The American Academy of Osteopathy Celebrates GivingTuesday, joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement on November 28, 2023

Jasmine Eisinger, Communications
American Academy of Osteopathy
Phone: 317-879-1881
Email: [email protected]

Indianapolis, IN, November 13, 2023 – This GivingTuesday, The American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) will inspire generosity by raising funds for osteopathic medical students to attend the premier hands-on osteopathic medical conference, Convocation. Convocation is scheduled for March 2024 and is the largest hands-on neuromusculoskeletal specialty college conference in the country, boasting over 1,000 physician, resident, and student attendees.

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on November 28, 2023, and throughout the year.

All funds raised during GivingTuesday for the Nicholas S. Nicholas student scholarship fund assists osteopathic medical students (OMS)—over one quarter of all medical students in the US—to attend Convocation.

“A deep, heartfelt thank you for awarding me with financial assistance from the Nicholas S. Nicholas fund for Convocation! This helps me tremendously and I am very excited to attend,” said Hannah, a second-year OMS.

Other recipients of scholarship funds last year reflected on their Convocation 2023 experience.

“I thoroughly enjoyed convocation and deepening my [osteopathic manipulative medicine] knowledge,” said Kimberly. “There were so many great sessions, and I learned so many new avenues of treatment I can explore in the future. The knowledge available at Convocation far exceeded what I had learned thus far in the classroom and made me feel far more confident in my intrinsic diagnostic skills. Thank you again for the opportunity!”

Other funds accepting donations include the annual Golden Ram Society campaign, the AAO Journal fund for osteopathic medicine research, or the Anne L. Kempf Memorial Fund for CME post-graduate education.

GivingTuesday was launched in 2012 as a simple idea: to create a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past 11 years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

People demonstrate generosity in many ways on GivingTuesday. Whether it’s helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving to causes we care about, every act of generosity counts. GivingTuesday has raised billions of dollars for critical causes around the world and gets billions of impressions on social media from people and organizations speaking up for the causes that matter to them and encouraging others to get involved in their communities.

“GivingTuesday inspires people all around the world to embrace their power to drive progress around the causes they care about, not just on one day but throughout the year,” said Asha Curran, GivingTuesday’s CEO, and co-founder. “With country and community leaders, millions of organizations, and countless givers of all kinds, GivingTuesday is creating a shared space where we can see the radical implications of a more generous world.”   

If you are interested in joining AAO’s GivingTuesday initiative, visit the AAO donation page, visit the AAO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/American.Academy.Osteopathy or the AAO X (formerly Twitter) page https://twitter.com/AmAcadOsteo

For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit the GivingTuesday website www.givingtuesday.org, Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday or follow @GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday on Instagram

About The American Academy of Osteopathy

The United States currently has more than 120,000 osteopathic physicians. Also known as DOs, osteopathic physicians are fully licensed physicians, as are MDs. The profession has grown 63% in the past decade and nearly 300% over the past three decades. Osteopathic physicians prescribe medicine and practice in all specialties, including osteopathic manipulative medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery. They are trained to consider the health of the whole person and to use their hands to help diagnose and treat patients.

The mission of the American Academy of Osteopathy is to teach, promote, and research the science, art and philosophy of osteopathic medicine, emphasizing the integration of osteopathic principles and practice in patient care. Founded in 1937, the Academy is a specialty college of the American Osteopathic Association. 

About GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eleven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity around the globe.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2023

Indianapolis—Leslie M. Ching, DO, of Tulsa, OK, Clinical Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University-College of Osteopathic Medicine, has been appointed the Editor in Chief of the nationally-recognized American Academy of Osteopathy Journal (AAOJ). The AAOJ, the official journal of the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO), is a peer-reviewed publication focused on disseminating information on the science and art of neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM). It is directed toward osteopathic physicians, students, interns, and residents, and particularly toward physicians with a special interest in osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).

Dr. Ching received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago. She graduated in 2010 from the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Virginia and completed a Family Medicine Residency at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, OH and the NMM/OMM Plus Program at Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, OK. She has been a member of the OMM department at Oklahoma State since 2014, with brief sabbaticals, and has served in many roles there. 

