Chancellor and Executive Dean Clay B. Marsh
Clay B. Marsh, M.D., serves as chancellor and executive dean for Health Sciences at West Virginia University, where he oversees the university’s five health science schools and leads efforts to advance healthcare education, research and clinical care across the state.
Meet Clay
Dr. Clay Marsh is a nationally renowned leader in academic medicine, personalized health care and pulmonary and critical care. He has dedicated his career to helping individuals achieve better health and building innovative ecosystems that make it easier for people to thrive.
As West Virginia University’s chief health officer and chancellor for health sciences, Dr. Marsh is committed to addressing West Virginia’s most pressing health challenges and finding impactful solutions that improve well-being across the state and beyond.
Pursuing Excellence
As chancellor and executive dean of WVU’s Health Sciences Center, Dr. Marsh leads five health professions schools—dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health—along with statewide allied health programs and clinical operations. He also serves as West Virginia University’s lead representative and spokesperson in health, health education and academic medicine at the national and international levels. Co-leading WVU Medicine, the state’s largest health care provider and employer, he has helped drive WVU Medicine’s expansion into a $7.5 billion health system with nearly 25 hospitals.
Since joining WVU in 2015, Dr. Marsh has been instrumental in recruiting more than 1,500 physicians, physician-scientists and researchers to serve West Virginia communities. Under his leadership, WVU has advanced five signature programs—the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, WVU Cancer Institute, WVU Medicine Children’s and WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute—and formed innovative partnerships, including the Purpose Center, Training program for Special Forces Medics, the Fresh Tissue and Research and Development Laboratories, Healthy Harrison and the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management.
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Protecting Our Communities
In response to the challenges of the pandemic, Clay was appointed COVID-19 czar by Gov. Jim Justice in March 2020. In this role, Clay coordinated the state’s response to COVID-19 by collaborating with federal, state and local agencies, health officials, researchers and other agencies aiding in the effort. In addition, Clay advocated for the personal responsibilities of West Virginia’s citizens to help reduce the impact of COVID-19 across the state.
In December 2022, Clay was appointed as an adviser to Gov. Justice and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to assist with the implementation of organizational improvements and a leadership transition.
Favorite Anecdote
A young boy walking along the beach found many starfish washed up on the shore. As the child stood there putting the starfish back into the water, a man approached and told him there was no use — the starfish would be washed back up on the shore by the ocean, where they would die. The child responded that for those that are saved, it will matter to them.
Embracing Home Among the Hills
A proud West Virginian, Clay grew up near the state’s capital of Charleston as the son of a distinguished newspaper editor. He is a two-time graduate of West Virginia University, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1981 and a medical degree in 1985. Following medical school, Clay completed residency training in internal medicine; a research fellowship in pulmonary and critical care; a chief resident appointment in internal medicine; a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine; and an extension research fellowship in pulmonary and critical care – all at Ohio State University.
Clay served as a faculty member and administrator at Ohio State University from 1993 until his appointment at West Virginia University in 2015. During that time, he held a wide range of teaching, clinical, research and administrative roles at the Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, served as director of the Critical Care Institute and led its nationally recognized program in personalized medicine. While serving as senior associate vice president and chief innovation officer, he established Ohio State University’s Innovation, Design and Applications Studio.
Understanding Through Exploration
Clay's research has focused on defining the underlying mechanisms that determine health and disease. His research interests include the molecular regulation of longevity and epigenetic controls of aging. He holds more than 20 patents or patent disclosures. He has mentored more than 50 M.D., M.D./Ph.D. and Ph.D. doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers and junior faculty, and won a number of Ohio State teaching awards. He has been responsible for more than $20 million in National Institutes of Health funding as principal investigator, co-principal investigator, co-investigator and mentor, and has published more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
He has served on national scientific advisory committees for organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Thoracic Society, the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation and GlaxoSmithKline. He is currently on the Scientific Advisory Board of Caris Life Sciences. He is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Enjoying Life’s Moments
Clay’s family includes his wife, Gail Marsh, a former healthcare administrator, and the couple’s three children, Rachel (husband Caid), Cameron and Matthew, and their two dogs, Eva and Max. Clay enjoys reading, writing, walking and meditating.
Favorite Quote
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”