AACOM President and CEO Featured on AHA Podcast Highlights Osteopathic Medicine’s Role in Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce

Dr. Cain discusses how osteopathic medicine addresses physician shortages while meeting healthcare needs

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Bethesda, MD) – The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) is highlighting the growing role of osteopathic medical education in addressing the nation's physician shortage through a new podcast conversation with the American Hospital Association (AHA).

In the episode, AACOM President and CEO Robert A. Cain, DO, joins AHA to discuss how colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) are helping strengthen the healthcare workforce by preparing physicians to practice in primary care and in rural and medically underserved communities, where shortages remain among the nation’s greatest healthcare challenges.

“We have been building our schools in locations where they're needed. We've been connecting to the community side of the healthcare system. And we're prepared to be able to deliver care in the places where Americans need it most.”

-Dr. Cain

Osteopathic medical students now account for nearly 30 percent of U.S. medical students, making osteopathic medicine one of the fastest-growing segments of the nation’s healthcare workforce. Drawing on findings from AACOM’s 2025 Osteopathic Medical Education Impact Report, Dr. Cain explains how COMs are expanding access to care by educating physicians who are more likely to enter primary care and serve communities with the greatest need.

The conversation also examines how osteopathic medical education aligns physician training with today’s healthcare delivery system. Through community-based clinical rotations, partnerships with local hospitals and health systems and training experiences outside traditional academic medical centers, COMs are creating physician pathways that strengthen recruitment, improve retention and better reflect where patients receive their care.

Dr. Cain also spotlights an innovative partnership demonstrating this model, the Northeast Pennsylvania Clinical Education Consortium, which connects health systems, educational institutions and community organizations to expand clinical training opportunities while supporting local workforce development.

The episode offers practical insights into how medical education partnerships can help address physician shortages, strengthen community-based care and improve long-term healthcare access.

Listen to the full episode: The Osteopathic Approach to Building the Workforce Patients and Health Systems Need.

About AACOM:

Founded in 1898, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) is the leading voice for the education and training of physicians who practice osteopathic medicine in settings across the medical spectrum—from primary care to the full range of medical specialties. We support our member colleges of osteopathic medicine in their efforts to attract and train individuals who are fueled by a desire to make a difference in our healthcare system by treating the whole person and building a future emphasizing health and wellness for all people. Today, more than 38,000 future physicians—close to 30 percent of all U.S. medical students—are being educated at one of our 48 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine, encompassing 75 teaching locations in 36 states. To learn more about AACOM, please visit our website.

Contacts:

Joseph Shapiro
Director of Media Relations
(240) 938-0746
jshapiro@aacom.org

Christine DeCarlo
Senior Manager of Media and Public Affairs
(202) 603-1026
cdecarlo@aacom.org