SWAG��Ƶ

Kirksville, Missouri, is familiar to anyone who studies osteopathic medicine because it is the home of A.T. Still University, the first osteopathic medical school. But that isn’t the town’s only claim to fame! It is also home to Jan Willcox, DO, FAOCFP-dist., longtime dean of the VCOM-Virginia campus and one of the longest serving SWAG��Ƶfaculty members.

Dr. Willcox grew up on a farm and attended a two-room country school just outside of Kirksville. Perhaps it isn’t all that surprising that she pursued a career in medicine; not only did she live in the birthplace of osteopathic medicine, but she was also the granddaughter of an allopathic physician, Cassius Marcellus Clay Willcox, MD. Although he was 40 years younger than Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine, they would have practiced medicine in Kirksville at the same time. Dr. CMC Willcox founded Willcox Drug Store on the square in Kirksville and his son, Mark C. Willcox, owned and operated the Drug Store for many years.

“As small business owners, my parents were at the store a lot and my brothers and I spent a lot of time there,” Dr. Willcox recalls. “That made me comfortable being around people with a variety of backgrounds. Back in the day, people would come from more rural areas to the square on Saturday morning to shop and socialize. I was also in 4-H, which was formative in helping me discover my interests in projects, competitions, and presentations.”

Dr. Willcox knew very early that she wanted to be a D.O. When she was 16, her first job was as a lab technician at the local hospital where she was born and later did her first clinical rotations. “I loved working in the hospital and seeing patients,” she says. “The doctors were osteopathic physicians and I had so many wonderful role models. I enjoyed the challenges and the interactions.”

Women in medicine and professional leadership roles were uncommon in those days. However, Dr. Willcox was fortunate to know a few women in those roles. The director of the lab where she worked was a woman who served as the anesthesiologist. That physician, Grace Sawyer, DO, instilled pride in professionalism and duty in medicine. Dr. Willcox’s family physician was also a woman. Strong female role models helped give the young Willcox confidence in the path she chose. “There were very few women in math and science, and other students would always be surprised that I was in science,” she says, “but that’s what I enjoyed the most.” She was good at it too, graduating early from her undergraduate program at Truman State University in Kirksville where she majored in biology and education while continuing her work at the hospital.

There were 20 women in her class at A.T. Still University - KCOM, but that was the first time there had been more than one or two, Dr. Willcox remembers. In those days there was a concern that a female might be taking the seat of a male who would be a more productive physician. “There were so many times when physicians presenting in class, and particularly on rotations, didn’t have much experience with women being in this role.” It was even difficult at first for her to find a place to change into scrubs. Despite the challenges, Willcox remembers having wonderful mentors—both male and female. “They supported the choices I was making and took me under their wings,” she says. “On an early third-year rotation, the surgeon who delivered me at birth, Earl Laughlin, DO, called me in to assist in an appendectomy the first night of the rotation. It was an exciting start to my clinical experiences.”

Dr. Willcox was on campus in 2002, even before the first students arrived, having joined the faculty as the associate dean for clinical affairs and research. In that role, she worked on the development of the College’s curriculum, built relationships with hospitals to develop core teaching sites, recruited physicians and worked with administrative and community support systems in preparation for students moving to those communities for their third and fourth years of medical school.

The work wasn’t easy. One of the biggest challenges she faced, particularly in those early years, was that there were so few DOs in Virginia. “People didn’t understand our training and that we practice the full scope of medicine,” she recalls. Even so, she didn’t have any trouble finding physicians in the area to help teach students. “What I found was that there were many physicians, even in the more rural communities, who had such a wealth of knowledge, many of whom had taught previously, and they really wanted to share that knowledge, build the future in their communities and be connected to medical education.”

In 2014, Dr. Willcox was promoted to dean of the VCOM-Virginia campus. The dean of the Virginia campus serves as the academic and administrative leader for the campus, coordinating all academic functions within the medical school. The dean works with individuals and committees within the campus and serves in partnership with the academic deans of the other campuses of the College. This is under the direction of the president, provost and advisory board. The dean directs, guides and provides mentorship to the associate deans and faculty members. Following policy, the dean administers the approved budget.

Through the last two decades, Dr. Willcox has never lost her passion for VCOM’s mission. She truly enjoys the outreach aspect of the SWAG��Ƶexperience, whether that is rural Appalachian outreach or international outreach. On campus, students practice what they have learned in class on other students, who are generally healthy. Outreach experiences give them a chance to see real patients for the first time—with supervision, of course—and find that there are so many things they can do to help them. “I’ve seen so many times where students realize they have gained more knowledge than they thought they would. I love those aha moments. Being able to see and talk to an individual who is living with a health issue they have been studying provides relevance and solidifies the knowledge” Dr. Willcox observes.

Throughout her career, Dr. Willcox has been a committed leader within the osteopathic medicine profession. She has been a member of organizations including the likes of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association (VOMA), the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV), the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) and the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), just to name a few. Not only has she been a member of many organizations, but she has also held leadership positions in those organizations, including the board of directors for VOMA, MSV and the OIA. In fact, her exemplary leadership led her to be recognized as the Outstanding Female Leader for 2020 by the ACOFP.

Whether formal or informal, the responsibility of leadership has always been integral to her view of the role of a medical practitioner. “When I was in clinical practice, I always took on leadership responsibility in the hospitals I was working in because it was an opportunity to make an impact on the quality of care for the patients and the collegiality of knowing the other physicians in your community,” Dr. Willcox says.