Past, present, future A.T. Still Memorial Lecture: ‘Our mission endures’ Ronnie B. Martin, DO, calls on the osteopathic medical profession to embrace its heritage, remember its history and lead the next generation proudly. Aug. 5, 2025TuesdayAugust 2025 issue The DO Staff Contact The DO Staff Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics AT StillDO & student voicesHOD 2025 As the osteopathic medical profession reflects on its 150th anniversary, we must remember that 100% of today’s osteopathic physicians can trace their professional DNA back to founder A.T. Still, DO, said Ronnie B. Martin, DO, during the 2025 A.T. Still Memorial Lecture at the AOA’s annual House of Delegates meeting in July. “That’s not just history,” said Dr. Martin. “That’s the foundation of a family.” Dr. Martin, before retiring in 2016, served as the founding dean of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM). In the introduction to his lecture at HOD, Dr. Martin discussed the foundation of the osteopathic medical profession and the trials it has gone through to lead us here, noting that the profession’s rich history will continue to give us hope and guide us for the next 150-plus years to come. “What made A.T. Still very unique and extraordinary was that instead of accepting defeat, he refused to stay passive in the face of frustration,” said Dr. Martin. Why has osteopathic medicine endured? “It’s because his vision not only inspired students, but recruited disciples,” said Dr. Martin, answering his own question to the audience. “Disciples who share that DNA and actively joined that bloodline. These individuals believed deeply in the mission, and they carried it forward with a purpose. All of us are the living legacy of that belief.” Although our world has evolved and medicine has changed, osteopathic medicine has stayed firm in its beliefs of body, mind and spirit. When struggles and times of conflict have challenged the profession, DOs have stayed firm to that mindset and the teachings of Dr. Still. Related “The obituary for our profession has been written countless times … since 1874,” Dr. Martin said. “Every single obituary has required a retraction and revision as the profession responded with vigor in life and refused to accept death.” Over the years, the osteopathic medical profession’s core mission has endured, Dr. Martin noted. “Our institutions must continue to plant the seeds and harvest and cultivate the result for leadership, service and loyalty in every generation of osteopathic physicians,” he said. Historical depth in the profession Calling DOs in the audience to action, Dr. Martin noted that the profession must ensure that its future members and the public understand osteopathic history and the essential role that DOs play in the health of the nation. “The future of osteopathic medicine will not be written by chance; it will be written by choice,” he said. “Our students will respond to how they’re led, and that’s our responsibility—we have to make sure the students feel and embrace why it’s worth preserving.” Watch the full speech in the video above. Related reading: Happy Birthday A.T. Still, DO! Celebrate the founder of osteopathic medicine by learning more about his life AOA’s 2025 Annual Report highlights educational advancements and major advocacy efforts More in Profession In Memoriam: December 2025 View the names of recently deceased osteopathic physicians. Osteopathic leadership advances through new NYIT presidency and AOA headquarters update Read about the appointment of Jerry Balentine, DO, as president of New York Institute of Technology, and see how the AOA’s new headquarters sign is elevating the profession’s presence. Previous articleStatement from medical association liaisons to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on being barred from nation’s vaccine review process Next articleStatement from leading physician groups on HHS decision to pull mRNA vaccine funding
Osteopathic leadership advances through new NYIT presidency and AOA headquarters update Read about the appointment of Jerry Balentine, DO, as president of New York Institute of Technology, and see how the AOA’s new headquarters sign is elevating the profession’s presence.
The Osteopathic Community is vital to the medical field. I practiced urgent care most of my medical career, and so saw every aspect of disease and injury. The profession should be a vital part of all medical investigations and processes. Aug. 7, 2025, at 6:50 am Reply
Ronnie, thanks for this remarkable review of a remarkable history! Over my professional career, the whole man – patient centered approach has won out over the disease-oriented approach, no matter how deep the clinician delves into the weeds of scientific discovery. Our students need to understand that the zooming-in will always need the balance from zooming-out to make a difference. Aug. 22, 2025, at 11:34 am Reply