Osteopathic Medical Education Leaders, Educators, and Students Receive National Awards

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Apr 30, 2014) - On Friday, April 4, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) held its Annual Awards Banquet to honor several outstanding individuals from the osteopathic community. The banquet was held in conjunction with the association's 2014 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. Several national awards were presented at this year's event, including the William D. Miller Award, the Robert A. Kistner Award, the Society of Osteopathic Medical Educators (SOME) Innovation in Medical Education Awards, the National Student DO of the Year Award, and the Excellence in Communications Best in Show award.

The William D. Miller Award is presented to individuals who make an outstanding contribution to advancing the osteopathic profession. This year's recipient is Henry B. Pace, PhD, Executive Director Emeritus, Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association (MOMA). For many years, Dr. Pace has been a devoted advocate for the osteopathic profession and a vigorous supporter of U.S. osteopathic medical education -- his contributions to the profession are both innumerable and invaluable. While he has been a well-established and inspirational leader in the osteopathic medical community for more than four decades, more recently, Dr. Pace played a vital role in the establishment of William Carey University's College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCU-COM).

The Robert A. Kistner Award is named for Dr. Kistner, who served at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine for 26 years, and is presented to an individuals who have made a significant contribution to osteopathic medical education. This year, the AACOM Board of Deans awarded two outstanding individuals with this accolade: Clinton E. Adams, DO, MPA, Professor of Family Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (WesternU/COMP), and Anthony J. Silvagni, DO, PharmD, Dean, Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM). Throughout his career, Dr. Adams has demonstrated inspirational leadership and a tireless dedication to the promotion and advancement of the profession. Dr. Adams served as Dean of Western U/COMP from 2005 to 2013 where, among his many other accomplishments, he led the establishment of an additional teaching site for the college in Lebanon, OR. Dr. Silvagni's commitment and incomparable enthusiasm as a leader in the osteopathic medical education community has resulted in many positive contributions to the profession. He has served in leadership roles at both NSU-COM and KCUMB-COM, and was recently installed as President of the Florida Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (FSACOFP).

AACOM's Society of Osteopathic Medical Educators (SOME) Innovation in Medical Education Awards recognize the year's educational innovations that have resulted in meaningful change at the developer's institution. The 2014 awardees are:

• Innovation Area: Basic Science Medical Education
  Tools in the Toolbox: Interactive Board Review Electronic Media for Microbiology and Immunology
  Christopher C. Keller, PhD
  Associate Professor and Director of Microbiology/Immunology
  Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
  Kim Moscatello, PhD
  Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
  Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Innovation Area: Basic Science Medical Education
  Gross Anatomy Forums: Synthesizing, Assimilating, and Applying Clinical Anatomy
  Jonathan K. Kalmey, PhD
  Assistant Dean of Preclinical Education
  Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
  Randy J. Kulesza, PhD
  Professor of Anatomy
  Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

AACOM's National Student DO of the Year Award is presented each year to the one osteopathic medical student who distinguishes him/herself from all of the nation's outstanding students on the basis of service to the college and the community, leadership experience, and commitment to the osteopathic profession. The 2014 Student DO of the Year is Michael Erickson, MS, Osteopathic Medical Student, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-New York (TouroCOM-NY). Mr. Erikson currently serves in several leadership roles, including Chief Medical Student at Trinitas Medical Center in Elizabeth, NJ; Student Representative for the Society of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (SOME); and President of the TouroCOM-NY Student Government Association (SGA).

Finally, each year AACOM works with external expert judges to select for recognition outstanding communications efforts undertaken by its member colleges, and then selects a Best in Show entry to which special recognition is given. The Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM)'s article entitled "Building an Age-Friendly World" earned this year's Best in Show distinction.

About AACOM

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) represents the 30 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States. These colleges are accredited to deliver instruction at 41 teaching locations in 28 states. In the 2013-14 academic year these colleges are educating over 23,000 future physicians -- more than 20 percent of US medical students. Six of the colleges are public and 24 are private institutions.

AACOM was founded in 1898 to support and assist the nation's osteopathic medical schools, and to serve as a unifying voice for osteopathic medical education. AACOM's mission is to promote excellence in osteopathic medical education, in research and in service, and to foster innovation and quality among osteopathic medical colleges to improve the health of the American public.