AACOM Awarded 2020 Innovation in Education Grant from American Medical Association

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Project will Transform Medical Education Through Gamified Technology

(Bethesda, MD) – With great excitement and appreciation, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) today announced it is the recipient of a 2020 Accelerating Change in Medical Education Innovation Grant from the American Medical Association (AMA). The winning proposal, designed by AACOM’s Transformation in Medical Education Using Technology Working Group, is for an online gamified learning map that can be used by all osteopathic medical schools to teach medical students in the core areas of health systems sciences.

“We are very proud and pleased to be awarded this grant. Developing new ways to reach and engage our students is always a top priority for AACOM and our colleges,” said Robert A. Cain, DO, FACOI, FAODME, President and CEO of AACOM.  “Given the challenges of continuing medical education during COVID-19, thinking of innovative methods that can be delivered virtually is critical.  This project, once fully developed, will allow our schools to combine resources and offer all osteopathic medical students a world class interactive online experience to help them learn the critical health systems science curriculum.”

The primary goal of the grant project, Transforming Medical Education Through Gamified Technology, is to create an online gamified learning map to deliver shared curricular content in health systems sciences to all osteopathic medical schools. The focus is on a relatively under-used technology (gamification) to demonstrate the value of how to do online learning that engages students and improves outcome, by choosing sharable high-quality curricular content, and increasing the chances for wider adoption. 

The AMA’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative looks to work across the continuum and seeks out visionary partners to create bold innovations. AACOM’s pilot project is scheduled to deliver its final project and analysis late summer of 2021.

About AACOM

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) leads and advocates for the full continuum of osteopathic medical education to improve the health of the public. Founded in 1898 to support and assist the nation's osteopathic medical schools, AACOM represents all 37 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine—educating nearly 31,000 future physicians, 25 percent of all US medical students—at 58 teaching locations in 33 US states, as well as osteopathic graduate medical education professionals and trainees at US medical centers, hospitals, clinics, and health systems. 

AACOM provides leadership for the osteopathic medical education community by promoting excellence in medical education, research, and service, and by fostering innovation and quality across the continuum of osteopathic medical education to improve the health of the American public.

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Contacts:
Joseph Shapiro
Director of Media Relations
(240) 938-0746
jshapiro@aacom.org

Christine DeCarlo
Media and Public Affairs Manager
(202) 603-1026
cdecarlo@aacom.org