How this first-generation DO found his purpose through osteopathic medicine

Many physicians can trace their career choices back to a family legacy, but sometimes the most meaningful traditions are the ones rediscovered through a new lens. For one first-generation osteopathic physician, that journey began with sculpture, a trusted premed advisor and a simple question: What if the skills one develops as a visual artist could become the foundation of a career in the healing arts?

Alexander King, DO, came from a family of MDs, so osteopathic medicine was unfamiliar territory. He’s the first DO in his family.

“My mother, my grandfather; tons of my family members are allopathic physicians—that’s kind of all I knew,” he recalls. It wasn’t until a premed advisor encouraged him to learn about osteopathic medicine that everything changed.

“She said, ‘You’re really good with your hands … have you thought about using your hands to help people?’” he remembers.

How osteopathic medicine became the right fit

As a double major in sculpture and neuroscience, Dr. King had long envisioned a career in orthopedic surgery. But discovering osteopathic medicine revealed a philosophy that united his artistic talents with a whole-person approach to patient care.

“I researched it and I was like, ‘Wow, this is really what I’m supposed to do,’” he says. “Hands directly on patients, treating them.”

That philosophy also reconnected him with a deeper family legacy. His grandfather, Ki Eun Kim, MD, had also practiced herbal medicine and acupuncture in Korea. Dr. Kim embodied many of the same principles that define osteopathic medicine today.

“He always preached the things we address osteopathically,” he says. “There’s a universal truth to a lot of this—that sleep, diet and exercise really matter, along with your mindset, spirituality and just helping each other.”

This interview with Dr. King is part of the AOA’s video series highlighting first-generation DOs and osteopathic medical students. Watch the full segment below.

Today, Dr. King is interim chair of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), associate professor and ONMM-3 residency program director at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine.

He integrates acupuncture with osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), blending evidence-informed care with intuition developed through experience and grounded in patient-centered medicine.

“I ground my judgment in evidence and confirmation received from my patient, and from there I trust the intuition I have developed through experience,” he explains. For Dr. King, honoring his cultural lineage means combining tradition with modern medicine to serve each patient as a whole person.

Each of us has our own set of talents

As an educator and mentor, he believes the future of osteopathic medicine is bright. Today’s students, he says, are naturally drawn to prevention, wellness and humanistic care.

“They’re already thinking osteopathically,” he says. “They just might not know it or have a label for it.”

His message to aspiring physicians is both simple and powerful: Discover your unique gifts and allow them to shape your career.

“It wasn’t until I got my osteopathic education that I really unlocked my true potential,” he says. In many ways, that is the enduring promise of osteopathic medicine—helping both patients and physicians become the fullest expression of who they are meant to be.

Editor’s note: Looking for mentorship? Join the AOiA’s Emerging DO Platform! The Emerging DO Platform was created to provide a strong sense of connection to the DO community and to support lifelong learning, with a focus on the osteopathic perspective. This online community provides a uniquely osteopathic space for DOs to connect, learn and share insights at all stages of their careers.

Through this innovative platform, members can transform healthcare while strengthening osteopathic cultural affinity.The mentoring feature provides both 1:1 matches and mentorship groups to find the best fit for an individual’s needs, availability and interests.

Related reading:

Interview with first-generation DO highlights the importance of mentorship

First-generation medical student: Listening matters in uncharted waters