Dr Ching is board-certified in Family Medicine and OMM by the AOBFP and in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/OMM by the AOBNMM. Her published works include articles on exploring complex systems as a framework for explaining osteopathic principles and practices, morbidity and mortality of the patients treated by doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) and osteopathic physician mortality during the 1918 influenza pandemic, and a review of the history and treatment results at the Still-Hildreth Sanatorium. Dr. Ching has previously served on the AAO Board of Governors, Louisa Burns Osteopathic Research Committee, and the Education Committee.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2023

WILLIAM H. STAGER, DO, MPH, MS, FAAFP, FAAMA, FAAO, FACOFPDIST., ELECTED PRESIDENT-ELECT OF NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Indianapolis— William H. Stager DO, MPH, MS, FAAFP, FAAMA, FAAO, FACOFP dist., of West Palm Beach, FL, was chosen to be the 2023-24 president-elect of the American Academy of Osteopathy on March 16 during the AAO annual Convocation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After spending a year as president-elect, Dr. Stager will become the 2024-25 president of the AAO, the nation’s largest medical society devoted to fostering neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM).

William H. Stager DO, MPH, MS, FAAFP, FAAMA, FAAO, FACOFP dist., is Medical Director of the Flagler Institute for Rehabilitation, Inc., a Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (West Palm Beach), with a special interest in patients with cancer and lymphedema . Dr. Bill Stager has BA (Philosophy) and MS (Anatomy) degrees from Rutgers University, an undergraduate OPP Fellowship and DO degree from NSUCOM in 1989, and MPH from ATSU in 2009. He completed a rotating internship at Humana South Broward Hospital in 1990. He has been in holistic private practice combining NMM/OMM, Family Medicine, and Medical Acupuncture in the Palm Beach area since 1990. He is Board Certified in NMM/OMM and Family Medicine, and is a Fellow of the AAO, AAFP, AAFP, and AAMA, and distinguished fellow of the ACOFP.

He is a Life Member of the AAO and Osteopathic Cranial Academy, and an active member of the AOA, FOMA, AAO, ACOFP, FSACOFP, and FAO, serving on various committees and boards, including the AOA House of Delegates, FOMA Director-at-Large, FOMA President, FSACOFP President (2008-2009), a two-term FAO President, and NSUCOM Alumni Association Executive Committee President and Trustee. His many awards include the 2008 NSUCOM Distinguished Alumni Award, 2007 FOMA Presidential Achievement Award, 2007 AOA Mentor of the Year Nominee Finalist Award, the 2010 FSACOFP Physician of the Year Award, the 2011 FAO Distinguished Service Award, the 2013 AOA Unsung Heroes Award, the 2013 AOA Guardians of the Profession Award, the 2015 NSUCOM Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award, and the 2015 NSUCOM Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. Stager has taught NMM/OMM all over the USA, Canada, Norway, and China and has published over 200 articles and papers in health and fitness magazines and several in peer-reviewed medical journals. He is section editor and contributing author of the 2014 2nd edition of the ACOFP textbook Somatic Dysfunction in Osteopathic Family Medicine.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2023

NICOLE A. FREMAREK, DO, MBA, NAMED RESIDENT OF THE YEAR BY NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Indianapolis— Nicole A. Fremarek, DO, MBA, of Christiansburg, VA, was named the 2023 Resident of the Year by the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) on March 16 at the AAO’s annual business meeting at its Convocation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The award recognizes a resident who has contributed to the AAO, who has contributed to osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) at his or her residency program, and who has participated in such educational events as the AAO’s annual Convocation and the AAO’s program at the American Osteopathic Association’s annual conference.

Nicole A. Fremarek, DO, MBA completed a Pre-Doctoral OMM Fellowship and was AAO NUFA liaison for Kansas City University (KCU) and received a dual-degree DO/MBA in healthcare leadership during her medical school years. She received the KCU awards AT Still, MD, DO Memorial Medallion Award; Betty Jo White, DO Prize for Osteopathy; and Gold Humanism Honor Society.

