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Media Advisory: WVSOM Commencement Ceremony is Friday at 2 p.m.

National osteopathic leader Ira Monka will provide keynote speech during West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine graduation

LEWISBURG, W.Va. – The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will welcome Ira P. Monka, D.O., as its keynote speaker during the school’s 47th annual Commencement Ceremony.

Ira P. Monka

Monka, who is the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) president for 2023-24, will deliver the speech during the 2 p.m., May 3, ceremony on the WVSOM campus in Lewisburg. The AOA is the representative member organization for more than 186,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students in the U.S. Its goal is to promote public health, encourage scientific research and advocate on behalf of the profession with regard to state and federal issues.

Monka is board certified in family medicine. He also has served the AOA as third vice president, Bureau of State Government Affairs member and program chair for the Osteopathic Medical Conference and Exposition.

A fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, Monka practices at the Medical Institute of New Jersey in Cedar Knolls, N.J. New Jersey Monthly magazinenamed him a “Top Doc” for several years. He is a past president of the New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons.

Monka earned an osteopathic medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, N.J., now known as the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed an internship at the former Humana Hospital in South Broward, Fla., where he served as chief resident, as well as completing a residency at what is now known as Overlook Medical Center in Union, N.J.

WVSOM’s Commencement Ceremony will be available to view live at www.wvsom.edu.