OME Advocate Newsletter
Delivered twice-monthly right to your in-box, AACOM's OME Advocate keeps you informed and involved in policy discussions and legislation around healthcare, medical students and osteopathic medical education.
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AACOM Advocacy Delivers Key Wins in House FY27 Funding Bill
On June 9, 2026, the House Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHSE) funding bill, advancing several AACOM priorities focused on strengthening the physician workforce and supporting osteopathic medical research.
A major victory for AACOM was the inclusion of $5 million in new funding to expand clinical training opportunities in rural and underserved communities, aligned with the Community TEAMS Act (H.R.3885/S.3989), stating:
"The Committee includes an increase of $5,000,000 to support medical school partnerships with FQHCs, Rural Health Clinics, or other healthcare facilities located in medically underserved communities to increase medical school clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas." (p. 41) The Committee also adopted new AACOM-requested language recognizing the role of Community Academic Health Systems (CAHS) in building physician workforce pipelines and expanding access to care in rural and underserved communities. The report encourages the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support CAHS partnerships and directs the agency to brief the Committee within 180 days of enactment of CAHS impact on physician training and distribution. (p. 236) In addition, the Committee continued its support for increasing osteopathic representation and funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stating: "The Committee remains concerned with the historic disparity in NIH funding and representation for Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COMs) and appreciates NIH’s commitment to broaden investments to more institutions and ideas. The Committee also appreciates recent engagement with osteopathic leaders and urges NIH to expand research funding opportunities and representation of COMs across NIH Institutes and Centers, including in study sections and national advisory councils, and to continue encouraging osteopathic researchers to apply for funding." (p. 145) The Committee included $3 million for the Delta Rural Health Innovation Demonstration Program to test innovative approaches to improving health outcomes in rural communities, including through preexisting partnerships with osteopathic medical training programs and Food is Medicine interventions (p. 56-57), and called for CMS and HRSA to take steps to expand rural residency partnerships between hospitals and non-hospital settings. (p. 247) More broadly, the House bill preserves the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and provides a modest increase for NIH funding. For a more detailed analysis of the FY27 LHHSE bill, read AACOM's full summary. As the Senate begins its work on FY27 funding legislation, AACOM will pursue similar language advancing priorities that strengthen the physician workforce, support NIH and expand opportunities for osteopathic research. Help us promote these key priorities by writing to your Senators today. |
AACOM Recognized by HHS and ED; NIH Opens Nutrition Education Challenge
On June 8, 2026, HHS and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) recognized AACOM and other leading medical education organizations for advancing nutrition education as part of a broader effort to address chronic disease. Seven colleges of osteopathic medicine were among 19 additional medical schools recognized for committing to at least 40 hours of nutrition education for students entering in fall 2026.
HHS also announced the NIH Integration of Nutrition Training into Health Care Education Challenge, which will award up to $2.1 million to support scalable, evidence-based approaches to integrating nutrition education into medical and nursing training programs. Eligible medical schools and residency programs may apply through September 15, 2026.
AACOM and its member colleges continue to champion whole-person care, prevention and health promotion by ensuring future physicians are equipped to address patients' nutrition and wellness needs. Visit AACOM's Nutrition in Medicine webpage to learn more and view the recording of AACOM's recent webinar on advancing nutrition education in osteopathic medical education.
Register for AACOM Advocacy Day and Strengthen Your Advocacy Skills
Join colleagues from across the osteopathic medical education (OME) community for AACOM Advocacy Day, taking place virtually on September 16–17, 2026. Deans, students, faculty, osteopathic leaders and physicians are encouraged to participate.
During this free, two-day event, attendees will engage with Members of Congress, policy experts and AACOM’s Government Relations and Health Affairs team to learn about the federal policy landscape, strengthen advocacy skills and help advance OME priorities.
This online event will take approximately two hours each day and is open to all members of the OME community. Additional details about advocacy activities and live sessions will be announced soon.
Register today and visit the Advocacy Day webpage for the latest updates.
OMB Proposes Major Changes to Federal Grant Rules: Analysis and Upcoming Webinar
- On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, that would significantly revise the federal framework governing grants, cooperative agreements and other forms of federal financial assistance. OMB intends to issue a final rule by October 1, 2026.
- Among the proposed changes, senior political appointees would be required to review and approve discretionary research grants before issuance and agencies would have expanded authority to suspend or terminate awards that do not align with presidential priorities. The rule would also standardize award administration across government, impose new requirements on grantee selection and funding decisions to be aligned with the Administration’s priorities and significantly limit the types of costs that are allowable under federal awards.
- OMB states that the proposal is intended to increase transparency, oversight and accountability, clarify the legal status and implementation of government-wide grant requirements and reduce administrative burden on agencies and funding recipients.
- Interested parties are encouraged to review the proposal and submit comments by July 13, 2026. AACOM also encourages COMs to share comments and concerns with aacomgr@aacom.org.
- Review Venable LLP's summary and register for its June 17, 2026, webinar to learn more.
House Passes Bill to Strengthen Student Aid Fraud Prevention
- On June 9, 2026, the House passed the No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, H.R. 7892, by a vote of 249–172.
- Sponsored by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), the legislation seeks to address "ghost student" fraud, in which stolen or fabricated identities are used to apply for admission and federal student aid, enroll in courses and improperly obtain financial aid refunds.
- If enacted, the bill would require ED to use identity fraud detection tools to screen FAFSA applications and verify the identity of applicants flagged as high risk before aid is disbursed.
- The legislation follows recent federal efforts to strengthen oversight of the student aid system, including the implementation of enhanced fraud detection measures for FAFSA applications.
- For more information, view the House Committee on Education and Workforce one-pager on the bill.
Engagement and Resources
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Receives NIH Grant to Advance Healthy Aging Research: Cory W. Baumann, PhD, of the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, has received a $2.8 million NIH grant to study proteins that help muscles adapt to exercise and maintain resilience with age. The five-year project could advance understanding of age-related muscle loss and support the development of new approaches to promote healthy aging. Learn more. |
Apply to HRSA’s Faculty Loan Repayment Program: Awardees will have a portion of their health professional student loan debt ($40,000 max over two years) repaid. In return, they must serve at an eligible health professions school. Applications ae being accepted through July 9, 2026. Join a webinar on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET and learn more. |
Apply to the STAR Loan Repayment Program: Applications are now being accepted for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. Eligible substance use disorder treatment clinicians and community health workers can apply through June 23, 2026, 7:30 PM ET. Learn more. |
Apply to HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program: Apply for up to $100,000 in loan repayment through HRSA's Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program. Applications are accepted through June 30, 2026, 7:30 PM ET. Learn more. |
Apply to HRSA’s Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program: The RRPD program provides start-up funding to create accredited rural residency programs in a qualifying specialty and technical assistance for rural graduate medical education. Up to 15 recipients may receive up to $750,000 for a three-year grant period. View frequently asked questions and a recording of the technical assistance webinar. Applications are being accepted through July 8, 2026. Learn more. |
Register for HRSA’s 2026 Healthy Grants Workshop Series: HRSA is hosting a free workshop series designed to help grant recipients successfully manage their awards. Sessions are available for both new and experienced recipients and will cover topics including grants administration, budgeting, allowable costs and more. Workshops will take place May–August 2026 from 1:00–4:00 PM ET. Register today. |
