PARKERSBURG — The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine will celebrate its 50th anniversary during a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Parkersburg Country Club in Vienna.

The event will include a presentation by James W. Nemitz, president of the School of Osteopathic Medicine. Nemitz will discuss the medical school’s accomplishments, its economic impact and the number of graduates who practice in the Central West region. The school has locations in Lewisburg, Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg, Bridgeport, Wheeling and Martinsburg.

The school was established in Lewisburg in 1972, first as the private Greenbrier College of Osteopathic Medicine in the former Greenbrier Military School.

The school went from private to public and was renamed the School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1976.

Nemitz is the seventh president of the school, having taken office in July 2018. He was the vice president for administration and external relations for eight years and is a tenured professor of anatomy.