The power of firsts: How one osteopathic physician is paying forward the mentorship that shaped him

For many physicians, the path to medicine is paved by family tradition. For others, it begins with a community willing to believe in them before they believe in themselves.

Raised in rural northeast Missouri, just miles from Kirksville—the birthplace of osteopathic medicine—AOA Trustee Jeffrey Davis, DO, a first-generation physician, grew up knowing only DOs. His family’s trusted osteopathic physicians didn’t simply provide care; they modeled what compassionate, community-centered medicine could look like.

One family physician in particular recognized Dr. Davis’s interest in science and encouraged him to pursue medicine at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM).

“It was probably his persuasion that drove me the most,” says Dr. Davis.

As the son of two educators and the grandson of four adults who never attended college, he entered medical school at ATSU-KCOM without a roadmap. There was no family member to help explain residency or navigate applications. Instead, he relied on mentors who filled those gaps with encouragement and practical guidance.

“Being a first-generation physician, there was really no advice that I could obtain from my family,” he says. “Luckily, I had osteopathic mentors that cared about me, and they were willing to give me advice that really helped me.”

The skills passed along

Those mentorships became his foundation of a career rooted in service. Drawn equally to cardiology, surgery, obstetrics and every clinical rotation in between, Dr. Davis ultimately found family medicine to be the perfect expression of osteopathic philosophy.

Caring for patients “from the cradle to the grave” aligned not only with his interests, but also with loan repayment opportunities that enabled him to return to rural communities.

His osteopathic training also offered something deeply personal: osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Having benefited from this manipulation throughout his childhood, he cherished being able to provide this care to others and experiencing firsthand the trust that defines osteopathic medical care.

Today, that commitment to service has come full circle. After years in rural practice, Dr. Davis returned to his alma mater to help educate the next generation of physicians. There, he discovered a fledgling student organization for first-generation medical students seeking a faculty adviser. The fit was immediate.

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

Mentorship that inspires

Now serving as a mentor, Dr. Davis helps students create programming that guides their peers through residency preparation, clinical education and the hidden curriculum of medicine.

“I’m just there as a mentor and as a friend and as a guide,” he says. “The ideas that they come up with and the things that they want to do to help their fellow students have been very inspiring.”

His story is a reminder that first-generation physicians rarely succeed alone. They are propelled by mentors who open doors, communities that invest in potential and a profession whose legacy is not simply healing patients, but also preparing those who will heal the generations that follow.

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:

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

How mentorship helped this first-generation DO become the first Vietnamese-American dean of a medical school