PCOM South Georgia’s Dean and Chief Academic Officer is adding another title to his name. H. William Craver, III, DO ‘87, now serves as the chair of the Board of Deans for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM).

Honored to be the next chair, Dr. Craver said, “Osteopathic medical education has been growing and attracting new students at unprecedented rates. Our graduates practice in every specialty and in every community. Despite this growth, there are challenges facing us and I look forward to working with my colleagues, with AACOM and with our medical profession peers to ensure the continued success of our schools and our students.”

Dr. Craver has long been an involved member of AACOM, an organization that leads and advocates for the full continuum of osteopathic medical education to improve the health of the public. He served on the Board of Deans for more than 10 years and on the executive committee for six years. During that time, he held positions including secretary, treasurer, chair of the finance committee, chair of the audit committee and most recently chair-elect of the Board of Deans.

Dr. Craver noted that 25% of physicians graduate from osteopathic medical schools. He said, “With leadership experience at rural, suburban and large city medical schools, I look forward to guiding our colleges of osteopathic medicine to be well-positioned and well recognized as leaders in healthcare education.”

In an AACOM press release, Robert Cain, DO, AACOM President and CEO said, “One of the reasons osteopathic medical education (OME) is the fastest-growing part of the medical education sector is the visionary leadership and solid support AACOM receives from its Board of Deans. I know that Dr. Craver and the new Board officers share our passion and dedication for providing the highest quality education and attracting the most qualified and diverse cohort of students possible. I thank them for their commitment to AACOM, OME and our students.”

Founded in 1898 to support and assist the nation's osteopathic medical schools, AACOM represents all 38 colleges of osteopathic medicine — educating nearly 34,000 future physicians, 25 percent of all U.S. medical students — at 60 teaching locations in 34 U.S. states. The organization also represents osteopathic graduate medical education professionals and trainees at U.S. medical centers, hospitals, clinics and health systems across the nation.