SUTTON, W.Va. — Three-year-old Jessica Dennison once announced to her mother, “I want to be a doctor when I get big.” She did. Now, Dr. Jessica Dennison McColley will receive a national award from the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians.
The award, which recognizes individuals fostering inclusivity within osteopathic medicine, will be presented to McColley at the ACOFP National Conference in Orlando, Florida, on April 15.
The journey from a three-year-old’s declaration to a successful career in medicine and the upcoming honor has alternated between relatively easy and sometimes close-to-overwhelming experiences. McColley has survived them all and currently serves as the chief medical officer of value-based care and regional medical director for West Virginia and Kentucky for MedCap Health.
Educated in Braxton County schools, McColley loved school because she loved—and still loves—learning. She noted that she “[has] always loved science because there is always something new and interesting to learn, especially in medicine and technology.” However, she also likes literature, which she explained “has been a very familiar and comfortable subject for me.” Not surprisingly, this doctor writes poetry.
Teachers throughout her public school career recognized her love of learning. An elementary school teacher referred to her as “bright and inquisitive, always prepared for class,” and possessing “a thirst for knowledge.” A high school science teacher saw her as “an excellent student who easily assimilated information” and one “happy to help others.” Another science instructor saw her as “a very dedicated student” who “had clear goals.” Still another called her “challenging” and noted she always demanded to “know why” and was unsatisfied until she did know why.
Following her 2002 graduation from Braxton County High School, McColley enrolled at Alderson Broaddus College. There she found two individuals who, she noted, inspired her. Inspiration came from Dr. Yam Tong, “who immigrated from Hong Kong to Chicago with the clothes he had on and worked his way through medical school and residency. He was amazing.”
Other inspiration came from her advisor, Dr. Tatiana Ahmed, who informed her that she didn’t need a bachelor’s degree to go to medical school. “So I don’t have one,” McColley declared. “I learned that I needed only 90 hours, including the required subjects. Of course I had to pass the MCAT. I did both and was admitted to West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.” She graduated in 2009 and went into residency.
In residency, she worked as a family medicine intern. Since this was “right before continuous work-hour rules, a 24-hour shift often bled into 36-hour shifts,” which accounted for one of the true challenges she met early in her medical career. An even more difficult challenge came after she finished residency and went into fellowship, a special one-year program. Hour rules did not apply, so she “worked 100-120 hours a week delivering babies in Chicago, Illinois.”
“Fellowship was the most physically challenging. By far,” McColley noted. “Working 100-120 hours a week is grueling. You forget your name. You fall asleep at the red light on the five-mile drive home.” In addition, she experienced sexual discrimination, which she said caused “the most mentally challenging time of my career,” then added, “I persevered nonetheless.”
Following all of this, McColley was recruited to work with the FQHC Cabin Creek Health Systems. Since then, she has become a leader in her field and has spoken locally, regionally, and nationally on various medical subjects, including co-location of family planning services with substance use disorder clinics, advancements in ADHD treatment, integration of behavioral health services in primary care, and integration of gender care in primary care.
Dr. Jessica Dennison McColley began her quest to become a doctor at the age of three. She achieved that goal and is now a well-known, successful doctor. She lives with her husband and three children in Elkview.