American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) is central to osteopathic medical education in the United States. Though osteopathic medical schools are accredited through the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the AACOM plays an important regulatory and administrative role for its member schools. For example, the AACOM runs the centralized application service for all accredited U.S. osteopathic medical schools, overseen by executive Thomas Levitan.

History
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), founded in 1898, exists to lend support and assistance to all osteopathic medical schools in the United States. Significant growth has occurred in the last century, as it now represents the vast needs of administration, faculty and students involved in Osteopathic education. The organization is now guided by active, developed leadership, which is involved in improving every aspect of medical education within Osteopathic medicine.

Leadership
Stephen C. Shannon, DO, MPH, is the President of the association. His responsibility lies in directing AACOM, and assisting it in achieving its objectives. His work is overseen by AACOM's Governing Council, the Board of Deans. One of his most recent missions is aligning enrollment with under-represented demographics, especially in rural and urban areas. 

There are also various departments that oversee specific aspects of Osteopathic medical education. Some of the executive staff in charge of these departments include Nancy C. Cioffari, CFO, Michael J. Dyer, JD, Vice President of Government Relations, and Linda, R. Heun, PhD, Vice President of Medical Education.

Publications
The AACOM publishes a bimonthly journal on issues related to osteopathic medical education called Inside Osteopathic Medical Education. The journal can be read online here.