The JOOL coalition unites osteopathic leaders to champion preventive healthcare.
The Joint Osteopathic Organizational Leadership (JOOL) coalition is a collaborative group of leading organizations within the osteopathic medical profession. JOOL brings together senior osteopathic leadership to strengthen alignment, foster collaboration and advance shared priorities that are critical to the future of osteopathic medicine.
The osteopathic medical profession has long recognized that improving health outcomes requires more than treating illness alone. Partnership with our patients in their health journey is crucial and foundational in providing osteopathic care. As national initiatives place greater emphasis on reducing chronic disease and enhancing preventive healthcare, osteopathic physicians remain dedicated to implementing patient-centered strategies that consider all relevant factors influencing health, including nutrition, physical activity, environmental conditions and lifestyle choices. Across medical education, physician assessment, licensure and professional development, the profession works to ensure physicians are prepared to support healthy living and deliver evidence-based, whole-person care.
To support these objectives, the following measures have been implemented:
Across the osteopathic community, colleges of osteopathic medicine and partner organizations are advancing “Food as Medicine” initiatives, supporting research and educational grant programs focused on nutrition and preventive care, and expanding curricula for osteopathic medical students and osteopathic physicians, emphasizing lifestyle medicine and population health. Osteopathic leaders have also contributed to national public health and wellness initiatives, reflecting the profession’s longstanding leadership in prevention-focused healthcare and a coordinated commitment to whole-person care throughout training and practice.
Osteopathic physicians have long contributed to public health and wellness initiatives that advance prevention and empower patients to make informed decisions about their health. The Joint Osteopathic Organizational Leadership (JOOL) coalition reaffirms its commitment to working with osteopathic physicians and relevant stakeholders to advance solutions that prioritize prevention, strengthen the physician-patient relationship and improve health outcomes for all Americans.
The JOOL Coalition members include the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the American Society of Osteopathic Medical Regulators (ASOMR), the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) and the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME).
Together, these organizations work to support and promote the osteopathic profession and improve healthcare outcomes.
Learn more about each organization:
Founded in 1898, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) is the leading voice for the education and training of physicians who practice osteopathic medicine in settings across the spectrum, from primary care to the full range of medical specialties. Today, more than 38,000 future physicians—close to 30% of all U.S. medical students—are being educated at one of the 47 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine, encompassing 74 teaching locations in 36 states.
As the nation’s leading voice for osteopathic medicine, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents more than 207,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and medical students, championing public health, scientific research and the highest standards of DO certification. For over a century, the AOA has advanced whole-person healthcare, shaping the future of the osteopathic profession and ensuring its founding principles remain a vital force in modern medicine.
The American Society of Osteopathic Medical Regulators (ASOMR) is the organization that supports the distinctiveness and integrity of osteopathic medical licensure. It is the unified authority in matters that affect regulation, education and advocacy in osteopathic medical licensure.
The American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) is the only agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for the pre-accreditation and accreditation of freestanding institutions of osteopathic medicine and osteopathic medical education programs leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.
The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) protects the public by providing the means to evaluate competencies for the distinctive practice of osteopathic medicine and advancing assessment across related healthcare professions. Since our founding in 1934, we have been recognized for excellence in the national and international arenas of osteopathic physician testing and evaluation. The NBOME develops and administers the COMLEX-USA, the licensing examination for the practice of osteopathic medicine.
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