West Virginia Prevention Research Center

What West Virginia Prevention Research Center does

The West Virginia Prevention Research Center is a CDC-funded research center within the West Virginia University School of Public Health, located in Morgantown, West Virginia. One of only 26 Prevention Research Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nationally, it conducts public health research and community engagement focused on Appalachian health disparities, including diabetes, obesity, substance abuse, occupational injuries, and rural healthcare access. The center is embedded within WVU's School of Public Health — the first and only CEPH-accredited School of Public Health in West Virginia — which offers undergraduate, graduate (MPH, MHA), and doctoral programs across epidemiology, biostatistics, health administration, and social and behavioral sciences.

The underlying platform is academic rather than technological: a faculty of 30+ researchers covering 230+ research topics, situated in a university environment with no proprietary technology disclosed, no public-facing applications, and no AI/ML capabilities identified. The business model is institutional — a combination of state appropriations, tuition and fees from residential and online programs, federal research grants (CDC, NIH via WVCTSI), and private donations through the WVU Foundation. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the entity operates as a sub-unit within a public state university rather than a commercial enterprise.

The center serves three primary constituencies: prospective and current students pursuing public health careers; West Virginia and Appalachian communities hosting research and experiential learning programs; and federal/state agencies and healthcare partners (Monongalia County Health Department, WVU Medicine, Vandalia Health, Johns Hopkins, NIOSH) collaborating on research, internships, and workforce development. The go-to-market is academic admissions and community engagement, with no external investors, no stock listing, and no M&A activity.

Name

West Virginia Prevention Research Center

Legal name

West Virginia University School of Public Health

Website

https://publichealth.wvu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The West Virginia Prevention Research Center is a CDC-funded research center within the WVU School of Public Health, one of only 26 Prevention Research Centers nationally. It conducts public health research on Appalachian health disparities and trains graduate students in MPH, MHA, and PhD programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Academic and Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Schools of Public Health (EDAHAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Public health research
• Prevention research centers
• Graduate public health
• Academic health sciences
• Community health initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Morgantown, West Virginia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and fees: Revenue generated from student tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate public health programs including MPH, MHA, and PhD degrees.
2. Research grants and federal funding: The WVU School of Public Health receives federal funding including being home to the West Virginia Prevention Research Center, one of 26 Prevention Research Centers funded by the CDC, and receives NIH funding through the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
3. Private donations and scholarships: Private donations through the WVU Foundation support scholarships such as the Golden-Burkhardt Scholarship established by Dr. Joseph I. Golden and Dr. Margaret A. Burkhardt.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The West Virginia Prevention Research Center is a CDC-funded research center within the West Virginia University School of Public Health that conducts community-based public health research addressing health disparities in Appalachian populations, while the parent School delivers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral academic programs (MPH, MHA, PhD) in public health, health administration, epidemiology, biostatistics, and social and behavioral sciences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• West Virginia Prevention Research Center: One of only 26 Prevention Research Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A research center focused on public health research and community engagement housed within WVU Health Sciences.
• Student Association of Public Health (SAPH)
• Health Administration Student Association

Products and services

• WVU School of Public Health Academic Programs
• West Virginia Prevention Research Center
• Occupational Medicine Residency Program Graduate medical residency program in occupational medicine, the only such program in Appalachia, providing specialty training through NIOSH partnership.
• Online Master of Health Administration (MHA) Online Master of Health Administration degree program preparing graduates for healthcare management careers, with median wage outcomes of $110,680 for medical and health services managers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 230+ research topics covered by faculty and students
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Vandalia HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Healthcare system partnering on MHA student fellowships and career placement. Executive VP Jeff Sandene participated in State of Healthcare panel discussion.
• WVU Medicine / WVU HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Health system affiliated with WVU providing experiential learning opportunities, clinical placements, and career pathways for graduates. CEO Michael Grace participated in panel.
• Marshall Health NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Healthcare network partnering through executive participation in State of Healthcare panel discussions addressing industry trends.
• West Virginia Chapter of American College of Healthcare ExecutivesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 May 2026Professional healthcare management organization co-hosting State of Healthcare panel event with the School of Public Health MHA program.
• Iron SenergyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2024Private independent energy company that provided underground coal mine tour for students to gain hands-on understanding of occupational and environmental safety aspects of public health.
• Garrett Regional Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2024WVU MHA students visited the hospital for experiential learning, receiving tours and presentations on performance improvement and hospital administration from CEO Mark Boucot.
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research institute providing institutional network and partnership opportunities for the School of Public Health. The school is home to faculty like Dr. Margaret Kitt, Deputy Director at NIOSH.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency funding the West Virginia Prevention Research Center, one of only 26 Prevention Research Centers nationwide. The PRC focuses on public health research and community health initiatives.
• U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research institute partnered with the School of Public Health through the institutional network providing research and partnership opportunities.
• Monongalia County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity health partner hosting 20+ student interns annually, providing real-world public health experience. Recipient of 2025 Outstanding Community Partner Award.
• Monongalia County Child Advocacy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner mentoring 5 public health student interns annually in health education, advocacy, grant development. Recipient of 2026 Outstanding Community Partner Award.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Rural Health Convos virtual session series addressing shared healthcare challenges between Appalachia and Maryland, including cardiovascular health in pregnancy and social prescriptions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• East Tennessee State University College of Public Health: East Tennessee State University's College of Public Health is a public-health school focused on education, research, and community health in a rural Appalachian region. Its regional mission and applied public-health training make it a close comparator to WVU's school and Prevention Research Center.
• University of Kentucky College of Public Health: The University of Kentucky College of Public Health is a public university school offering public-health education, research, and community engagement. Its nearby regional setting and population-health focus make it a strong academic peer for WVU.
• University of Georgia College of Public Health: UGA's College of Public Health provides public-health degrees, applied research, and outreach, including rural and community-health work. It overlaps with WVU's academic, research, and community-partnership model.
• Emory University Rollins School of Public Health: Emory's Rollins School of Public Health is a private research-university school with broad public-health research, degree, and partnership activities. It is a scaled direct peer, particularly for federally connected and multidisciplinary research.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health: The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is a research-intensive public-health school with education and community or behavioral-health activities. It is comparable in institutional form and research scope, while serving as a larger regional counterpart.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health: UNC Gillings is a large, research-intensive School of Global Public Health with broad public-health education and research programs. It is a relevant direct peer because it combines public-health training with extensive research and community engagement.
• University of South Florida College of Public Health: USF's College of Public Health combines public-health education, research, and online or community delivery. Its multi-channel program and applied research profile make it a comparable peer for WVU's academic and experiential-learning model.

Broad incumbents

• University of Minnesota School of Public Health: The University of Minnesota School of Public Health is an established public-health school with interdisciplinary research, education, and community engagement. It is a broad incumbent comparator for WVU's research and workforce-development platform.
• University of Washington School of Public Health: The University of Washington School of Public Health is a large public-health school with broad research, education, and population-health programs. It provides a useful scaled comparator for a school seeking to expand research and regional impact.
• Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is a leading research-intensive public-health school with extensive academic and research capabilities. It is a broad incumbent peer and a useful benchmark for the upper end of the public-health-school category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wvupublichealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/WVUSchoolofPublicHealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wvprc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Virginia Prevention Research Center