Osteopathic Medicine and Diversity

Women and the Osteopathic Medical Profession

While few career paths were open to women in the late 1800s, the first class to convene at the American School of Osteopathy in 1892-1893 included women. The number of female D.O.s increased until World War II. During the war female enrollment sharply decreased. However, by the 1960s women were again a prominent number in osteopathic medical schools. By 2007, women accounted for 50% of the total enrollment in osteopathic medical schools. The following graph and tables illustrate the growth in the number of female osteopathic medical students and female D.O.s.

Ethnicity of Osteopathic Medical Students

The diversity of osteopathic medical schools is not only represented in the female population. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) plays a critical role in encouraging all minorities to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine. The following graphs and tables represent the declining percentage of White/Non-Hispanic osteopathic medical students and the increasing percentage of other ethnicities among enrolled osteopathic medical students.