Past Meetings

2013

OIA Board Meeting and Open Forum

22-24 March, Orlando, Florida, USA

The OIA Board met at the American Academy of Osteopathy’s (AAO) 76th Convocation. Following are highlights from the meeting:

  • International Osteopathic Awareness Week is 14-18 April. The Board is encouraging all member organisations to share any documents that they use to discuss the osteopathic profession in their country and that a larger global osteopathic awareness week will be planned for the future.
  • The Board approved a series of frequently asked questions developed by the Member Relations Committee which are now available on our FAQ page.
  • The Board heard reports on the profession from members in Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, the UK and the U.S.
  • The Board approved six member organisations’ 5 year reviews scheduled for 2013.
  • The Board reviewed and reported at the open forum on the progress of the Status Report on Osteopathy, Stage 2 which will be completed and available before the Austin Conference in January 2014.
  • The Board reviewed its bylaws and policies to ensure they are up to date and reflect the aims of OIA.
  • The Board held a Strategic Planning Session in order to develop a new Strategic Plan and Business Plan, which will go into effect later this year.

2012

OIA’s 2012 Paris Conference Follow-Up

The OIA Annual General Meeting and Educational and Regulators’ Forum was held 22-23 September in Paris, France. The OIA partnered with The Syndicat National de l’Enseignement Superieru en Osteopathie (SNESO), chaired by Roger Caporossi and The Syndicat Francais Des Osteopathes (SFDO), chaired by Philippe Sterlingot to present ?Osteopathic Teaching: Competencies, Education, Evaluation.”

Registration for the conference totaled 111 attendees that included registrants, Board members, speakers, leadership and staff. The Board would like to thank all our members who attended for their support.

Annual General Meeting

At this meeting, the Full membership ratified five organizational members, re-elected one sitting Board member and elected two new members to the Board. All board seats are three-year terms. Board of Director Elections:

  • William Burke, DO (US), was nominated by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA-US), and was elected by acclamation to his first term on the Board. Dr Burke is a member of the AOA-US Board of Trustees.
  • Charles Hunt, DO (UK), was nominated by the British Osteopathic Association (BOA) and the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), from the British School of Osteopathy (BSO), where he serves as Principal and Chief Executive. This is his first term.
  • Michael Mulholland-Licht, DO (AU) was re-elected to the Board. Mr Mulholland-Licht was nominated by the Australian Osteopathic Association (AOA-AU).

The new Board of Directors met and elected Mr. Mulholland-Licht as chair of the Board; Jane Carreiro, DO (US), as Vice-chair; and Peter Ajluni, DO (US), was re-elected secretary-treasurer. All officer terms are two years.

Ratified Member Organisations

  • Full Member:
    • Medecins Osteopathes De France ? Le Syndicat (ODFS) (December 2011)
  • Associate Members:
    • Belgian Society of Osteopathy (SBO-BVO, UP) (December 2011)
    • Register for Osteopaths of Belgium (ROB) (December 2011)
    • Uniform National Register of Osteopaths (UNRO) (December 2011)
  • Partner Member:
    • Alberta Association of Osteopathic Manual Therapists (AAOMT) (September 2012)

Proposed OIA Bylaws Changes

Members voted to accept the changes to the OIA bylaws. The updated bylaws are available online.

Committee Restructure

The Board reviewed and revised committee structures and the terms of reference for each committee. The new committees can be found online.

Related Links:

OIA Board Meeting and Roundtable Discussion

24-25 March, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

The OIA Board met at the American Academy of Osteopathy’s (AAO) 75th Anniversary Convocation The Board approved two new Partner members: the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners (AAOE) and the Osteopathic School of Buenos Aires (EOBA).

  • The Board heard reports on the profession from members in Belgium, Brasil, France, Ireland, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S.
  • The membership in attendance participated in an open forum on the Status Report on Osteopathy. Membership provided, via email and discussion, comments on the Stage 1 document, which is nearly complete. There was also discussion of the Stage 2 document, which will be done via survey in mid-2012.

