Marshall University Athletics
2023-24 Champions Advisory Board Roster
Roster
Bob Hess
Robert A. Hess, MD, FAAFP, is the president, co-founder, and medical director of OVP HEALTH, a Huntington, WV based provider of emergency department and hospitalist staffing and management services, inpatient and outpatient substance use disorder treatment services, and outpatient primary health care services in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and South Carolina.
An accomplished health care professional, Dr. Hess earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Marshall University in 1980. During his studies, he had the opportunity to work in medical research, which helped him discover his love of medicine. After graduating from Marshall University School of Medicine in 1984, he then completed an internship and residency in family medicine at Riverside Methodist Hospital, in Columbus, OH, between 1985 and 1987. Soon afterward, Dr. Hess found success with Huntington Internal Medicine Group (HIMG), eventually becoming president of the large physician practice.
In 1999, Dr. Hess partnered with the late Stephen C. Shy, DO, to establish Ohio Valley Physicians, now known as OVP HEALTH. For the past 23 years, he has been instrumental in leading the tremendous growth and success of the company, which now employs nearly 500 people.
Outside of his primary responsibilities as president and corporate medical director of OVP HEALTH, Dr. Hess dedicates himself to supporting Marshall University, including service on the board of directors of the Marshall University Foundation, and the establishment of a diversity internship program with Marshall’s Lewis College of Business, which provides hands-on work opportunities for master’s degree students of color, working in health care administration.
In light of his work in the health care field and his many contributions to his alma mater, Dr. Hess was honored by the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine as the 2019 Distinguished Alumnus and was recognized with the School of Medicine’s Award of Distinction in 2021 and 2022. In May of 2021, Dr. Hess was named a recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who, which also named him a Distinguished Humanitarian.
In addition to his outstanding support of Marshall University and the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Dr. Hess also serves as a member of the Visitors Board of Medical University of South Carolina. Additionally, he is a member-elect of the Marshall University Foundation board of directors.
Dr. Hess and his wife, Jannell, are the proud parents of Jonathan Hess, MD, and Stephanie Hess Jarrell, who both work in leadership positions at OVP HEALTH. Dr. Hess and Jannell are also the adoring grandparents of Kaden, Luke, and Ellie Hess, and Eleanor Jarrell.
