DOs, osteopathic medical students, and friends of the AOA gathered Oct. 30 - Nov. 31 in Orlando, kicking off the OMED 2011 Opening Session with a keynote address from former Florida governor Jeb Bush (right). In addition, the AOA recognized the 2011 Mentor of the Year, Distinguished Service Certificate recipients, and George W. Northup, DO Medical Writing Award winner.
Addressing growing challenges impeding economic growth in the U.S., former Governor Bush stressed that positive change can only be achieved through transformative actions. "This is not an irreversible situation," he told OMED attendees, citing massive deficits, an explosion in litigation costs and the recent Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating.
Bush targeted three policy areas offering considerable opportunity for growth:
- Developing a U.S. energy strategy that will reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil;
- Reforming the country's dysfunctional health care system; and
- Transforming the nation's educational system to better prepare young people to pursue college degrees and excel in the workforce.
Pointing to the need for stronger accountability in the nation's K-12 school systems, Bush cited the fact that the typical rate of unemployment for U.S. college graduates falls under 5%, less than half the rate of those with only a high school diploma. "Knowledge has become the international currency for success," he said.
OMED Award Recipients
Also during Monday's Opening Session, the AOA honored several longtime members of the osteopathic medical family for distinguished service and professional accomplishments.
Mentor of the Year: Sara Esther Sutton, DO, an osteopathic manipulative medicine physician from Iowa, was announced as the AOA/AOF Mentor of the Year from among a field of five finalists. Other nominees for this year's award included Janet Burns, DO, of California; Robert Danoff, DO, of Pennsylvania; Rachael Mergenmeier, DO, of Missouri; and Al Turner, DO, of Oregon.
Distinguished Service Certificate: The AOA's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Certificate, was presented to the following osteopathic physicians: Alvin D. Dubin, DO; Mitchell Kasovac, DO; and Eugene Zachary, DO.
George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award: The AOA presented its 2011 George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award to Dennis Cramer, DO, for "Effect of Pedal Pump and Thoracic Pump Techniques on Intracranial Pressure in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injuries," published in the April 2010 issue of the JAOA -- Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Read the article online.