Lifelong advocate Ohio osteopathic advocate reflects on 4-plus decades of serving Buckeye State DOs “I’m proud that I’ve made a difference,” says Ohio Osteopathic Association Executive Director John Wills, who plans to retire next year. Nov. 8, 2017Wednesday Nikitta Foston Contact Nikitta Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics AOAOhio Osteopathic AssociationOOA After 42 years with the Ohio Osteopathic Association (OOA), Executive Director Jon Wills will retire next year. Over the years, Wills has been one of the Buckeye State’s most vocal advocates for the osteopathic profession. He describes the OOA as his family. Following is an edited Q&A. The Legacy Award was established in 2015 by the OOA to recognize your decades of service. How did that make you feel? I’m proud that I’ve made a difference, not only in osteopathic medicine but also in moving health care forward in Ohio. You recently launched a health policy clerkship for fourth-year medical students. What’s that like? We go to the statehouse and work with legislators. Students attend the Governor’s Opiate Action Meetings with me. Basically, we’re handling whatever is going on advocacy-wise at that time. Having the students around reminds me of how talented they are. What advice do you have for aspiring DOs? Find a passion for leading in something, whether that’s fighting human trafficking, improving cultural competence or treating diabetes. Doing so will keep you going and help you grow as a trainee and later as a physician. How has osteopathic medicine affected the practice of health care? Osteopathic medicine is the humanity of medicine. It’s always stressed treating the whole of a patient and maintaining wellness. Being around DOs has helped me look at things differently in my career and focus on trying to find solutions. Where do you see the most growth in osteopathic medicine over the next 10 years? Our strength has always been primary care. Going forward, the hands-on approach and taking care of pain are going to be really important. There’s an opioid epidemic, and people are exploring other ways to treat pain, including osteopathic manipulative treatment. How has the profession impacted you personally? Both my mother and my father, who was an MD, were cared for by DOs when they were ill at the end of their lives. I was so proud of the treatment they received from osteopathic physicians. What’s been the most challenging part of what you do? Doing everything. When you run a small association, if it snows, you have to shovel. You change light bulbs. I do whatever is needed. I’m doing all the lobbying myself, with two or three days a week at the statehouse. But you have to be visible. What do you do when you’re not leading the OOA? I love to garden. Plants have their way of telling you what they need from you. It’s relaxing and peaceful when I’m working in the yard. What would people be surprised to know about you? I was a journalism major at Ohio University, where my mom was a member of the faculty. She taught music. I played the clarinet and was a member of the marching band for two years. I missed OMED this year to attend our 50-year reunion. Related articles White coats converge on Capitol Hill DOs and osteopathic medical students gather for the profession’s premier advocacy event of the year. Advocacy in action: Providing DOs with a voice in opioid discussions AOA continues to voice the osteopathic medical profession’s concerns about the opioid epidemic through events and legislation. CUSOM launches medical curriculum to fight nation’s opioid epidemic Students will learn the biochemistry of opiates and the effectiveness of non-opioid medications for treating chronic pain. More in Profession A brotherhood of veterans: Read about the enduring bond between A.T. Still, MD, DO, and his Civil War colonel A.T. Still, MD, DO, and Col. Sandy Lowe survived the hardships of the Civil War together. Their lasting friendship exemplifies the resilience and shared commitment to service that later influenced the founding values of osteopathic medicine. Funding available for osteopathically focused research projects Research funding is available to DO, MD, PhD and osteopathic medical student researchers conducting studies that address the tenets of osteopathic medicine and explore the profession’s patient-centered, empathic approach to care. Previous articleAttention researchers: Apply now to get funding for your osteopathic projects Next articleNew COMLEX update available for residency program directors
White coats converge on Capitol Hill DOs and osteopathic medical students gather for the profession’s premier advocacy event of the year.
Advocacy in action: Providing DOs with a voice in opioid discussions AOA continues to voice the osteopathic medical profession’s concerns about the opioid epidemic through events and legislation.
CUSOM launches medical curriculum to fight nation’s opioid epidemic Students will learn the biochemistry of opiates and the effectiveness of non-opioid medications for treating chronic pain.
A brotherhood of veterans: Read about the enduring bond between A.T. Still, MD, DO, and his Civil War colonel A.T. Still, MD, DO, and Col. Sandy Lowe survived the hardships of the Civil War together. Their lasting friendship exemplifies the resilience and shared commitment to service that later influenced the founding values of osteopathic medicine.
Funding available for osteopathically focused research projects Research funding is available to DO, MD, PhD and osteopathic medical student researchers conducting studies that address the tenets of osteopathic medicine and explore the profession’s patient-centered, empathic approach to care.
This is an excellent article on the great job Jon Wills has done as Executive Director of the Ohio Osteopathic Association. It also has very beautifully described the purpose and tenets of the Osteopathic Profession in training Osteopathic Medical Students to become Primary Care Physicians who treat the whole patient, recognizing the importance of promoting wellness of their patients who need help with body, mind and spiritual problems. Mr Wills also brought out the importance of teaching Osteopathic Medical Students “hands on care” with the use of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment which is a very important therapeutic tool in the treatment of pain and the correction of structural dysfunction following traumatic injury or surgical corrective procedures. Nikitta Foston did an excellent job with her interview in helping Mr Wills bring out the Osteopathic Medical Students get a well-rounded medical education and encouraging them to develop a passion for a specific area of service in their practice to give them a higher level of expertise while caring for their patients. May. 24, 2020, at 5:45 pm Reply