OMED 2026 awards to honor leaders & innovators in osteopathic medicine

Every year, the AOA recognizes individuals whose work has left a lasting mark on the profession at OMED, the world’s largest annual gathering of osteopathic physicians. This year’s conference takes place in Las Vegas from Oct. 22-25 and centers on the theme of Your Career. Your Path. Your OMED.

A career in osteopathic medicine is rarely built alone, and this year’s honorees are proof. Each of them made room on the path for someone else: a student who needed a mentor, a researcher who needed a place to start, or a patient that needed to be heard. The awards recognize that work across four categories, including the MOSAIC Awards, Mentor of the Year, the Outstanding Affiliate Awards and the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM) Research Awards.

“Integrity, service, passion, innovation, respect, excellence and the distinctiveness of osteopathic medicine are the values that guide this profession,” said the AOA’s President Richard R. Thacker, DO, MACOI. “This year’s honorees exemplify those values in practice. Every one of them has spent a career making the path easier for the physicians and patients who come next. That is inspired leadership, and it is what I hope every DO who comes to Las Vegas takes home with them.”

Below, read about this year’s distinguished award recipients.

2026 MOSAIC Award recipients

• Individual Award: Natasha N. Bray, DO 
• Organizational Award: Inclusive Healthcare at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolina Chapter

2026 Mentor of the Year

• John Ashurst, DO, EdD, MS

2026 Outstanding Affiliate Awards

• Florida Osteopathic Medical Association
• Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California
• American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine

2026 Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM) Award Recipients

Social Determinants of Health Research Award 

Associations in fetal outcomes from Cesarean sections with maternal comorbidities: A cross-sectional study of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

Mackenzie Enmeier, DO; Elise Stephenson, DO; Jordyn Prince, DO; Caroline Markey, MD; Binh Phung, DO; and Micah Hartwell, PhD

Innovations Research Award 

A proven template for providing streamlined, scalable, cost-effective clinical research opportunities in osteopathic medical schools

Jacey N. Greek, BS; Andrew P. Greek, BS; Mari Hopper, MS, PhD; and Robert Arnce, MD

Health Policy Research 

Use of a community care coordination team to reduce emergency department utilization and hospital readmissions for the highest utilizers

Stacia Shipman, DO; Kelly Painter, MD; Lindsey Claire Epperson, DO; and Keri Smith, DO

Quality Improvement in Education Research Award 

Understanding COMLEX-USA Level-1 as a Pass/Fail examination: impact and opportunities

Ashley Gerhardson, PhD; Melissa Efurd, EdD; Patricia Sexton, MS, DHEd; and Donald Sefcik, DO, MBA

Junior Faculty / Young Investigators Research Award 

DO (under) representation in US guideline development: an investigation of guideline authors from 2021–2023

Alfred B. Amendolara, MS; Steven Salazar, BSN; Tiffany Nguyen, BS; Porter Fife, BS; Blake Harris, BS; Alessandra M. Rivera, MS; Kennedy Madrid, BS; Yvannia Gray, BA; and Stephen Stacey, DO

Join the osteopathic medical profession at OMED26

The awards are one part of four days in which the osteopathic medical profession does its thinking out loud. In-person OMED attendees are eligible for a maximum of 60 AOA Category 1-A Credits or 60 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Most in-person CME content will also be available through OMED On-Demand for those who cannot travel. Full program, registration and housing information are available on the OMED website.

Related reading:

3 osteopathic organizations win 2026 AOA Outstanding Affiliate Awards

Paging Dr. Fran: How one osteopathic OB-GYN is reshaping women’s health advocacy