The American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF) celebrated its 75th Anniversary this year at the American Osteopathic Association OMED Conference. For 75 years, the AOF has supported the osteopathic profession; and each year, the Foundation has held its Gala in conjunction with the OMED event. This year, the Honors Gala was held on Friday, September 20, 2024 at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio RiverWalk.
One of the highlights of the evening for the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) was AOF recognition of Robert W. Hostoffer, Jr., D.O. as recipient of the 2024 AOF Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Hostoffer earned his Masters in Medical Education (MsMEd) from LECOM in 2019. At LECOM, Dr. Hostoffer developed the Scholar12 App to promote research as his LECOM Masters in Medical Education thesis. Since then, he has been instrumental in incorporating the Scholar12 App into the Geriatric/OPP Rotation as foundational training for the Scholar12 Group-Mentor Osteopathic Research Poster Project.
Dr. Hostoffer, board-certified in Allergy and Immunology, is one of Ohio’s top-rated physician/researchers. Through the University Hospitals Allergy-Immunology Fellowship Program, he has served as a mentor for the Scholar12 Group-Mentor Osteopathic Research Poster Project and has further advanced the Scholar12 Group-Mentor Osteopathic Research Poster Project assisting LECOM in meeting and exceeding goals for research in multiple areas.
Dr. Hostoffer has served as a LECOM stalwart in supporting the LECOM Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Grand Rounds. Since the inception of the system-wide LECOM OMM Grand Round series in 2020-2021, Dr. Hostoffer has presented 2-4 Grand Rounds presentations during each Academic Year.
He has provided LECOM Workshops and Didactics for LECOM students, both in person and virtually, for the last 20 years and he has served as LECOM Northeast Ohio Pediatric Clerkship Director, developing a model to train LECOM students for the LECOM Pediatrics Clerkship for NE Ohio, a cause he has undertaken since 2007.
Dr. Hostoffer has generously supported the LECOM Student Scholarship Auction and Gala and contributed to LECOM, thereby advancing the medical education of deserving scholars.
For his decades of noteworthy work in medical education, LECOM joined in recognizing Dr. Robert W. Hostoffer, Jr., with an Official Proclamation honoring his unremitting dedication to the mission of improving the community through the LECOM Pillars.
The whole of the institution extends congratulations and appreciation to Robert W. Hostoffer, Jr., D.O. for his recent accolade and for his loyal and dedicated service to LECOM.