Acting Chair Johnson and members of the Senate Health Committee heard representatives of the Ohio Osteopathic Association describe the state of osteopathic medicine in Ohio and urged lawmakers to invest in graduate medical education and residency programs to keep more graduates in the state.

The Ohio Osteopathic Association’s president, Edward Hosbeck, an osteopathic family and hospice physician from Mercer County, told the committee that osteopathic medicine “focuses on the whole person, body, mind, and spirit” and that DOs practice across specialties and settings in Ohio. He said there are over 7,800 licensed osteopathic physicians in the state and about 978 osteopathic medical students.

Why it matters: The association argued that as new osteopathic training capacity opens — including a new osteopathic medical school at Xavier University and continued growth at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine — Ohio must expand postgraduate training slots and ensure equitable access to residency and fellowship positions so graduates remain in-state, particularly for primary care and rural practice.

The association’s vice president, Catherine Eilandfeld, a hospice and palliative care physician in the Greater Cleveland area, urged the committee to review next year’s operating budget for graduate medical education funding and said loan-forgiveness programs and more residency slots would improve recruitment to underserved and rural areas. “Investment in osteopathic medical education will ensure a stable pipeline for physicians in these important areas of focus,” Eilandfeld said.

Committee members and association leaders discussed match and retention data. The association cited Ohio University’s 98 percent match rate for its graduates and emphasized that keeping students in Ohio for third- and fourth-year rotations and residency increases the likelihood they will remain to practice in-state. Senators asked about reasons physicians leave after training; speakers cited family ties, fellowship opportunities outside the state, and job availability, especially for subspecialties. Malpractice liability and Ohio tort reform were raised; panelists said tort reform remains effective and was not currently identified as a primary driver of departures.

Presenters and senators also addressed the cultural and training changes since osteopathic and allopathic training pathways consolidated residency accreditation: some formerly osteopathic-specific hospital programs and in-person mentoring environments have blended into larger systems, which panelists said has benefits and costs for maintaining osteopathic distinctiveness. The association said state and society-level mentoring and outreach are key to preserving osteopathic principles and retaining trainees.

The association closed by thanking committee members for their past work and asking lawmakers to prioritize policies that support the physician workforce pipeline, including parity in postgraduate opportunities and protections that limit noncompete barriers.

The committee did not take formal action during the presentation; the session moved on to separate first hearings afterward.