Two women employed at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) have been recognized for their work throughout the state.
Drema Hill, Ph.D., MSP, WVSOM’s chief operations officer, and Katherine Hill Calloway, D.O., MPH, regional assistant dean for the South Central Region of WVSOM’s Statewide Campus, were named to this year’s “West Virginia Wonder Women” by WV Living magazine.
They are two of 50 women featured in the publication’s fall 2024 issue for being identified as leaders who raise the bar in their communities and force change for the greater good in their industries.
“I am pleased to join my female colleagues across the state who were selected to be honored as West Virginia Wonder Women,” Hill said. “We all have different areas of expertise, but together, we make West Virginia stronger.”
Hill received a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia State University, a Master of Public Service Management degree from Cumberland University and a Ph.D. degree in human services with a specialization in health care administration from Capella University.
The Boone County, WV, native joined WVSOM in 2016 and became one of the school’s vice presidents in 2019. She has more than three decades of experience in public health leadership, including positions with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, the Tennessee Department of Health, Vanderbilt University’s Nashville Health Management Foundation and Comprehensive Care Center, and the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Health Office. She currently serves as WVSOM’s vice president for community engagement and chief operations officer.
Hill develops and implements processes that help WVSOM achieve its strategic objectives. She also oversees the school’s Center for Rural and Community Health, Audio Visual and Production Department, Information Technology Department, Marketing and Communications Department and WVSOM’s rural health policy director. Her previous work in public health facilitates her ability to collaborate with external partners on statewide initiatives to improve the health of West Virginians.
“I have had a long career in public health and I still most enjoy working with community partners to foster and implement innovative ideas that improve health outcomes in disenfranchised populations. West Virginia is my home. I love the mountains and I love the people,” Hill said.
Before earning a D.O. degree from WVSOM in 2008, Calloway graduated from Wake Forest University with a double major in sports medicine and medical anthropology, and completed a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University.
She said she is honored to be recognized among so many women making positive change in West Virginia.
“It reminds me of how much strength we have in West Virginia. The things these women are doing are incredible and impactful in a way that will bring a legacy and will make a difference for generations to come,” she said. “To be considered part of that group of women is a huge honor and privilege.”
Calloway began working as a regional assistant dean in WVSOM’s Statewide Campus in 2022.The school’s Statewide Campus consists of seven regions across the state. In her role, she oversees third- and fourth-year medical student curriculum development and student clinical rotations. In addition to her duties at WVSOM, the Kanawha County native is the director of clinical development and provides inpatient care with HospiceCare West Virginia, the state’s largest nonprofit hospice service.
She has spent much of her adult life working overseas, with efforts such as assisting with post-conflict health care development in war-torn Kosovo, where she first managed a reproductive health program with the International Rescue Committee and later implemented health policy for 17 primary care health clinics as a health officer with the United Nations. She worked with the Clinton Foundation to reduce disparities in AIDS prevention and treatment in Mozambique, and with Emory University’s HIV clinic in Rwanda.
Years later she returned to West Virginia as a physician with Charleston Internal Medicine and then began serving in public health by shifting her practice to Cabin Creek Health Systems, where she developed and supported a nonpharmacologic pain management program as part of their medication-assisted treatment program for people in substance use recovery. She then moved to HospiceCare and WVSOM.
“The things I did globally were relevant to what we do here in our rural communities because there are so many similarities to chronic disease management or to working in areas that are resource poor. Coming back to West Virginia has been incredibly fulfilling to not only apply some of what we were doing with health care globally to our communities but also because this is part of my heritage,” she said.
WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., said he is proud of “wonder women” like Hill and Calloway whose careers as public health providers span decades and make West Virginia healthier.
“The women representing WVSOM have proven to be remarkable game changers in the health care industry and public health sector,” he said. “Dr. Calloway is a physician who has served communities locally and internationally, and Dr. Hill is an influential change-maker when it comes to public health and public policy in the state. Each year I am grateful that WV Living recognizes women for their successes and the impact they make.”
WV Living will honor the recipients at a West Virginia Wonder Women event on Oct. 30 in Charleston, WV.