2011

OIA Annual General Meeting (AGM) Highlights

29-30 September Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Thank you to all of our members for making the Potsdam Conference a success. We held our 2011 Annual Conference and General Meeting 29-30 September in Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany. The OIA partnered with the Osteopathic European Academic Network (OsEAN) to present “Teaching Palpation,” which was part of the larger “Thorax – Movement, Breathing, Life” conference, hosted by the German Osteopathic Association (VOD) and German Association for Osteopathic Physicians (DGOM).

In attendance at the OIA-OsEAN conference were more than 140 osteopathic registrants from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, New Zealand, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
More Conference highlights.

Actions:

2011 Educational Forum Book (PDF)
2011 Draft AGM Minutes (PDF)
Memberships ratified since the 2010 AGM

Full members:
British Osteopathic Association (BOA)
Federation Suisse des Osteopathes (FSO-SVO)

Partner members:
Institut des Hautes Etudes Osteopathique de nantes (IdHEO, Nantes)
The Irish College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM)
Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (OAO)

Board Election Outcomes (elected by the Full Membership):
Peter Ajluni, DO (US), was re-elected to the Board
Jane Carreiro, DO (US), was nominated to her first term on the Board
Karen Nichols, DO (US), was nominated to her first term on the Board

17-19 March Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
OIA Board Meeting and Roundtable Discussion

2011 Strategic Planning – The Board underwent a strategic planning session to update and revise their plan for 2011-2013

The Board revised the OIA’s Mission and Vision statements
Approval of Draft Minutes

2010 Draft of Annual General Meeting (final approval will be made by the OIA voting members at the 2011 Annual General Meeting)
2010 San Francisco WHO Roundtable Discussion Minutes
Membership Applications

The Board approved the following new members:
Full Member:
The Swiss Osteopaths Federation (FSO-SVO)
The British Osteopathic Association (BOA), previously an Associate member
Partner Members:
The Irish College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM)
The Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (OAO)

Committee Revisions:
The Board revisited the missions of the committees, revised them as appropriate, and created a Governance Committee and Research Task Force. The committees and task forces have invited new members to join and will develop working plans and goals based on the Strategic Plan, to be completed by the Potsdam Conference.

OIA Consensus Report on Osteopathy
An open forum was held during the Board’s March meeting, inviting members to participate in a discussion of the drafting of the OIA Consensus Report on Osteopathy, being prepared to complement the WHO Benchmarks for Training in Osteopathy. Representatives of nearly a dozen OIA member organisations were present to discuss the Report’s preparation and provide input on the make up of the document.

2010

23-26 October San Francisco, California, USA
OIA Annual General Meeting (AGM) Highlights

Thank you all who were able to join us in San Francisco and be a part of the successful “Bridge to OpportUNITY” Programme, held in conjunction with OMED 2010. You can watch videos from OMED’s Opening Session and read more about the attendees.

This year’s attendance included: 7 Full member organisations; 26 Associate & Partner member groups and 2 outside organisations.

Actions:

Educational Forum Book (PDF)
2010 AGM Booklet (PDF)
Memberships ratified since the 2009 AGM

Associate members:
Registro Brasileiro dos Osteopatas (RBrO)
Partner members:
American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP)
Bundesverband Osteopathie e.V. (BVO)
Centre Ostopathique Du Qubec (COQ)
Escuela Espaola de Formacin Osteoptica (EFO)
European Institute for Osteopathic Medicine (EIOM)
Institute of Osteopathic Medicine (IOM)
Osteopathic Council of New Zealand (OCNZ)
Osteopathic European Academic Network (OSEAN)
Board Election Outcomes (elected by the Full Membership):

Mr Tim Walker (UK) was elected by acclamation to the GOsC seat, which was vacated by Ms Gilvarry after leaving the Council; this is a three-year term.
Mr Fielding (UK) was re-elected to the Board for a three-year term.
DrMed Mayer (DE) was re-elected to the Board for a three-year term.
Board Officer Elections (elected by the Board of Directors):

DrMed Mayer (DE) was elected Chair of the Board, a two-year term.
Mr Standen (NZ) was elected Vice-Chair of the Board, a two-year term.
Dr Ajluni (US) was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Board, a two-year term.
OIA Board Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO, USA

The OIA Board met at the American Academy of Osteopathy’s (AAO) Convocation, 20-21 March.

