National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners in the 21st century.

Meoli et al • Medical education The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide “for the public welfare a means to assess competency in the healthcare disciplines relevant to osteopathic medicine.” The NBOME was established in 1934 to provide an evaluation instrument by which osteopathic physicians could seek medical licensure with full practice rights across the nation. Currently, the Board of Directors of NBOME consists of 21 members. These members are elected to the Board for their experience and expertise in the clinical and basic science disciplines, and relevant experience in osteopathic medical education and evaluation. Members of the Board come from all regions of the country, and each brings unique talents to the Board. Additionally, representatives of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners (AAOE) have been included to broaden the scope of membership of the Board. The NBOME has the following standing committees: Finance, Membership, Research, Standards, Liaison, and Product. These committees meet regularly throughout the year to support the work and mission of NBOME. The Research Committee has recently assembled an expert advisory panel that includes Barbara Plake, PhD, from the University of Nebraska; Mark Wilson, PhD, from the University of California-Berkley; John Norcini, PhD, from the American Board of Internal Medicine; and Benjamin Wright, PhD, from the University of Chicago, MESA Psychometric Institute. The NBOME is represented on the panel by David Baron, DO, MEd (chair of the Research Committee); Thomas Cavalieri, DO (Vice President of the Board); and Linjun Shen, PhD (Director of Testing). This Research Advisory Panel guides the research efforts of NBOME. Through the Liaison Committee, NBOME maintains communication with the schools, the students, and the state licensing boards through representation from AACOM, the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA), the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). This committee provides a forum in which concerns from these various constituencies can be presented to the NBOME Board of Directors.