meet our keynote speaker
Dr. cynthia persily
Incoming Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services – Dr. Cynthia Persily:
Cynthia Persily PhD is currently Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Dr. Persily provides oversight for a variety of rural health programs, as well as health sciences grant and scholarship initiatives, setting programmatic vision and expectations while advising program directors and participants. Special programs under the Health Sciences division focus on behavioral health, nursing workforce, graduate medical education, rural health, primary care research networks and vulnerable population needs. During the pandemic, Dr. Persily provided guidance and support to all public and private colleges and universities in their COVID response efforts. In 2022-2023, as Vice Chancellor, Dr. Persily led the Governor’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Initiative and the Governor’s EMS “Answer the Call” Initiative, working with the Governor, legislators, partners, and stakeholders to expand these crucial workforces to meet the needs of the citizens of West Virginia.
Dr. Persily’s career in West Virginia has spanned 30 years of service to the state and citizens. She spent 20 years at West Virginia University, eventually earning the rank of tenured Professor in the School of Nursing, serving as Associate Dean of Graduate Practice Programs prior to her departure in 2013. While at WVU, Dr. Persily had a faculty practice in a rural health clinic for over 15 years providing prenatal care to rural women as a nurse practitioner and served as the Co-Director of the HRSA funded WV Rural Health Research Center. In 2013, Dr. Persily took on the role of President and CEO of Highland Hospital and other affiliated Highland companies, providing strategic leadership to this behavioral health system for 7 years. Under her leadership, the system transitioned to Medicaid managed care for inpatient and outpatient services, opened a residential psychiatric treatment facility for children, and scaled mental health services to meet demand. Dr. Persily’s research has focused on vulnerable populations, rural health, and health care workforce issues. Dr. Persily previously held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University in Philadelphia.
Dr. Persily holds a BSN from East Stroudsburg University, an MSN in Perinatal Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD in Nursing and Health and Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a postgraduate certificate from West Virginia University as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Persily is a proud alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program, a national executive leadership program. She is also a graduate of Leadership America. Dr. Persily serves her community and state through board membership with the Red Cross Appalachian Region, United Way of Central WV, and the WV Supreme Court’s Judicial Investigation Commission. Dr. Persily resides in Charleston WV, with her husband Eric, an anesthesiologist, and is a proud parent to Alexandra, a recent graduate of the medical school at the University of Virginia, and Aaron, a strategic business analyst in Richmond, Virginia.
Cynthia Persily PhD is currently Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Dr. Persily provides oversight for a variety of rural health programs, as well as health sciences grant and scholarship initiatives, setting programmatic vision and expectations while advising program directors and participants. Special programs under the Health Sciences division focus on behavioral health, nursing workforce, graduate medical education, rural health, primary care research networks and vulnerable population needs. During the pandemic, Dr. Persily provided guidance and support to all public and private colleges and universities in their COVID response efforts. In 2022-2023, as Vice Chancellor, Dr. Persily led the Governor’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Initiative and the Governor’s EMS “Answer the Call” Initiative, working with the Governor, legislators, partners, and stakeholders to expand these crucial workforces to meet the needs of the citizens of West Virginia.
Dr. Persily’s career in West Virginia has spanned 30 years of service to the state and citizens. She spent 20 years at West Virginia University, eventually earning the rank of tenured Professor in the School of Nursing, serving as Associate Dean of Graduate Practice Programs prior to her departure in 2013. While at WVU, Dr. Persily had a faculty practice in a rural health clinic for over 15 years providing prenatal care to rural women as a nurse practitioner and served as the Co-Director of the HRSA funded WV Rural Health Research Center. In 2013, Dr. Persily took on the role of President and CEO of Highland Hospital and other affiliated Highland companies, providing strategic leadership to this behavioral health system for 7 years. Under her leadership, the system transitioned to Medicaid managed care for inpatient and outpatient services, opened a residential psychiatric treatment facility for children, and scaled mental health services to meet demand. Dr. Persily’s research has focused on vulnerable populations, rural health, and health care workforce issues. Dr. Persily previously held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University in Philadelphia.
Dr. Persily holds a BSN from East Stroudsburg University, an MSN in Perinatal Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD in Nursing and Health and Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a postgraduate certificate from West Virginia University as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Persily is a proud alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program, a national executive leadership program. She is also a graduate of Leadership America. Dr. Persily serves her community and state through board membership with the Red Cross Appalachian Region, United Way of Central WV, and the WV Supreme Court’s Judicial Investigation Commission. Dr. Persily resides in Charleston WV, with her husband Eric, an anesthesiologist, and is a proud parent to Alexandra, a recent graduate of the medical school at the University of Virginia, and Aaron, a strategic business analyst in Richmond, Virginia.
* Information and photo borrowed from: https://dhhr.wv.gov/leadership/Pages/default.aspx & https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2023/Pages/Gov.-Justice-appoints-three-secretaries-to-new-departments-of-Health,-Human-Services,-and-Health-Facilities.aspx