She has served as Co-Chief resident of her family medicine residency, as a leader in the RAAO and SAAO, and spearheaded numerous osteopathic education projects and research during her family medicine residency. During her free time, she continues to volunteer to cover sporting events at a local high school and provide the athletes with medical support from the sidelines.

Dr. Fremarek has a passion for integrating Family Medicine, Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, and Sports Medicine into her everyday patient care. She has served as a leader on the Resident American Academy of Osteopathy (RAAO) as the RAAO liaison to the Student American Academy of Osteopathy (SAAO) for 2 years, the RAAO executive council, and on the Marketing Committee with American Fascial Distortion Model Association.

For more information on Dr. Fremarek, contact Sherri L. Quarles, Chief Executive Officer at the American Academy of Osteopathy at (317) 879-1881, ext. 214, or at [email protected].

The United States currently has more than 120,000 osteopathic physicians. Also known as DOs, osteopathic physicians are fully licensed physicians, as are MDs. The profession has grown 63% in the past decade and nearly 300% over the past three decades. Osteopathic physicians prescribe medicine and practice in all specialties, including osteopathic manipulative medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery. They are trained to consider the health of the whole person and to use their hands to help diagnose and treat patients.
The mission of the American Academy of Osteopathy is to teach, promote, and research the science, art and philosophy of osteopathic medicine, emphasizing the integration of osteopathic principles and practice in patient care. Founded in 1937, the Academy is a specialty college of the American Osteopathic Association.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2023

MILLICENT KING CHANNELL, DO, MA, FAAO, FNAOME INSTALLED AS PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Indianapolis— Millicent King Channell, DO, MA, FAAO, FNAOME, of Philadelphia, PA, was installed as the president of the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) on March 18 during the AAO 2023 annual Convocation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Before becoming president, Dr. Channell served for one year as the president-elect of the AAO, the nation’s largest medical society devoted to fostering neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM).

Dr. Millicent King Channell is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. After completing her residencies in Family Medicine and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, she joined the faculty of the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in the Departments of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Family Medicine.

Dr. Channell has made numerous scholarly contributions to osteopathic medicine; most notably she co-authored the book The 5 - Minute Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Consult (2nd Ed Wolters Kluwer 2019). She is a graduate of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine and the Costin Institute at Midwestern University. She has served as a member of the ACGME's Osteopathic Principles Committee and the NBOME’s Board of Directors.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2023

KENNETH J. LOSSING, DO RECEIVES AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION FROM NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 

Indianapolis— Kenneth J. Lossing, DO of San Rafael, California, was honored with the Anne Wales, DO, Award for Excellence in Education of Osteopathic Clinicians. In 2019, the AAO Board of Governors approved this award named for Anne B. Wales, DO who exemplified excellence in the teaching of os­teopathic clinicians throughout her career. This award is to recognize those individuals or institutions who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and dedication to the education of osteopathic clinicians.

Dr. Lossing served as the AAO’s 2014-15 president, on its Board of Trustees and Board of Governors and on the Education Committee. He has also served as a member of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of International Osteopathic Medicine. He has also been involved in his state’s osteopathic association, the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California, on its Education, Publications, and Membership committees, as well as serving as a delegate to the AOA House of Delegates in 2013 and 2015.  

Lossing lectures frequently in International Osteopathic congresses, as well as for the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). He has taught courses in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States. He has contributed to the second, third, and fourth editions of the AOA’s Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine textbook, as well as writing chapters for the Textbook of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Lossing studied visceral manipulation with Jean-Pierre Barral, DO (France), and he also was greatly influenced by Robert Fulford, DO; Anthony Chila, DO; Stephen Miles Davidson, DO; and Viola Frymann, DO. Dr. Lossing and his wife, Margret Klein, OA, run a private practice in San Rafael, California.

For more information on Kenneth J. Lossing, DO, contact Sherri L. Quarles, Chief Executive Officer at the American Academy of Osteopathy at (317) 879-1881, ext. 214, or at [email protected].