The Board heard reports from guests from the Register of the Brazilian Osteopaths (RBrO), the International Academy of Osteopathy (IAO), the Society for the Promotion of Manual Practice Osteopathy (SPMPO) and Canadian Federation of Osteopaths (CFO), who were in attendance at the Convocation.
The Board voted to approve their first newsletter and developed a schedule for future newsletters.
The Board used the membership survey sent out earlier this year to frame a strategic planning session that will shape the Alliance’s activities for the next two years.
Out of the Strategic Planning, the Board targeted several steps that will be used to bolster communication within the Alliance and to reach out to other osteoapthic organisations.
The Board received a proposal from the JAOA-The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association about a potential partnership, which will be presented to the membership this year.
2009

16-18 October Sydney, Australia
OIA Annual General Meeting (AGM) Highlights

This year’s attendance included: 7 Full member organisations; 14 Associate & Partner member groups and 2 outside organisations.

Actions:

Draft Minutes (PDF)
Meeting Update (PDF)
2009 AGM Booklet (PDF)

Memberships ratified since the 2008 AGM
Full member:
German Osteopathic Association (VOD)
Associate members:
Canadian Federation of Osteopaths (CFO)
The Consiglio Superiore di Osteopathia (CSdO)
Partner members:
American Osteopathic College of Occupational and Preventive Medicine (AOCOPM)
Centre International D’Osteopathie (CIDO)
College Osteopathique de Provence (COP)
Registre des Osteopathes du Quebec (ROQ)
Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation Belgium (SCTF Belgium).
Full Membership reviewed the following proposed Bylaws Changes and took the indicated action:

Tabled for further discussion – Creation of an additional Board seat – The Board presented, for the Full membership’s consideration, the addition of a tenth seat on the Board to include the largest international organisation with the most multi-national members.
Approved – Chairmanship: The Board put forth a proposal to make it desirable that the Chairmanship will alternate terms between an osteopath and osteopathic physician.
Approved – Length of Officer Term: The Board put forth a bylaws change recommending all OIA Board officers (Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary-Treasurer) hold a two-year term.

These changes will be reflected in the updated bylaws
Board Election Outcomes

Dr. Boyd Buser (US), per the bylaws, was elected by acclamation for a three-year term to one of the two seats reserved for the largest osteopathic physician member, which is currently the AOA-US.
Ms Gilvarry (UK) was elected by acclamation to fill the remaining term of the empty GOsC seat which will expire at the 2010 AGM.
Mr Standen (NZ) was re-elected to the Board for a three-year term.
Mr. Mulholland-Licht (AU) was elected to the Board for a three-year term.
World Health Organisation (WHO)

The OIA’s letter writing campaign to the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the publication of the WHO Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Osteopathy resulted in more than a dozen OIA member organisations sending letters to The WHO, urging publication of the document.

27-28 Littlerock, Arkansas, USA
March Board Meeting at the American Academy of Osteopathy’s Convocation.

The Board met with representatives from the German Osteopathic Association (VOD) who were in attendance at the AAO Convocation.
The Board voted to develop a letter and plan to work with the WHO to finalize publication of the WHO Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Osteopathy
The Board approved membership applications for:
Associate membership:
Canadian Federation of Osteopaths (CFO)
Partner membership:
American Osteopathic College of Occupational and Preventative Medicine (AOCOPM)
Centre International D’Osteopathie (CIDO)
College Osteopathique de Provence (COP)
Registre des Osteopathes du Quebec (ROQ)
Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation Belgium (SCTF. B)
2008

7-10 November – Chicago OIA Annual Conference & General Meeting. Approved Minutes (MS Word)

3 February – London Annual Conference Co-hosted with the British School of Osteopathy at the Advancing Osteopathy 2008 Conference. See the Press Release (PDF)

31 January Annual General Meeting – London England.

The membership approved its first Bylaws change, creating a path for Associate and Partner members to sit on the Board of Directors.
The OIA held its first Board elections for three seats (through 2010):
Mr. Simon Fielding, OBE, Lay member
Mr. Vince Cullen, DO, General Osteopathic Council
Dr. Med Johannes Mayer, MD, DOM, German Association for Osteopathic Medicine (DGOM)
30 January Board Meeting – London England

Approved membership applications for:
Partner membership:
AVT College for Osteopathic Medicine
Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
The Secretariat gave an activity report, available upon request from oia@osteopathic.org.