Help Close Gaps in Osteopathic Research – Join Us at Advocacy Day 2024!

Axios and Becker’s Hospital Review published articles highlighting the challenges osteopathic medicine faces in obtaining federal recognition and funding. AACOM shared with reporters concerns about the underrepresentation of osteopathic physicians on federal advisory committees that influence research funding and healthcare policy.

Osteopathic medicine's inability to play a role in federal funding policy and application review has a direct impact on funding outcomes. In an analysis shared with Becker's, AACOM reported that osteopathic medical schools only get 0.1 percent ($55.6 million) of all active National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding. In contrast, allopathic medical schools receive 42 percent of funding, or $23.8 billion of the NIH's $56.7 billion research budget. This disparity goes beyond NIH, as only 17 DOs sit on federal health-related advisory committees.

Join the movement to increase osteopathic research funding and representation by registering for AACOM Advocacy Day, a two-day virtual event on September 11-12, 2024. All members of the OME community are encouraged to register so you can learn about and advocate for osteopathic policy priorities, including more NIH funding and representation.