The United States currently has more than 120,000 osteopathic physicians. Also known as DOs, osteopathic physicians are fully licensed physicians, as are MDs. The profession has grown 63% in the past decade and nearly 300% over the past three decades. Osteopathic physicians prescribe medicine and practice in all specialties, including osteopathic manipulative medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery. They are trained to consider the health of the whole person and to use their hands to help diagnose and treat patients. 

The mission of the American Academy of Osteopathy is to teach, promote, and research the science, art and philosophy of osteopathic medicine, emphasizing the integration of osteopathic principles and practice in patient care. Founded in 1937, the Academy is a specialty college of the American Osteopathic Association.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 30, 2023

KENNETH J. LOSSING, DO, RECEIVES AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

FROM NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Indianapolis—Kenneth J. Lossing, DOof San Rafael, California, was honored with the Anne Wales, DO, Award for Excellence in Education of Osteopathic Clinicians. In 2019, the AAO Board of Governors approved this award named for Anne B. Wales, DO who exemplified excellence in the teaching of os­teopathic clinicians throughout her career. This award is to recognize those individuals or institutions who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and dedication to the education of osteopathic clinicians.

Dr. Lossing served as the AAO’s 2014-15 president, on its Board of Trustees and Board of Governors and on the Education Committee. He has also served as a member of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of International Osteopathic Medicine. He has also been involved in his state’s osteopathic association, the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California, on its Education, Publications, and Membership committees, as well as serving as a delegate to the AOA House of Delegates in 2013 and 2015.  

Lossing lectures frequently in International Osteopathic congresses, as well as for the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). He has taught courses in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States. He has contributed to the second, third, and fourth editions of the AOA’s Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine textbook, as well as writing chapters for the Textbook of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Lossing studied visceral manipulation with Jean-Pierre Barral, DO (France), and he also was greatly influenced by Robert Fulford, DO; Anthony Chila, DO; Stephen Miles Davidson, DO; and Viola Frymann, DO. Dr. Lossing and his wife, Margret Klein, OA, run a private practice in San Rafael, California.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 28, 2023

MARGRET KLEIN, OA, RECEIVES AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

FROM NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Indianapolis— Margret Klein, OA,of San Rafael, California, was honored with the Anne Wales, DO, Award for Excellence in Education of Osteopathic Clinicians. In 2019, the AAO Board of Governors approved this award named for Anne B. Wales, DO who exemplified excellence in the teaching of os­teopathic clinicians throughout her career. This award is to recognize those individuals or institutions who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and dedication to the education of osteopathic clinicians.

Klein initiated her career as a leading physical therapist in the University of Cologne (Germany) Trauma clinic. She eventually opened her own private physical therapy practice. Soon after, she enrolled in a six-year intensive, nonphysician osteopathic program at the Still Academy in Germany, and simultaneously she was studying at the German American Academy of Osteopathy (DAAO). Both schools focused equally on cranial, visceral, and musculoskeletal manipulation.

Margret has studied with Robert Fulford, DO; Jean-Pierre Barral, DO; and many other osteopathic giants. She has table trained for Jean-Pierre Barral in his courses taught through the AAO and has assisted Kenneth J. Lossing, DO in nearly all of his courses over the past twenty years.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 28, 2023

HUGH M. ETTLINGER, DO, FAAO, FCA, AWARDED HIGHEST HONOR BESTOWED BY NATIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Indianapolis— Hugh M. Ettlinger, DO, FAAO, FCA, of, Ossining, NY, received the American Academy of Osteopathy’s highest honor on March 18 during the AAO Convocation 2023 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Named the Andrew Tay­lor Still Medallion of Honor, the award is given to AAO members who have exhibited an exceptional understanding and applica­tion of osteopathic principles and concepts and for outstanding accomplishments in scientific or professional affairs. The award is named after Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, the founder of osteopathic medicine.

