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Leaders come in many different forms. As learners and the rising future of the osteopathic profession, we are fortunate to be surrounded by leaders. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with one very special leader, our new AOA President! Teresa A. Hubka, DO, FACOOG (Dist.), FACOG, CS, is not only our newly elected AOA President but also a practicing OB-GYN in Chicago and, for her, leadership has always been a part of who she is.
When discussing her pathway to leadership, Dr. Hubka states that from as early as high school, she volunteered in different roles. With her early interests, in high school she served as class president and head cheerleader. Then in college she was head cheerleader at UC Davis, which was always something she loved. Overall, she just loved being involved in a variety of activities, ranging from clubs to other extracurriculars. As a medical student at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM), she was particularly involved with both the local osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) club as well as with the student government as one of their student representatives. By a series of happenstances, Dr. Hubka found herself quickly appointed to the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP) as a new medical student, which really ignited her fire within the osteopathic profession. Through COSGP, she had the opportunity to talk with leaders within the AOA and AACOM. She states, “I was so new and all of a sudden I’m at that level, which was huge.” She continued onward and was elected to be Parliamentarian in COSGP, where her opportunities for advocacy continued.
Upon graduating medical school, Dr. Hubka continued to seek out opportunities to remain involved. Inspired by her time on COSGP, she searched for another opportunity for interns and residents to have a voice. Seeing none, she went to the AOA President at the time and asked for the creation of this type of opportunity: a leadership platform/group for interns and residents. Her work led to the formation of the American Association of Post-Graduate Physicians (AAPP). She not only worked as one of the founding members of AAPP but also became its first president. AAPP has continued to grow since its inception and, although it has undergone name changes through the years, is still an active group within the AOA, currently under the name Bureau of Emerging Leaders (BEL).
Dr. Hubka didn’t stop with AOA leadership. Everywhere she went, she sought to join osteopathic state societies. In medical school, joining Iowa (IOMA); clinical rotations, joining California (OPSC); in residency, New Jersey (NJAOPS); and in various clinical practices, California and Illinois. “Everywhere I went there was someone from the AOA that would mentor me,” Dr. Hubka states. She was interested in remaining involved and remained available when opportunities presented themselves. Upon finishing residency, she served as President of IOMS and became increasingly involved with ACOOG. Initially she served in ACOOG’s membership and promotions committee and eventually served as ACOOG President. “I think it was just being engaged and wanting to do more; wanting to meet people and get involved. I always liked leading, organizing and working.”
In our interview, Dr. Hubka graciously provided insight into her leadership journey and also answered some of our questions about leadership in general. She gave us a glimpse of her perspectives and shared her wisdom and advice in her answers to the following questions.
Obstacles can be anything that you think might hold you back or stop you from moving forward. In hindsight, anything I once thought was an obstacle I was able to overcome with a different mindset, a challenge to grow. Obstacles are opportunities to think differently and change things. As a student, most obstacles stemmed from finances. I drove coast to coast for clinical rotations and interviews, living frugally to optimize opportunities. On top of that, while some people view being a female as an obstacle, it is not, and instead is an opportunity to show a different way of thinking. Men and women are partners and, while we may have different mindsets, we can pair together and accomplish greatness. Similarly, some individuals view being a DO as an obstacle, but that is absolutely not the case. Being an osteopathic physician is a great opportunity to view patients and health care differently and provide unique skills and experiences to the patient-physician relationship. It’s all about perspective.
Two words: faith and family. I have an amazingly supportive husband, children and a very large family; parents, brothers, sisters. Everyone is so supportive, and together we celebrate what everyone does. I met my husband in medical school, so he’s been supportive from the start and is so helpful with life tasks and support. He keeps life running at home when I’m traveling. He has his own career and had it when we met, so he was able to have his own work/life balance, and we could support each other.
My children also always knew what I was doing. They would come with me to deliveries when they were younger. Bringing family into this world makes them a part of it and feels like I’m not disconnected from them or away from them when I’m traveling. They know what I do and get to be involved with it. We can all support each other. My immediate family is also a huge support. My sister and parents plan family retreats where we have time to be with each other and be reflective with family and our faith. Together, we have traveled the world as a family for these retreats, where we have time for prayer and family bonding alike. The AOA is incredibly supportive of my faith and family values. Ultimately, I am a “yes” person, but also have the support of my family behind every “yes.”
