NIH Senior Advisor Meets with AACOM Board of Deans
Published March 09, 2026
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy OME Advocate
Rick Woychik, PhD, senior advisor to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) director for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) strategy, spoke at the recent AACOM Board of Deans meeting. A molecular geneticist by training, Dr. Woychik previously served as director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.
The event provided COM deans with a better understanding of the MAHA framework and the new unified funding strategy within NIH. Dr. Woychik highlighted opportunities for greater collaboration with COMs and was provided insights into what osteopathic medicine has to offer NIH. This engagement is another important step in AACOM’s targeted strategy for increased osteopathic research and representation across all NIH institutes and councils.