Dr. Ettlinger is a long-standing member of the Academy and has spent his professional career dedicated to the osteopathic profession. Hugh M. Ettlinger, DO, FAAO, FCA is a 1987 graduate of the New York College of Medicine (NYCOM) after having completed an extra year of an OPP Undergraduate Fellowship. He did his traditional rotating internship at Coney Island Hospital and then returned to NYCOM as an assistant professor in the department of Osteopathic Principles and Practice. Dr. Ettlinger maintained his academic status but moved to St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, New York in 1990 to become the Chair of the newly established Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, where he performed examination and treatment in outpatient clinics as well as consultation and treatment of medicine, surgery, ICU, pediatric, neonatal, and obstetric-gynecological inpatients. Within just two years, Dr. Ettlinger established a premier OMM residency program at that hospital and has been instrumental in the development of other similar programs within the region. His passion for teaching has resulted in his training and mentoring scores of specialists in OMM, many of whom are faculty in OMM Departments throughout the region and country. Some have even become chairs of their respective departments.

Dr. Ettlinger became certified in OMM by the American Board of Special Proficiency in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, received his Certificate of Competency in Cranial Osteopathy by the Cranial Academy in 1993, and received his Fellowship in the American Academy of Osteopathy in 1999.

The American Academy of Osteopathy has benefited greatly from the skills and leadership of Dr. Ettlinger.  He serves on the AAO Board of Governors and is a past Trustee of the AAO, is Vice President and on the Board of Trustees of the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation (SCTF), and had been on the Board of Directors of the Osteopathic Cranial Academy (OCA; 1995-1997). Dr. Ettlinger has been a Chair, Vice-Chair or Member of several committees of AAO, SCTF, and OCA, and has served as the Advisor to the AAO National Undergraduate Fellows Association (NUFA) since 2005.

He has given numerous lectures at osteopathic conferences, special courses, through study groups, and at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in his capacity as an associate professor. His professional activities also include book chapters in An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis & Treatment, Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine, and Applied Anatomy and Physiology of the Thorax. He has also been a contributor to several research poster presentations.

Dr. Ettlinger has been recognized with the FAAO Dig on Award, Fellow of the Osteopathic Cranial Academy, the St. Barnabas Hospital Lifetime Achievement Award, the Sutherland Memorial Lecture, the Northup Memorial Lecture, the Sutherland Memorial Lecture, the Blood Memorial Lecture, as a St. Barnabas Hospital Honoree in 2010, the NYCOM Standard of Excellence Award, and the Heilig Memorial Lecture (PCOM).

Throughout his thirty-five career as an osteopathic physician and educator, Hugh Ettlinger, DO, FAAO, FCA has influenced hundreds of residents and colleagues as well as literally thousands of students. The legacy he has left will continue through the many people he has motivated and their contributions in the future.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 6, 2022

Indianapolis, IN— Millicent King Channell, DO, MA, FAAO, FNAOME, Associate Dean for Curriculum, at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM), is the 2022-23 president-elect of the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO).  

On March 24, 2022 during the AAO Annual Convocation in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Channell was elected by the Academy’s membership to succeed Dr. Richard Schuster.  After spending a year as president-elect, Dr. Channell will become the 2023-24 president of the AAO, the nation’s largest medical society devoted to fostering neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM). Dr. Channell will be the first African-American to hold this office.

A graduate of PCOM, Dr. Channell is dual board certified in both Family Medicine/OMT, and NMM/OMM.   She has served on the AAO’s Board of Governors since 2013 and the Board of Trustees since 2018.  Dr. Channell is a nationally engaged osteopathic academician who has served on the Board of Directors for the NBOME and was an inaugural member of the ACGME’s Osteopathic Recognition Committee.   Dr. Channell is a former Residency Director, and Department Chair for OMM, and is the co-author of the book The 5-Minute Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Consult (2nd Ed Wolters Kluwer 2019).  She is a graduate of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine, and the Costin Institute at Midwestern University.

