MOULTRIE, Ga. — The second class of PCOM South Georgia will see another chief academic officer as Dr. H. William Craver III, DO ‘87, FACOS, takes over the position.

Craver will be balancing this position alongside his current one as PCOM South Georgia’s vice provost. He said he won’t be intimidated by the change.

Craver served as PCOM Georgia’s Department of Surgery dean and chief academic officer for over nine years before coming to the Moultrie campus. He was, as a press release put it, “instrumental in the conception and development of the Moultrie campus,” so he’ll be quick to adapt.

According to PCOM South Georgia Public Relations Specialist Jordan Roberts, the students have been quick to adapt as well. Though they will miss previous CAO, Michael J. Sampson, DO, FAOSM.

“Students, faculty and staff at PCOM South Georgia acknowledge and appreciate Dr. Sampson’s many contributions to the development of the osteopathic program in South Georgia,” a Jan. 31 press release read.

Sampson will be returning to “his first passion,” the classroom, at PCOM Georgia — the Suwannee campus.

Craver, a 1987 graduate of PCOM in Philadelphia, is neither a stranger to academics nor rural medicine given his background as a physician in Jasper, Georgia, and Hardinsburg, Kentucky.

And while working in Kentucky, Craver was the only physician in the county practicing in a hospital with 25 beds, an April 13 press release read.

“His passion for rural healthcare ultimately led him to Moultrie, where he was involved in the planning process before a shovel touched the soil at 2050 Tallokas Road,” the release also read.

Craver’s transition is expected to be a smooth ride. 

He has already worked closely with PCOM South Georgia’s Campus Officer Joanne Jones at the Philadelphia and Suwannee campuses, and had the year to work with the staff at the South Georgia Campus.

“Dr. Craver is committed to providing an excellent education for the 593 students enrolled in the osteopathic medicine programs in Moultrie and Suwanee,” Jay S. Feldstein, PCOM president and DO ‘81, said in the Jan. 31 press release.