OME Advocate Newsletter

On April 14, 2026, the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health convened at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Bradenton's campus for a field hearing on “Modernized Health Care in Practice: Empowering Americans to Live Healthier Lives.” The hearing examined the urgent need to transition the U.S. healthcare system from a reactive, disease-management model to a proactive, prevention-focused approach. Witnesses, including Mark Kauffman, DO, MS Med. Ed., PA, dean of academic affairs at LECOM Bradenton, highlighted opportunities for integrating nutrition, early screening and advanced technologies into patient care and physician training to combat the rising rates of chronic diseases, and the urgent need for increased investment in training programs that respond to community health needs.

Dr. Kauffman emphasized the opportunity policymakers have to support medical education models like LECOM’s that focus on preventative healthcare and nutrition, reduce costs and expand access and invest in primary care for underserved communities. He also discussed the need for expanding residency programs in rural areas and reducing financial barriers on medical students, noting the significant connection between where students train and where they go on to practice. View AACOM’s summary of the hearing for more information.

Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced a bipartisan resolution designating April 13-19, 2026, as National Osteopathic Medicine (NOM) Week. NOM Week recognizes the service and dedication of DOs and colleges of osteopathic medicine nationwide.

This marks the fifth straight year the Senate has introduced a resolution celebrating NOM Week. Read the full text of the resolution.

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine thanks Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) for recognizing the growing impact of osteopathic physicians in strengthening the health of communities nationwide. We are especially grateful for their continued support of the colleges of osteopathic medicine, which now educate more than 38,000 future physicians committed to whole-person, patient-centered care. This bipartisan resolution and the observance of National Osteopathic Medicine Week highlight the essential role osteopathic medicine plays in expanding access to care and improving health outcomes across the country.

-AACOM President and CEO Robert A. Cain, DO

AACOM nominee, Brian Kessler, DO, DHA, MS, dean of the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine in Hagerstown, MD, was selected to serve on the U.S. Department of Education (ED)'s negotiated rulemaking committee on Accreditation, Innovation and Modernization (AIM). Dr. Kessler is serving as an alternate negotiator representing programmatic accrediting agencies.

We are proud to see Dr. Kessler selected for this important role and look forward to the expertise he will bring to the rulemaking process. With more than 25 years of experience in executive leadership in academic medicine, accreditation and regulatory compliance, Dr. Kessler is exceptionally well positioned to contribute to thoughtful, forward-looking accreditation reform. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Education for recognizing both his qualifications and the growing impact of osteopathic medical education.

-AACOM President and CEO Robert A. Cain, DO

ED convened its first AIM negotiated rulemaking session April 13-17, 2026. The second session is set to convene in May. These sessions seek to overhaul the accreditation system and could significantly reshape how higher education quality is defined and monitored. ED’s proposals focus on shifting accreditation toward data-driven student outcomes, easing barriers for new accreditors, limiting external influence, addressing cost and credential inflation and ensuring standards comply with federal civil rights laws. View AACOM’s summary of the first AIM session and read AACOM’s press release for more information about Dr. Kessler’s appointment.

On April 17, 2026, ED issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish a new postsecondary education accountability framework. Under the proposed rule, if the typical graduate of an undergraduate program does not earn as much as a high school graduate, the program will no longer be eligible for federal student loans. Public comments on the proposed rule should be submitted online by May 20, 2026.

Last week’s House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health field hearing at LECOM’s Bradenton Campus highlighted the osteopathic community’s leadership in primary care and expanding healthcare in underserved communities. Nearly three-fourths of osteopathic medical students go on to practice where they completed their residency training, so reducing barriers to DO candidates during residency application is critical in addressing the nation’s health workforce shortage. Tell your elected officials to cosponsor and pass the Fair Access In Residency (FAIR) Act, H.R. 2314/S. 2715!

Take Action!

• On April 16, 2026, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee to defend his budget and HHS priorities. He highlighted several priorities, including:
• Nutrition education in medical education, noting more than 50 medical schools have made commitments
• Rural health, highlighting a proposed $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund and a $135 million investment to extend rural residency programs and nutrition services
• Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about increases in vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, and questioned Secretary Kennedy on changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, as well as broader healthcare affordability issues and potential cuts to federal health programs.
• Secretary Kennedy also appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, addressing the administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request on April 16 and April 17. Additional hearings are scheduled for next week, including appearances before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.