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They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
At this point, Paul Hardesty, President of the West Virginia Board of Education, must be on the precipice of losing his mind. During a recent call with reporters, Hardesty again emphasized the dire financial outlook for the state’s public schools. Enrollment continues to decline, and more school closures and consolidations may be coming next year.
It’s not the first time Hardesty has sounded the alarm.
Hardesty has repeatedly pointed out that public schools are withering under the current school-aid formula and burdensome regulations.
Some state lawmakers have received the message but during the 2026 60-day legislative session, while there was more discussion that legislative action is needed to address growing financial strains, ultimately, there was not enough political will for state lawmakers to take any action.
Senator Amy Nicole Grady, R-Mason, chairs the Senate Education Committee and is a public school teacher. She has spent the last three years trying to educate her fellow legislators about the frustrations teachers and school officials deal with on a daily basis.
“We know it’s nothing new. It’s something we have discussed for at least three years now, knowing that we need to move forward and change that formula in some way. But how we change it, that’s the challenge,” Grady said during an appearance on Metronews Talkline.
Grady recognizes the “how” is the major stumbling block for legislators who must make difficult decisions and must then face unhappy constituents.
“It’s very, very difficult, and this is something that’s big that really takes a lot of thinking, and it can require a lot of hard, difficult decisions, and you also have that model of self-preservation.
“A lot of people are thinking, this is hard for me to make this decision. I don’t want to make this decision because it could mean my seat. But when it’s the right thing, it’s the right thing regardless.”
House Education Committee Chairman Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, has also been on the front line trying to build a case for legislators to support major changes. Statler has repeatedly emphasized the gap in special education funding, where costs continue to outpace revenues.
The number of special education students continues to grow, now making up nearly 21 percent of the student population.
It is not only the legislature that has not found the political fortitude to address public education. It has not been a priority for the executive branch either.
Gov. Morrisey focused his political capital on accelerating the elimination of the personal income tax and preventing changes to the Hope Scholarship.
You can’t help but question whether the lack of action is due to a lack of political will or indifference to public schools’ failure. There’s no doubt that outside interest groups, many of which have supported legislative campaigns, have indicated a preference for alternative education choices.
Either way, if lawmakers continue to ignore the tidal wave of financial failures in the public education system, they will have abdicated their constitutional duty to provide West Virginia students with a “free and efficient” education system.
For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the West Virginia Mountaineers women’s basketball roster will feature a West Virginia native.
Wheeling product Alexis Bordas transfers in after having a tremendous freshman season up the road at Duquesne, where she averaged 15.5 points (ranked fifth in the A-10) and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc. At season’s end, she was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
Morgantown’s Olivia Seggie was the last West Virginia-born player on the women’s hoops roster.
Of course, WVU was Bordas’ dream school. Pretty much her entire family went to school here and grew up coming to Mountaineer games, so Mark Kellogg probably didn’t have to do much convincing once he made it known that they wanted her.
“Chase Harler’s from Wheeling, so I came to a lot of his games. Jevon Carter, my brother, loved him. We watched a lot more of the men back then, but Kysre Gondrezick, she was someone that I always watched.”
When asked what it’s like to finally be in a Mountaineer uniform and practicing with the group, she responded, “Yeah, it’s great to finally be here and get to meet all my teammates and become such good friends with them already. It’s been super fun, and just seeing the difference from day one to now, and how much we’ve progressed already, it’s super exciting to see.
“All the fan support last night, we had an event, and just seeing all the fans and how it’s June, and everyone’s already so excited and rallies around this team,” she added. “I know it’s extra special being from West Virginia, and I’m sure lots of little girls will look up to me and hope to be playing here one day, so it’s great to be a role model for them, too.”
Nine times last season, Bordas registered 20+ points, and of course, as a true West Virginian would, she had her best performance against the Pitt Panthers, dropping 38 on them in an 84-69 win. She went 11/22 from the field in that one, including a 10/18 day from three-point range.
Bordas is a high-volume shooter from range, as 58.8% of her attempts came from downtown last season. When you shoot 34% from there and can maybe hit the high 30s, no one will care about the shot diet being so reliant on the three-ball.
Under the new rules, Bordas will have four years of eligibility remaining.
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