Founded in 1974, WVSOM is one of three medical schools in West Virginia and the sole institution that grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

WVSOM currently has 778 students,[5] and focuses on primary care and rural medicine.

[5] Extensive renovations started in 1992 and continue into the present time, with construction just completed on a new 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m2) building that includes exam rooms and laboratory space.

The basic premise of osteopathic medicine is that a physician's primary role is to facilitate the body's inherent ability to heal itself.

[8] In addition to a medical education, students at WVSOM also learn holistic techniques and are trained in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), manual-based therapies used to relieve pain, restore range of motion and foster the body's own ability to heal itself.