3 osteopathic organizations win 2026 AOA Outstanding Affiliate Awards

The AOA’s Outstanding Affiliate Award recognizes osteopathic state and specialty college affiliates that demonstrate innovation, creativity, resourcefulness and flexibility; highlights outstanding affiliate performance; recognizes affiliate contributions that advance the osteopathic medical profession; and celebrates and shares noteworthy programs and initiatives with all affiliates to encourage best practices.

This year’s award recipients include the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM), Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California (OPSC) and Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA).

AOA President Richard R. Thacker, DO, MACOI, will bestow these esteemed awards upon AOAAM, OPSC and FOMA during the awards ceremony held in-person at OMED26 on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The recent achievements of this year’s recipients are highlighted below.

American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM)

• Expanded access to high-quality addiction medicine education through a robust national educational portfolio. AOAAM delivered 12 “Testimonies from the trenches” (TFTT) webinars, a 16-session addiction medicine track at OMED and extensive programming through partnerships with the Opioid Response Network and Providers Clinical Support System, reaching thousands of clinicians nationwide.
• Demonstrated strong educational impact through evidence-based programming focused on today’s most pressing public health challenges. The TFTT webinar series engaged 429 learners and achieved completion rates exceeding 80%, while national webinars attracted audiences ranging from 354 to 836 participants per session.
• Successfully navigated a major leadership transition while strengthening organizational infrastructure and sustainability. Through succession planning, process standardization, leadership development and operational improvements, AOAAM maintained uninterrupted service delivery and positioned the organization for long-term growth. AOAAM transformed a period of transition into an opportunity to build a more resilient, scalable leadership model.
• Strengthened membership engagement through enhanced benefits and innovative recruitment strategies. The academy expanded access to free CME, launched an upgraded learning management system (LMS), introduced the Distinguished Fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine designation and implemented targeted outreach to prospective members and trainees.
• Elevated the osteopathic voice on national healthcare issues through coordinated advocacy and strategic partnerships. Working alongside the AOA and partner organizations, AOAAM participated in federal advocacy initiatives addressing workforce development, graduate medical education, telehealth access, patient safety and physician-led care.
• Strengthened visibility, member engagement and recognition through enhanced communications. AOAAM redesigned their website, expanded their social media presence, increased promotion of CME and advocacy initiatives, improved access to the Journal of Addiction Medicine, and bolstered strategic partnerships that broadened reach and reinforced the organization’s leadership in osteopathic addiction medicine.
• Cultivated the next generation of addiction medicine leaders through student, resident and early-career physician targeted engagement. Complimentary membership, mentorship opportunities, collaboration with osteopathic training programs and promotion of specialty pathways expanded awareness of addiction medicine and strengthened the future workforce.

Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California (OPSC)

• In partnership with Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine, OPSC launched the Community Oriented Osteopathic Kitchen Skills (COOKS) program to promote “Food as medicine” and osteopathic principles through community engagement. The initiative brought together partnerships with the California library system and Vallejo City Unified School District while engaging physicians, students, families, community leaders and underserved populations through hands-on cooking demonstrations, health fairs and educational programming.
• Expanded public awareness of osteopathic medicine through strategic communications and community-based outreach. COOKS events were promoted through local media, websites and social media channels, increasing visibility of the osteopathic medical profession and highlighting the role of nutrition, prevention and whole-person care in improving health outcomes.
• Created opportunities for physicians and osteopathic medical students to serve as visible community health advocates. Through educational presentations and community-facing activities, participants shared the osteopathic approach to wellness while strengthening connections between healthcare professionals and the communities they serve.
• Strengthened collaboration among educational and community stakeholders to advance osteopathic outreach. The program established sustainable partnerships that increased engagement in health education while creating accessible, interactive learning opportunities focused on the relationship between nutrition and overall health.
• Developed plans for statewide expansion through collaboration among California’s colleges of osteopathic medicine. Future efforts will unite Touro University California, California Health Sciences University and Western University of Health Sciences to further promote osteopathic medicine and community health initiatives across the state.

Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA)

• Delivered comprehensive educational programming that connected more than 4,000 physicians and students across Florida. Through live and virtual conventions, seminars, local networking events and on-demand CME offerings, FOMA provided access to 27-30 Category 1-A CME credits per event while supporting licensure and professional development needs.
• Demonstrated exceptional membership growth and retention through a strong member value proposition. FOMA achieved an 80% renewal rate, increased membership by 10% in one year, added more than 1,000 new members and grew to more than 4,100 members through expanded benefits, discounted memberships and advocacy support.
• Strengthened leadership development and succession planning while maintaining organizational stability. The association successfully transitioned to new executive leadership, expanded resident representation on its Board of Trustees and created pathways for physicians to advance from local leadership positions to statewide and national service.
• Advanced advocacy efforts on behalf of Florida osteopathic physicians through legislative engagement and coalition building. FOMA hosted its largest Osteopathic Medicine and Health Awareness Day at the Florida capitol building, bringing together more than 50 physicians and students to advocate for policies supporting physicians, patients and the osteopathic medical profession.
• Maintained strong member engagement and trust through a robust multichannel communications strategy. This included weekly e-newsletters, legislative alerts, an updated website and social media presence, a triannual journal and personalized member support, resulting in 48,000 website users and a growing social media audience of more than 2,700 followers.
• Invested in the future of the profession through extensive student and resident engagement. Complimentary student memberships, resident leadership opportunities, poster competitions, scholarship support through the FOMA Foundation and partnerships with Florida’s colleges of osteopathic medicine contributed to a growing pipeline of future leaders, including 871 student members.

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