As president-elect, her goals include cultivating and supporting a diverse base of students and physicians committed to the osteopathic philosophy and increase patient awareness of osteopathic distinct practices by crowdsourcing the expertise of AAO members via remote study groups, in-person clinics, and online testimonials. Dr. Channell lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 6, 2022

Dowling is a 1989 graduate of the NYCOM and is a contributing author and illustrator to several journals and textbooks. He developed the PINS technique and is a co-author of a JAOA Northup writing award-winning article on the effect of OMT on gait in Parkinson’s patients. Dr. Dowling has delivered the Heilig, Scott, Northup, Blood and Turfler memorial lectures and is a recipient of the A.T. Still Medallion of Honor award.

Dowling is a former professor and chairman of OMM at the NYITCOM and is currently a clinical professor at the MWU-COM, PCOM, KCUMB, NYITCOM, COMP and UNECOM. He was in private practice from 2003-2016 and has been a consultant and the Coordinator of OMM Assessment for the NBOME since 2004. Dr. Dowling has supervised residents in the PM&R department at NUMC in East Meadow, Long Island since 1990, and is also currently working in the PM&R and Family Medicine departments at that hospital. He is certified by the AOBFP and the AOBNMM and earned his FAAO fellowship in 1999. He has served on the AAO Board of Trustees, AAO Board of Governors, is a past AAO president, has been a member and/or chair on several other AAO committees, and is a consultant to the AOBNMM for the Practical portion of the certification examination process. Dr. Dowling is also chair of the NYSOMS delegation to the AOA House of Delegates and remains active in state and local professional osteopathic activities.

As secretary-treasurer, Dowling’s goal is to support the AAO as the primary source in providing osteopathic education and leadership to osteopathic physicians and others who qualify by the nature of their licenses to practice, and to strengthen the organization to thrive in the upcoming 20-30 years both in structure and in function.

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Indianapolis, IN—On March 26, Richard G. Schuster, DO of Indianapolis, Indiana, was installed as the president of the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) during the AAO 2022 annual Convocation in Orlando, Florida. Before becoming president, Dr. Schuster served for two years as the president-elect of the AAO, the nation’s largest medical society devoted to fostering neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM).

Richard G. Schuster, DO, is in solo private practice in Indianapolis, practicing direct primary care and osteopathic manual medicine.

He graduated from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1994 after completing an undergraduate fellowship in osteopathic principles and practice. He completed a family medicine residency at the Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, Ohio, and a postdoctoral fellowship in sports medicine at Toledo Hospital in Ohio.

The chair of the AAO’s 2015 Convocation, Dr. Schuster is a member of the AAO’s Board of Trustees, AAO executive committee, Board of Governors, and a consultant for the AAO’s education committee of which he used to be the vice chair. of the AAO’s Education Committee.

Dr. Schuster’s academic interests include musculoskeletal medicine, biomechanics and functional anatomy, with an emphasis on how the body transmits and organizes information to coordinate movement.

In the presidential address after his induction, Dr. Schuster stated his vision for the AAO during his presidency:

“In order that we grow as an Academy, we must continue to advocate for, teach, and research osteopathic manipulation and philosophy. We must welcome those who wish to join us, wish to learn from us, as we learn from them. We do not represent the sum total of what it means to be osteopathic, nor do our schools. There is more depth within our profession than we realize. Let us all come together to build a future medicine, a distinctly osteopathic medicine” (emphasis in original).

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2022 FAAO DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

G. BRADLEY KLOCK, DO, FAAO

G. Bradley Klock, DO, FAAO, earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in 1981, from what is now the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM), completing his rotating osteopathic internship at Tucson General Osteopathic Hospital, he received his board certification with the American Osteopathic Board of Special Proficiency in OMM and in 2001, received the Fellow of the AAO (FAAO) designation.

Dr. Klock has lead a distinctive and accomplished career focused significantly on clinical applications of osteopathic principles and practice. After completing his osteopathic training, he returned to DMU to teach in the OMM department and practiced in primary care clinics. He then left DMU to assume a position in the OMM department at Phoenix General Hospital (PGH) where he ascended to the Chair position. PGH was a full-service hospital with an active cardiothoracic surgical program and teaching service. This allowed Dr. Klock to coordinate patient care among all specialties and subspecialties in medicine, teaching students, interns and residents in five programs (FP/Urology/General Surgery/IM/Ob Gyn). He also served as the OMM consultant to the Phoenix Suns NBA team for six years.

