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West Virginia
“Almost Heaven” West Virginia, known for the picturesque Shenandoah River and breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, hides a treasure in its hills: West Virginia University.  The state’s flagship, land grant institution of higher education is also a Research I university that is Carnegie-ranked as practicing the “highest research activity.” West Virginia University’s achievements and aspirations are even more impressive because of the impetus that drives them: to provide high-quality education and healthcare and ensure prosperity for the people of West Virginia. Whether as national leaders in women’s soccer or leading the fight against obesity, diabetes, poor dental health and opioid addiction, WVU is going first.  At our lunch-time panel, three university leaders will share some recent triumphs and their visions for the future. Join us to hear from WVU Tech Campus President Carolyn Long on surpassing expectations with our transition to the new Beckley campus; Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Shane Lyons on reaching the women’s soccer College Cup with Olympic athletes and supporting the tenth Division 1 men’s basketball coach ever to surpass 800 wins; and Vice President and Executive Dean for Health Sciences Clay Marsh on expanding the Health Sciences Center Campus with $3 million dollars for lab and research office construction.

Dr. Clay marsh's Bio

Clay Marsh, MD, is West Virginia University’s chief health officer, and serves as a member of President E. Gordon Gee’s leadership team.  As WVU’s vice president for health sciences, he oversees five health sciences schools and three health campuses, and serves on the governing boards that determine policy and priorities for WVU Medicine and its component organizations. In addition, as executive dean, he is the leader of the WVU School of Medicine.

Considered a national leader in personalized and academic medicine, Dr. Marsh has acquired more than $20 million in National Institutes of Health funding as principal investigator, co-PI, co-investigator and mentor. He has published more than 140 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has been on the “America’s Best Doctors” list each year since 2002. His clinical interest is in determining how to help individuals stay healthy and defining a person’s biological age using genetic approaches.

Marsh holds more than 20 patents or patent disclosures. He has mentored more than 50 MD, MD/PhD and PhD doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers and junior faculty, being honored numerous times with faculty teaching awards.

He is a two-time graduate of West Virginia University, earning an undergraduate degree in biology in 1981 and a medical degree in 1985.

Prior to his appointment to the WVU leadership team in 2014, he served as senior associate vice president, chief innovation officer and the leader in personalized medicine at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.  Dr. Marsh served as both vice dean for research and vice dean for Innovation in the College of Medicine, where he founded the IDEA Studio in healthcare application and design.

Dr. Marsh serves on several national scientific advisory committees and on the scientific advisory committee for Caris Life Sciences. He is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Clay Marsh

Clay B. Marsh, M.D.

Vice President and Executive Dean of Health Sciences


Plenary Session 2: 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.