AOA Leads Efforts to Unite Osteopathic Practitioners Globally

The AOA is strengthening its efforts to work for global ostopathic unity through the Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) and the Bureau on International Osteopathic Medical Education and Affairs (BIOMEA).

In the past decade, there has been an increasing need for the osteopathic medical profession to develop an alliance to promote activities of common interest and concern for both US-trained and internationally-trained practitioners. In response, the AOA helped to form the OIA. The OIA represents more than 65,000 osteopathic practitioners around the world and has more than 35 organizational members from a dozen countries.

In addition to being a charter member of the OIA, the AOA also has its own international entity, the BIOMEA. The BIOMEA promotes the osteopathic philosophy and helps osteopathic physicians gain recognition beyond US borders in countries such as Austrailia and the United Kingdom. Most recently, the BIOMEA gained recognition for DOs in Grenada. Contact Joshua Kerr, International Program Specialist, at jkerr@osteopathic.org for more information on the BIOMEA and international resources for US-trained DOs.