Join AACOM for a one-hour moderated webinar highlighting how colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) are advancing nutrition education within undergraduate medical education on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET.

Attendees will learn about exciting and innovative approaches to nutrition education at COMs from a panel of academic leaders. This discussion will provide a platform for schools to share practical strategies, innovations and lessons learned by integrating nutrition into medical training.

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AACOM released a summary of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Final Rule, which implements major federal student loan changes enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The summary outlines key provisions affecting graduate and professional students, including the phaseout of Grad PLUS loans, new borrowing limits and important clarifications related to grandfathering, dual-degree programs and continuous enrollment requirements.

AACOM has provided recurring updates on legislative and regulatory developments related to this issue. Although this rule is now final, we will continue monitoring and reporting on related initiatives, including the bicameral congressional resolution introduced by Democratic lawmakers to rescind the rule. Additional student financial aid updates and resources are available on AACOM’s student financial aid resources webpage.

Congressional support for two key osteopathic priorities continues to build. Reps. Craig Goldman (R-TX) and Aaron Bean (R-FL) have joined as cosponsors of the Fair Access In Residency (FAIR) Act, H.R. 2314 / S. 2715, which would ensure all Medicare-funded residency programs accept DO applications and the COMLEX-USA. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are now cosponsors of the Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Students (TEAMS) Act of 2025, H.R. 3885 / S.3989, which would establish a new Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program for medical schools to increase clinical rotations through partnerships with Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics and other healthcare facilities located in medically underserved communities.

Both bipartisan pieces of legislation are critical to addressing healthcare workforce shortages. Our new cosponsors reflect the ongoing impact of osteopathic advocates reaching out to their Members of Congress.

Keep the momentum going and join us for AACOM Advocacy Day 2026 on September 16 and 17, where osteopathic deans, students, faculty and advocates will come together to advocate for osteopathic medical education federal policy priorities. Visit the Advocacy Day page for the latest updates.

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The fiscal year (FY) 2027 President’s Budget Request proposed a 10 percent cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the elimination of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Strong federal investment in medical research drives innovation, improves patient outcomes and advances the health of communities nationwide. NCCIH plays an important role in supporting clinicians, researchers and the public in advancing whole person health across NIH. Public health research will be further strengthened by addressing longstanding disparities in osteopathic research funding and representation through expanding support for colleges of osteopathic medicine across NIH programs and leadership structures.

Congress has already begun to consider key appropriations bills, including the FY27 House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill. The House is also expected to begin consideration of the FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill on June 5, 2026.

Now is the time for the osteopathic community to speak up in support of robust NIH funding, increased osteopathic integration within NIH and continued support for NCCIH.

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• On May 14, 2026, the House Education and Workforce Committee held an oversight hearing with Education Secretary Linda McMahon focused on the ED’s restructuring efforts, student aid administration and the potential impact of proposed changes on states, institutions and students.
• Members discussed fraud prevention efforts and proposed changes to federal student loan programs, including new graduate borrowing limits that lawmakers said could disproportionately affect students pursuing high-need healthcare professions such as medicine, nursing and social work. McMahon explained the policy as an effort to make institutions lower graduate tuition rather than allow unlimited borrowing, but lawmakers repeatedly argued that borrowers, not universities, would bear the immediate cost.
• Workforce development and career readiness programs were also a major focus of the hearing where Members highlighted the role of workforce-oriented education, community college partnerships and short-term training programs in addressing workforce shortages while also discussing concerns about preserving student support services and educational access for vulnerable student populations.
• View AACOM’s summary of the hearing.

• ED convened the first Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) negotiated rulemaking session April 13–17, 2026, to consider sweeping revisions to accreditation and institutional eligibility regulations related to Executive Order 14279.
• Negotiators, including AACOM appointee Brian Kessler, DO, reviewed ED’s 151-page discussion draft, which included provisions to reduce regulatory burdens, ease pathways for new accreditors and expand the use of student outcome metrics. Negotiators participated in a robust conversation, but little compromise was reached.
• For more information, read AACOM’s summary of session one. Negotiators convene for the final session this week, May 18-22, 2026.

• On April 10, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled its FY27 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. Comments are due June 9, 2026.
• For graduate medical education, CMS is proposing updates to the criteria for establishing new residency programs, including a requirement that at least 90 percent of residents entering a new program have no prior training experience in the specialty. Exceptions would apply for matched and displaced residents, as well as smaller programs accredited for 16 or fewer residents. The proposed rule also includes revisions to the criteria used to determine approved residency programs.
• Please notify us at aacomgr@aacom.org if you plan to submit comments to CMS.

• On April 30, 2026, President Trump selected Nicole Saphier, MD, as his nominee for U.S. Surgeon General after withdrawing the nomination of Casey Means, MD. Dr. Saphier is a practicing radiologist and former medical contributor for Fox News.
• On April 16, 2026, the President announced his nomination of Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The position has been unfilled since August 2025, while NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya has served in an interim capacity. A retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Schwartz previously held the role of Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to 2021.