The Bureau of Emerging Leaders (BEL) is a bureau within the AOA housed within the Membership Department representing osteopathic medical students, residents, fellows and new physicians in practice. Members of the BEL are comprised of several representatives from each group of constituents. This month, we are highlighting one of our BEL members and the Chair of our Communications Workgroup, William Rinaldi, DO.
Dr. Rinaldi is a native New Englander, born and raised in Rhode Island where he spent most of his youth. Moving to Connecticut for high school, he returned to Rhode Island for his undergraduate education at Providence College where he majored in biology and minored in writing.
While athletics had always been important to Dr. Rinaldi, he left behind the hockey stick and baseball bat to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine. After working as a medical scribe in an emergency department, he moved to Maine where he attended the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM). It was there that Dr. Rinaldi solidified his passion for emergency medicine (EM). He graduated in May 2024 and moved to Delaware, where he is completing his EM training at ChristianaCare.
Leadership has always been a passion for Dr. Rinaldi, from serving as captain on multiple athletic teams to acting as chair of the BEL Communications Workgroup. Throughout medical school, Dr. Rinaldi aimed to stay involved with his osteopathic family. He put the osteopathic principles of collaboration into practice through his research around interprofessional collaboration. At UNECOM, he served on club executive boards and with the admission team as a student interviewer.
As a current member of the BEL, he continues to be inspired by the osteopathic community. His passion for mentorship has led him to work with UNECOM’s COMpanion mentor program as well as with the AOA to develop ongoing mentorship opportunities. Dr. Rinaldi also remains active with UNECOM through their admissions committee as an application reader. Over the past year, he became involved with his state osteopathic society, the Delaware State Osteopathic Medical Society (DSOMS). He developed the mentorship program for DSOMS, where he also serves on their Board of Directors.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Rinaldi enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and trying his hand on the grill. He also enjoys visiting new MLB stadiums, NHL arenas and NFL stadiums with his fiancée on their journey to tour each one. Family and community are most important to Dr. Rinaldi, and he loves any opportunity to spend quality time with his people. He’s excited to continue his journey with his osteopathic family.