MSOM Advocates for Rural Healthcare on Capitol Hill During AACOM Advocacy Day

On Sept. 17, Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine (MSOM) second-year students Caleb Bean, Adam Mowery, and Isaiah Stevens joined Dr. Sam Kadavakollu, PhD, MSc, associate dean of academic affairs, for AACOM Advocacy Day 2026. They met with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to discuss policies affecting osteopathic medical students and the communities they will serve.

The group advocated for the Fair Access In Residency (FAIR) Act, which would require Medicare-funded residency programs to consider osteopathic applicants and their COMLEX-USA scores. They also discussed the Community TEAMS Act, which would support clinical rotations through partnerships between medical schools and healthcare facilities in rural and medically underserved communities.

For MSOM, both issues connect directly to its mission. Fair access to residency helps students continue their path to becoming physicians, while community-based clinical training prepares them to serve areas like Western Maryland. By bringing these priorities to Capitol Hill, MSOM students demonstrated their commitment to improving access to care for the patients and communities they will serve.