Dr. Klock has advocated for the osteopathic profession in his service as a member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association and as its President from 2000-2001. He completed a Federal Healthcare Policy Fellowship program and was appointed by then Governor Hull to serve on the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants. As well, Dr. Klock maintained a large private practice for 17 years specializing in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine for in/outpatients and then in 2007, he returned to Des Moines University as an Associate Professor and Chairman of the OMM Department. During that time he served as a mentor for the department faculty, undergraduate OMM Fellows, and thousands of osteopathic medical students and residents. He brought a wealth of clinical and hospital-based expertise in OMM as well as a keen sense for the business-side of medicine and he would consistently imparted a focus on the balance between the academic, clinical, and business aspects of the practice of medicine. He retired in 2016 and continues to lecture at local, state, national and international venues.

In 2008, the Board of Governors approved the Fellow of American Academy of Osteopathy (FAAO) Distinguished Service Award to be presented to those FAAOs who have further distinguished themselves in contributions to osteopathic literature; development of osteopathic theory, method or procedure; research; osteopathic education; service to the AAO on committees, boards, etc.; public relations; service to public health; and/or osteopathic medical economics and advocacy.

The Award consists of a certificate and lapel pin to be given to the recipient during the Fellows Dinner at Convocation; a perpetual plaque with name and date engraved on display in the AAO Office; a listing in the AAO directory; on the website; and an announcement made to the general membership at the President’s banquet. The title designation of the recipient on written communication is FAAODist.

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS OF THE FAAO DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

2022 Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor

Guy A. DeFeo, DO

Guy A. DeFeo, DO, a 1988 graduate of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM), is board certified in neuromusculoskeletal medicine/osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM) and family practice. He currently serves as the Associate Dean for Clinical Education at UNECOM. Previously, he was a faculty member at UNECOM from 1990 to 2003, and the first OMM department chair at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2003 to 2005. He was in private practice in Kennebunk, ME from 1997-2003, and again from 2005-2011.

Dr. DeFeo has served as the Chief Academic Officer for the Northeast Osteopathic Medical Education Network and he completed the Osteopathic Heritage Healthcare Policy Fellowship in 2001. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Association Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators (AODME) and is a member of the speakers’ bureau for Spidertech.

Dr. DeFeo has served the American Academy of Osteopathy and the osteopathic profession at nearly every level. He has served on numerous boards and committees including Maine Osteopathic Association Board of Governors, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s Educational Counsel on Osteopathic Principles, Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education, Association of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators Board of Trustees, and on the Board of Governors and Trustees, and as Past President of the American Academy of Osteopathy. He continues to serve the Academy and its membership as a mentor to the leadership and students who come after us.

The Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor is the highest award conferred by the Academy. It is awarded to deserving members of the Academy who have exhibited, among other accomplishments in scientific or professional affairs, an exceptional understanding and application of osteopathic principles and concepts.

A petition was submitted to the AAO Awards Committee by Academy members nominating Guy A. DeFeo, DO, for the Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor. The Awards Committee reviewed and accepted the petition as meeting the requirements as a candidate for this award. In the committee’s review of Dr. DeFeo’s credentials, it was determined that he has committed his entire career to service and education in the osteopathic profession with a focus on incorporating osteopathic principles into clinical practice in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Upon the Awards Committee’s recommendation, the AAO Board of Trustees selected Dr. DeFeo to receive the Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor for his outstanding accomplishments in educational and professional affairs throughout the osteopathic profession.

Previous recipients of the Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor

Resident of the Year Award

Amber M. Brown, DO, MS

Amber M. Brown, DO, MS is a 2019 graduate of Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMUCOM) and is currently in a pediatric residency at the Main Medical Center.

