AOGME Member Spotlight: Mark Thai, DO

Mark Thai, DO, is the Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Manipulative Medicine 3 (ONMM3) Program Director and Executive Director of Osteopathic Recognition at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. Dr. Thai particularly enjoys AOGME for its opportunity for collaboration among so many educators to strengthen and share osteopathic medicine in the medical profession.

Dr. Thai was inspired to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine for its perspective that physical health is influenced by various factors, including lifestyle, emotions and environment. He notes that utilizing osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) enables him to evaluate the person as a whole and to provide treatment accordingly. Dr. Thai’s journey into graduate medical education (GME) started with being program director of his institution’s AOA OMM Plus One program and its transition into the ACGME single accreditation system. Like many OMM program directors, he helped other residency programs with their osteopathic components. His current role as Executive Director of Osteopathic Recognition is to help Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences’ residency programs pursue or maintain Osteopathic Recognition.

One of Dr. Thai’s most rewarding professional achievements is when his learners have that “Aha!” moment, from feeling the transverse process for the first time to seeing the benefit of their OMT in a hospitalized patient. His other rewarding professional achievements are the day-to-day moments where he learns a new fact about the patients that provide insights into their lives beyond their medical conditions. He explains, “Whether it’s discovering a hidden talent, a surprising hobby or a remarkable life story, each new fact adds a layer of richness to the doctor-patient relationship.”

A career milestone of Dr. Thai’s that he treasures was hooding his mentee at her graduation ceremony. Dr. Thai recalls the experience: “It was an honor for me to share in her journey from pre-med to exams and clinical rotations. I was proud of her hard work and dedication and knowing she is the future generation of doctors.”

Inspired by Dr. Karen Snider’s AACOM presentation on using patient care as a common language to bridge the "MD" and "DO" worlds, Dr. Thai is currently working on a project that focuses on how being more fluent in communications leads to better integration of osteopathic principles and philosophy and, ultimately, better patient care.

In his spare time, Dr. Thai can be found reading on his Kindle or playing with his three young daughters, who “married” he and his wife during a mini-version wedding ceremony that he recreated on their 10-year wedding anniversary.