More than 400 osteopathic medical education deans, directors, faculty, administrators, advisors, students and association representatives convened in Bethesda, Maryland, April 15 – 18 for what many attendees are calling AACOM’s best Annual Meeting ever. If you attended the meeting but have not yet completed the

Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, DO, Dean of the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), served as Chair of the 2009 Annual Planning Committee, which worked tirelessly throughout the year to ensure a rich programmatic experience for conference attendees.

In addition to insightful keynote addresses by John P. Howe, III, MD, President and CEO of Project HOPE; Neera Tanden, JD, Counselor for Health Reform, U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources; Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration; and Howard Fineman, Senior Washington Correspondent & Political Columnist for Newsweek, the conference featured a variety of discussion forums and concurrent sessions exploring the critical challenges and opportunities confronting the profession. For full program information and links to many of the presentations, visit the AACOM website.

AACOM Board Chair Michael D. Adelman, DO, JD, Dean of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, served as Master of Ceremonies at the AACOM Awards Banquet, presenting AACOM’s Board, student and communications awards.

Frederick G. Meoli, DO, outgoing President of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), was presented with the AACOM Outstanding Achievement Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to osteopathic medical education. Dr. Meoli received his DO degree from the Kansas City College of Osteopathy and Surgery.  He spent many years in academic medicine, including service in various capacities at both the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – School of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Meoli became involved with NBOME in the 1980s, and became an NBOME Board member in 1988. His work eventually culminated in his appointment as President of the Board. Following a reorganization by NBOME, in 2002 Dr. Meoli became the organization’s first President and CEO. At the helm of NBOME, Dr. Meoli worked tirelessly on behalf of the nation’s colleges of osteopathic medicine and their students.

The William D. Miller Award was presented to Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, (who unfortunately could not be at the banquet) for her outstanding contributions to advancing the osteopathic profession. Dr. Wakefield, who delivered a Thursday morning plenary address at the meeting, has long been an advocate of rural medicine and during her address pointed to osteopathic physicians as the type of physicians most needed to help confront the nation’s health care challenges.

Marc B. Hahn, DO, received the Robert A. Kistner Award for his outstanding contributions to osteopathic medical education. The award is named for Dr. Kistner, who served at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University (CCOM) for 26 years (20 years of which as Dean). For more than 20 years, Dr. Marc Hahn has worked in and for osteopathic medicine and osteopathic medical education. He was recently named joint AACOM/AAMC Scholar-in-Residence, a historic appointment that will facilitate collaboration between the nation’s two medical education organizations. In the past, Dr. Hahn has served as dean of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine of the University of North Texas Health Science Center; a professor and division chief at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow. While at UNTHSC-TCOM, Dr. Hahn served on the AACOM Board of Deans, most recently as the organization’s Secretary/Treasurer.

The banquet also featured the induction of the inaugural members of AACOM’s recently launched National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators (NAOME). The Academy was designed to develop a community of outstanding educators who have met rigorous standards of academic scholarship. Visit the AACOM website for a full list of inaugural NAOME members.

Katie Perz, a third-year student from MSU-COM, received the prestigious National DO Student of the Year Award. Perz was selected for her outstanding service to her surrounding community. She is a volunteer youth soccer coach for the Capital Area United Soccer Club; has spent time mentoring high school students on the MSU campus; and helped collect toy donations for Habitat for Humanity during the holiday season. Last year, Perz was the president of the Student Government Association at MSU-COM and served as a member of AACOM’s Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents.  See her winning Student-DO-of-the-Year essay.  (2 pgs, pdf)

Dr. Adelman also presented various schools with AACOM Excellence in Communications Awards for their notable public relations, marketing, and publications work. The communications award winners, along with snapshots of their winning entries, can viewed on the AACOM website. (34 slides, 1.43 mb, pdf)

View the Annual Meeting Photo Gallery.

Mark your calendar for next year's AACOM Annual Meeting, to be held April 7 – 10, 2010. We will reconvene at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, MD.