Dr. Brown is an advocate for osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) through her development and implementation of OMM services in the pediatric clinic and in her work on designing an osteopathic curriculum in advancing educational opportunities for faculty, pediatric residents, and medical students as part of the residency program and for clinical staff at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. She has conducted several presentations to include panel discussions at SAAO events and specific topics of interest to the pediatric profession.

Dr. Brown has demonstrated her commitment to osteopathic philosophy through numerous research activities which include co-authorships of poster presentations and published articles. She is currently involved in a prospective, clinical study in which she developed the study protocol and secured IRB approval The Effect of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine on Improving Quality of Life Outcomes in Inpatient Pediatric Oncology and Sickle Cell Disease Patients. She is on track to have this study completed in time to analyze the data and submit the results for publication prior to finishing her resident training.

Dr. Brown has demonstrated leadership qualities on national committees in multiple leadership roles. She has been a member of the RAAO Executive Council serving as the national coordinator, as chair and is currently the immediate past chair. She has also served as the resident member on the AAO Membership Committee, the Education Committee, the Board of Trustees and on the Board of Governors, as well as serving on the Pediatric Program Evaluation and Pediatric Program Wellness Committees at the Maine Medical Center Department of Pediatrics.

Dr. Brown is deserving of the AAO’s Resident of the Year award with her demonstration of the qualities of an outstanding resident as set by the AAO through her: enthusiasm and commitment to osteopathic philosophy, application of osteopathic manipulative medicine, and her involvement in the profession; and interest in scientific exploration of osteopathy.

Potential recipients are nominated by any AAO component society or AOA-approved osteopathic residency program. Individuals nominated exhibit osteopathic principles and practice at their residency programs and encourage other residents, faculty and students to continue to use OPP during their residency career and practice. 

Past Recipients of the Resident of the Year Award

The American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) has awarded the Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor to John M. Jones, DO, of Petal, Mississippi. The Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor is awarded to members of the osteopathic profession for outstanding accomplishments in scientific or professional affairs. The Academy cherishes the Andrew Taylor Still Medallion of Honor as its highest award and grants it to deserving members only after careful consideration and investigation.

Dr. Jones, or “JJ” as he is more commonly known, is a long-standing member of the Academy, and has spent his professional career dedicated to the osteopathic profession. Dr. Jones was interested in education before starting osteopathic medical school and demonstrated that interest as an OMM Teaching Assistant at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.  

After graduation, he continued his pursuit of osteopathic education as he chaired the departments of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Touro University Nevada, and William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He also served as Assistant Dean at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and faculty at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. During his tenure in osteopathic medical education, he has developed curriculum, OMM Predoctoral Teaching Programs, and worked with students to stimulate their understanding of osteopathic history, development of palpatory and treatment skills, and motivated them to utilize those skills as part of a treatment regimen in whatever area of medicine they chose.

AAO Convocation and course work were a constant for Dr. Jones, his fellows, and students. In addition to mentoring students, he also mentored new faculty members to improve their teaching skills and ability to work more effectively with students. Dr. Jones has presented lectures and hands-on skills development workshops to state societies, colleges, and various groups in the United States and internationally, including France, Japan, Canada, Germany, and Russia.

The American Academy of Osteopathy has benefited greatly from the skills and leadership of Dr. Jones. He has served as AAO President, on the Board of Trustees, Board of Governors, and committees including International Affairs, Publications, Education, and Hospital Assistance.  Over the course of his career, he has represented the AAO at the AOA House of Delegates. He is well known for his broad smile and warm welcome as he greets friends and strangers alike.

Dr. Jones was a very active member of the Educational Council on Osteopathic Principles and served as its chair for five years. He has been active as an author, contributing chapters to a number of books as well as articles in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine and other publications. He has made significant contributions to the four editions of the AOA sponsored textbook Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine, where he served as an author and Associate editor. In addition, Dr. Jones has given his time to the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners Part 1 Test Committee.

Over the course of his distinguished career, John M. Jones, DO, has given a great deal to the AAO and the osteopathic profession. The legacy he has left will continue through the many people he has motivated and their contributions in the future.