I value all leaders, but in particular reflective leadership; in other words, someone that can listen to others, reflect and then guide, lead and mentor those around them. It is important to listen. You can have your own opinions and thoughts, but first listen to others. Then think and reflect on their words. Hear your own thoughts in your head. Then try to make the best decision for the group in a collaborative way. You have to lead everyone to that path. “It’s not your way, it’s our way and you’re leading it.” Communicate clearly with the team but have decisiveness with your decision. AOA Past President William Mayo, DO, says, “I have two ears and one mouth; thus I listen more than I speak.” Strong leaders engage others while being collaborative, yet still leading.
Everyone wants to go all the way to the top, but you have to hit the in-betweens as well. We see such great future leadership in the BEL, but that is a short period of time for the BEL terms/opportunities. It is even better to take all the steps. As students, get involved with your COM, their clubs and their opportunities. In particular, get involved with your state society. Your state will elevate you. If you rotate between multiple states, get involved with each one. Build those local state-level connections. The more opportunities you have to know the individuals in your state society, the more opportunities you will have to become more involved in that organization. Let this travel with you through residency. Additionally, as residents, get involved with your osteopathic specialty college. Remain a member of that organization throughout residency and into practice. And of course, always remain a member of the AOA.
In general, as you work through training, participate and be involved. If given the opportunities to attend conferences, attend and be involved. At the House of Delegates, engage with your state society. Watch, learn, absorb. You will likely have more opportunities to be involved at the House with your state than with SOMA or COSGP. These opportunities can seem expensive but are immensely worth it. Your state society can elevate your voice and provide opportunities for further involvement, such as with the AOA. The more people you meet, the more you know your own organization, and the more it becomes a natural ascent to leadership.
My President-elect platform was “Grow DO,” so my number one goal is growth. Osteopathic medicine is the answer to health care. The vision of A.T. Still, MD, DO, upon the foundation of osteopathic medicine was that health care at that time was not going in the right direction and was problematic, and it ultimately inspired the founding principles of body, mind and spirit. I don’t want osteopathic medicine to be the best-kept secret; I want to grow it. We need to grow the profession and grow education about the profession. Even our allopathic colleagues need to understand it. Our patients know it, and they love it. So, we must continue to share it because the more osteopathic medicine is known, the more it grows. Within this theme, there are two main areas where we can work together to continue growth:
Get involved and engaged but remember the people. Do not step over people on your journey. Recognize and appreciate each other and support each other. Stay together and get to know your fellow members of the osteopathic family. People are the most important, we need each other. With that, remember to appreciate the osteopathic profession, but also continue to grow modernized osteopathic medicine. We need to recognize our distinctiveness but also keep it relevant to what we do. Know our history and where you came from and then take it light-years ahead and continue to be the visionary for the osteopathic profession. In doing so, maintain work/life balance. Work hard so you can have a good life and continue to engage with the people around you to build and strengthen your support system. You are not in this alone. Nothing is possible without family or without faith. It’s not what we want, it’s what God wants.
We’re all in this together, so remember that and keep focus on our osteopathic family. To me, the osteopathic family is the greatest. Within families, even individuals are celebrated, including ours, osteopathically. The BEL is a part of our family. We celebrate you and love to see where you go. I love the BEL, I really do. The BEL is amazing with their initiatives and great ideas. So continue to learn more about the osteopathic profession. Learn from the House of Delegates. Search to understand everything. Elevate the student, resident, fellow and new physician in practice voice. We love your voice. Keep doing what you’re doing, be proud to be an osteopathic physician and grow DO.
Dr. Hubka became the AOA President during the House of Delegates in July 2024. She will serve over the next 12 months in this role. While her leadership path is still ongoing, we’re excited to see all the wonderful successes of her presidential term. The osteopathic family is special and will most definitely continue to strengthen its identity. We appreciate Dr. Hubka’s continued support of the BEL and of our constituents while we all work together to Grow DO!