Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean Installed as 115th President of American Osteopathic Association
Dr. Martin Levine, DO, associate dean for educational development at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM), was installed as president of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago.
Like M.D.s, DOs complete four years of basic medical education and are fully licensed physicians. DO’s receive additional training in osteopathic manipulative medicine, which gives them a diagnostic and therapeutic advantage in providing the most comprehensive care. Osteopathic medical schools encourage their graduates to become “primary care” physicians and practice a “whole body” approach.
“On behalf of all of Touro, we congratulate Dr. Levine on this prestigious appointment,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president and CEO of Touro College. “With his distinguished background, training, and dedication, the profession will be well-served with his appointment as its 115th president. We are fortunate to have such a prominent leader among our ranks.”
A resident of Short Hills, N.J., Dr. Levine has been the recipient of numerous awards including being named to the Best Doctors listing by New York Magazine every year since 1999, and being honored repeatedly as a Best Doctor in New Jersey Monthly magazine. He was named Physician of the Year by New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (NJAOPS) in 2000. Dr. Levine has been a member of the AOA’s board of trustees since 2000 and maintains a family practice in Bayonne, N.J. and Jersey City, N.J.
As president of the AOA, Dr. Levine will lead an organization of professionals dedicated to working to improve healthcare for families. The AOA is a member association for the 78,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) in the United States and for all osteopathic medical students. It serves as the primary certifying body for DOs and the primary accrediting agency for all osteopathic medical schools.
“I am honored and proud to have the opportunity to guide our professional family of physicians, which works diligently to promote public health and encourage scientific research,” said Dr. Levine. “I view the coming year as a continuation of my work as a dean at TouroCOM, where we created a unique medical school in the Harlem community — one known for its healthcare disparities — and where we have made significant progress in closing critical gaps in health-care education and delivery.”
TouroCOM was founded in Harlem in 2007 with a special mission to train physicians who have a special interest in working in underserved communities. The College recently graduated its first class of 105 medical students, many of whom were offered residencies at some of the best medical and surgical programs in the country, including New York University Medical Center (Tisch and Bellevue hospitals); Walter Reed National Army Hospital; Mt. Sinai Hospital, Baltimore; and the Mayo Clinic.
“We are proud of our commitment to our community and to the profession,” said Dean Robert Goldberg, DO. “Dr. Levine is a part of an exceptional team of student mentors who are leaders in the field of osteopathic medicine and family practice. I am certain he will successfully foster the same support and commitment to care among the members of the osteopathic profession as he has here at Touro.”
