OMED26 keynote speakers include Olympic high jumper, physician leaders from CVS Health, Rush University Medical Center, Fountain Life and US Air Force

Olympic high-jumper and bronze medalist Chaunte Lowe will address DOs at the AOA’s OMED26 conference, taking place Oct. 22-25 in Las Vegas. Lowe will speak on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. PT. On Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. PT, four leader physicians will participate in “Coffee and Conversations: Putting Patients First,” a panel discussion to discuss how to best support patients in today’s health care landscape. More details about Lowe and the panel discussion are below.

Register for OMED26 on the OMED website. In-person attendees are eligible for a maximum of 60 AOA Category 1 Credits (40 1-A, 20 1-B) or 60 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Chaunte Lowe: A story of determination and strength

If there’s an art to facing obstacles and coming out on top, Chaunte Lowe takes the gold. The world-renowned high jumper lives to conquer barriers, racking up four Olympic Games appearances, three global championship medals, three American records and several global accolades. Many are surprised to learn that she achieved most of these accomplishments while also holding the title of “mother of three.”

Her performances on the field have earned her inductions into three separate halls of fame and four separate invitations to be honored at the White House by several U.S. presidents. Lowe, a renowned resilience speaker, has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Huffington Post, Vogue, Glamour, Essence, and Sports Illustrated.

Lowe would have never guessed, with all that she accomplished, that her biggest obstacles would come off the track. In 2019, Lowe was rattled with the devastating diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer, which is among the most aggressive forms. In a state of disbelief, Lowe took the crushing blow head-on, bowing out of championship competitions while she underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Still, she decided to fight against the odds and still train through chemo in hopes of making the delayed 2020 U.S. Olympic team.

Now known as an expert on resilience, her advocacy work focuses on early detection and breast cancer awareness to save lives. Reaching hundreds of millions of people, her work was honored with the NCAA Inspiration Award and The ‘Hero Among Us’ award, and she was recently named to Georgia Tech’s 40 under 40 2021 class. Lowe will speak on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. PT.

Coffee & Conversations: Putting Patients First

In addition to learning lessons from Lowe’s inspiring journey, OMED attendees will have the opportunity to sit in on a conversation focused on one of the most important challenges in modern healthcare: how to keep patients at the center of care amid increasing complexity, technological advancement and systemic change.

Through the lens of osteopathic philosophy, physician leadership and real-world patient experiences, panelists will explore the evolving meaning of whole-person care, the role of empathy and human connection in a digital age, and the actions healthcare leaders can take to ensure healthcare systems are designed around the needs of patients. The panel discussion will take place on Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. PT.

Physician leaders on the panel include:

• Moderator Natasha Bray, DO, OMED26 program chair
• Omar Lateef, DO, president and CEO of Rush University Medical Center
• Creagh Milford, DO, CVS Health president of retail health
• Dawn Mussallem, DO, chief medical officer of Fountain Life
• Maj. Gen. Leigh A. Swanson, MD, deputy surgeon general and deputy commander, Air Force Medical Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force

Leaders from multiple healthcare settings

“Patients meet the healthcare system in more places than ever: a retail clinic, a hospital or even a base overseas,” said AOA President Richard R. Thacker, DO, MACOI. “This panel puts physicians who lead in each of those settings on one stage. And Chaunté Lowe will remind everyone in that room what patients carry with them when they walk through the door to see their physician.”

More information about CME, housing, sessions and scheduled events at OMED26 is available on the OMED website.