threaten the future of the state.
“Our challenge is both exciting and daunting at the same time,” he says.
Its why Bob believes so strongly in the importance of the West Virginia Rural Health Association.
“Something very powerful happens when you bring together players from different sectors of the healthcare community, from universities and researchers to the folks working in hospitals and clinics,” he says. “We need this diversity of ideas, to come together to work toward real solutions.”
As Chair of West Virginia Rural Health Association’s Policy Committee, Bob is eager for the state’s health community to drive positive changes to local laws and legislation that tackle real health problems.
In particular, he’s excited to explore the potential of community paramedicine in West Virginia’s rural communities, allowing licensed paramedics to provide an expanded range of health services to patients in isolated areas.
“The West Virginia Rural Health Association is the focal point for very important issues that impact the entire state,” Bob says. “Our ability to improve the health of people in West Virginia has a massive impact on everything, from the strength of our workforce, our education system, and what the future looks like for our kids and our grandkids. There is no greater challenge right now.”
RETIRED - NURSING PROFESSOR GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE
More information coming soon!
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - HOSPICE COUNCIL OF WEST VIRGINIA
Chris Zinn is the former executive director of the Hospice Council of West Virginia and a registered nurse with a Master of Science in Palliative Care from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She began her nursing career at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and after moving to West Virginia in the early 1980s, she started working as a hospice nurse with Kanawha Hospice Care, dba HospiceCare, initially as a volunteer nurse. From 1998-2000, she was on the Steering Committee for the WV Initiative to Improve End-of Life Care funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Through this grant, she worked as a palliative care nurse at St. Francis Hospital, one of West Virginia’s first palliative care programs. She was the administrator of the first hospice inpatient facility in West Virginia, the Hubbard Hospice House, from 2001-2017. In 2021, she was recognized in the WV Executive’s Healthcare Hall of Fame. After retiring from the Hospice Council in 2022, she continues to facilitate the WV Serious Illness Care Collaborative. She is passionate about advocating for improved access to hospice and palliative care as well as access to affordable quality health care in rural areas of West Virginia.
Executive Director
More information coming soon!
Director - Coalfield Health Center
CAMC - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NETWORK DEVELOPMENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PARTNERS IN HEALTH NETWORK
BOWLES RICE, PLLC
PRESIDENT - SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY, AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
ASSISTANT DEAN - WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
VP COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR RURAL & COMMUNITY HEALTH
WVU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RURAL PROGRAMS, PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY
RETIRED - NURSING PROFESSOR GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE
Executive Director
DIRECTOR OF RURAL OUTREACH - WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MARSHALL UNIVERSITY JOAN C. EDWARDS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
MARSHALL UNIVERSITY BS/MD - FOUNDER OF THE GIVING PALM
PRESIDENT - WEST VIRGINIA DRUG INTERVENTION INSTITUTE
SENIOR RESEARCH SPECIALIST, WVU OFFICE OF HEALTH AFFAIRS
VICE PRESIDENT - MEDICAL STUDENT PRIDE ALLIANCE, BOARD MEMBER, GREENBRIER VALLEY PRIDE, COMMUNITY OUTREACH CO-CHAIR, HEALTH YEAH!, INTERN, WVSOM CENTER FOR RURAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH (CRCH), WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
VP FOR GOV. & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AT CAMC
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - HOSPICE COUNCIL OF WEST VIRGINIA
