Osteopathic medicine around the world Osteopathic physicians and students connect with international osteopaths in Australia Cassandra Holub, OMS IV, shares insights from the 2024 Osteopathic International Alliance conference. Jan. 17, 2025FridayJanuary 2025 issue Cassandra Holub, OMS IV Cassandra Holub, OMS IV, is an osteopathic medical student at LECOM and the 2024-25 president-elect of SOMA. Contact Student Doctor Holub Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics 150 years of DOsOsteopathic International Alliance Imposter syndrome has always been something that I struggle with, and when I attended the 2024 Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) conference in Sydney, Australia, in October as a DO student, I questioned my ability to make a meaningful contribution to the conference. Despite my advocacy journey with the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) and the AOA, there are still times when I feel that I have stumbled onto this path by mistake. While I was unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep somewhere around hour 10 of my 18-hour flight to Sydney, my brain began to wander. Thoughts like, “What am I doing on this plane, traveling across the world to this conference?” began to form in my mind. “I will be surrounded by the best and brightest minds that osteopathic medicine has to offer. Why was I, of all people, being sent to this conference? Why was I special?” Key questions answered Luckily, the conference answered this question (and many more) for me. I am special because I am a part of the greatest professional family there is, and this family recognizes and celebrates the unique attributes and individuality of its members. This big family of osteopathy and osteopathic medicine that has been growing strong for 150 years now is such a special profession and contains members who all take care of each other. Cassandra Holub, OMS IV, in Sydney, Australia, attending the Osteopathic International Alliance conference. What was so special about the 2024 OIA conference was that I witnessed this camaraderie and support among members of our profession from many different countries. I was approached by osteopathic practitioners from Australia, Italy, Germany, France and Canada who are all passionate about the principles of A.T. Still, MD, DO, and osteopathic manipulation. Another question that was answered during the conference was, what is the difference between osteopathy and osteopathic medicine? Throughout my first two years in medical school, I thought they were synonyms. However, I have become much more selective with my words after being educated on the difference. Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are fully licensed to practice modern medicine, as well as perform osteopathic manipulations. As U.S.-trained DOs, we undergo the traditional medical school training that our MD counterparts go through, but we get additional training on osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) and osteopathic principles and practice (OPP). DOs are trained to treat patients holistically, to consider the whole patient and seek out the root cause of illness. In contrast, in other countries, osteopaths are only trained in manual manipulation. While they still take a holistic approach to patient care, they are not trained nor able to prescribe medications. The OIA aims to bring together international osteopaths and American osteopathic physicians in unity. We are lucky that several members of the AOA serve on the OIA Board and/or assist with programming. Special thanks to Martin Levine, DO, Jean Wilcox, DO, Rebecca Giusti, DO, and Raine Richards, JD, AOA vice president of state and international affairs, for their efforts with the OIA and for making this conference memorable. Rebecca Giusti, DO, Cassandra Holub, OMS IV, Brooke Nelson, OMS III, AOA President Teresa A. Hubka, DO, FACOOG (Dist.), FACOG, CS, AOA President-elect, Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN, and AOA CEO Kathleen M. Creason, MBA, pose with Flat A.T. Still at the OIA conference. Celebrating 150 years of osteopathic principles Despite the differences in osteopathy and osteopathic medicine, we still stem from the same roots. These roots began 150 years ago with a novel concept from Dr. Still. At the conference, we got to hear an engaging lecture from Jason Haxton, director of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, the expert on all things Dr. Still. Haxton began his presentation by reminding the audience that Dr. Still intended for osteopathy to be international, and trained students from around the world. Haxton then took us on a journey through the 150 years of osteopathic medicine and the progression of our profession. This is a celebration that is being observed around the world, with the AOA taking a leadership role in spearheading the festivities. Haxton and I have the privilege of serving on the AOA’s 150th anniversary of osteopathic medicine task force. We have been meeting as a group and coming up with ways we can celebrate this monumental milestone of our profession. The AOA and The DO have both been commemorating this anniversary since last summer with a variety of celebratory articles and a landing page serving as the celebration’s homebase. Other takeaways from the conference Among all the discussion about osteopathy, there were some very inspiring lectures at the conference, including the keynote, which was given by Frank Willard, PhD, from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) and covered inflammation, depression and exercise and their impact on health and disease. I also enjoyed hearing about research on the use of osteopathic manipulation to improve the outcomes of breast cancer patients after surgery and insight about burnout from our very own AOA president-elect, Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN. Brooke Nelson, OMS III, Jean Wilcox, DO, and Cassandra Holub, OMS IV, enjoying social time during the conference. All the presenters demonstrated such passion and dedication to osteopathy or osteopathic medicine, which was truly inspiring. I loved hearing about the unique ways that osteopathy is practiced around the world and treatments that I have not yet learned about. What happens in Sydney does not stay in Sydney! I am incredibly grateful to the AOA for sharing this unique opportunity with me and allowing me to represent the AOA, SOMA and osteopathic medical students from the U.S. I am also thankful to my medical school, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), for their support and help to make this trip possible. In the future, I plan to encourage medical students to get more involved with the OIA so they can learn about osteopathy around the world. Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The DO or the AOA. Related reading: DOs go global: What to know about practicing osteopathic medicine abroad Practicing medicine in New Zealand: Tackling 3 misconceptions about working abroad What we can learn from international osteopaths More in Profession The AOA’s most tenured staff member retires after 48 years of service “Delores Rodgers was instrumental in successfully growing the AOA’s CME credit system and AOA Category 1 CME Sponsor accreditation,” said AOA President Teresa A. Hubka, DO, FACOOG (Dist.). Statement from leading physician groups on removal of data and guidance from federal websites “The research, data and guidance on these webpages are widely used by the more than 600,000 physicians our organizations represent,” the statement notes. Previous articleLeapfrog’s top hospitals in each state for 2024 Next articleIn Memoriam: January 2025
The AOA’s most tenured staff member retires after 48 years of service “Delores Rodgers was instrumental in successfully growing the AOA’s CME credit system and AOA Category 1 CME Sponsor accreditation,” said AOA President Teresa A. Hubka, DO, FACOOG (Dist.).
Statement from leading physician groups on removal of data and guidance from federal websites “The research, data and guidance on these webpages are widely used by the more than 600,000 physicians our organizations represent,” the statement notes.
Student doctor Holub, your article lifted my heart. You have learned so early that, ” I am special because I am a part of the greatest professional family there is, and this family recognizes and celebrates the unique attributes and individuality of its members.”. If only more of us in the US would appreciate the gift osteopathy and OM has been in our lives we would not find ourselves constantly having to explain what we represent. My teachers spread osteopathy around the world, and thank god they did since we are barely able to teach it anymore at home. As I start a new practice in Santa Fe, NM I am heartened by two younger colleagues who are starting a study group (for OMM). I started such a group 26 years ago and we trained 500 students in cranial OMT. We put on 10 CME events and trained a cadre of specialists for the Mid-Atlantic region. Find or start such a group and stay involved. Good luck to you and please keep the faith! Jan. 23, 2025, at 5:56 pm Reply