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William A. Neal Museum

Exhibits

William A. Neal – Main Exhibit

Our permanent installation focusing on the History of Medicine in West Virginia

Permanent exhibit

Over the past two centuries, health science practitioners in West Virginia have responded to local needs with innovation and personalized care, not only impacting the well-being of the Mountain State but contributing to national and global advancements in healthcare. The museum’s permanent exhibit strives to preserve and display stories and artifacts of cultural, artistic, historical, and scientific importance to the medical history of West Virginia and its flagship university.

Exhibit Features

History of Medicine in West Virginia: Winding roads, secluded homes and towns, the cost of medicine, access to healthcare providers, the opioid epidemic, an aging population, cancer, insurance, the environment, obesity. All are challenges for the healthcare system in West Virginia, and all provide opportunities for care, innovation, and collaboration. While not always a leader in healthcare, West Virginians have pioneered cesarean section births, medical licensure, cancer and cardiology breakthroughs, and the highest pediatric vaccination rates in the country. This part of the exhibit begins in colonial and frontier medicine and illustrates the evolution of healthcare in West Virignia.

The Evolution of West Virginia University and WVU Medicine: West Virginia University and WVU Medicine have played a pivotal role in healthcare in West Virginia. Collaboration between institutions of higher learning and the communities they serve inspires innovation and creative solutions, engaging practitioners, students, and patients.  WVU has had a tremendous impact on the health of West Virginia communities from Wheeling to Welch, leading research and discoveries that influence the practice of the health sciences beyond Appalachia. This part of the exhibit follows the creation of WVU as a leader in healthcare and medical education, from its foundation as a two-year medical school to the state-of-the-art institution it is today. 

School Island: This set of five exhibit cases highlights the history and contributions of the five schools within WVU’s Health Sciences: Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. 

STEPS Room & Anatomage Table: This space showcases the WV STEPS Patient Safety Simulation Center and features an Anatomage Table donated by Dr. And Mrs. John Mikita. The Anatomage Table is used for 3d anatomy visualization and virtual dissection. Students and visitors are welcome to utilize the Anatomage Table to study and explore 3D images of the human anatomy.


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  In the Museum Theater: 

  Orientation Video: “For a Healthier Future: The Evolution of Healthcare in the Mountain State” 

 “Against the backdrop of epidemic diseases like typhoid fever, the Spanish flu, Polio and Covid-19, this short video    traces the evolution in healthcare in West Virginia including the establishment of the medical school at WVU.” 


Current Exhibits

View the current lineup of our rotating exhibits

woman in white coat with stethoscope

The TRADITION OF THE WHITE COAT

 The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage that affirms the commitment of students to humanism in healthcare and marks their progress towards entering a career in medicine. Dr. Arnold P. Gold created the tradition of the White Coat Ceremony and the first White Coat Ceremony was held August 20, 1993, for the entering class of the College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University. This exhibit highlights the history of the ceremony and WVU School of Medicine's version of the annual tradition.

Location: Health Sciences Center – Neal Museum

WVU Childrens hospital

BUILDING HEALTHIER FUTURES

The opening of the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in 2022 was the culmination of decades of progress in pediatric care and education at West Virginia University. This exhibit follows this transformation from the opening of University Hospital, and the founding of the Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology, in 1960 to the construction of the new Children’s Hospital.

Location: WVU Children's Hospital – Lobby

Black and white photo of staff posed outside hospital building

AFRICAN AMERICAN HOSPITALS IN WEST VIRGINIA, 1900-1960

As the African American population increased in West Virginia, the need for medical care in the Black community intensified. The Mountain State’s Black population skyrocketed from roughly 18,000 in 1870 to nearly 118,000 by 1940. During the Jim Crow Era, West Virginia had more African American healthcare providers and hospitals than any other state in central and southern Appalachia. However, racial disparities in healthcare still existed, with Black West Virginians experiencing higher death and infection rates than White West Virginians.  

Location: Health Sciences Center – Pylons

Sketch of De Sales Hall at St. Mary's School of Nursing

ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL AND SCHOOL OF NURSING

St. Mary's Hospital in Clarksburg began as Harrison County Hospital in 1900 and operated until 1977. The School of Nursing trained 960 nurses between 1905 and 1969. St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing was also a trailblazer in West Virginia for admitting African American and male students.

Location: Health Sciences Center – Neal Museum