Dr. Brian Kessler, dean and chief academic officer at the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, will serve on the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation.
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine announced the appointment Wednesday, Jan. 3.
Dr. Millicent King Channell was also named to the committee Wednesday. She is senior associate dean for academic affairs and student services and professor of osteopathic manipulative medicine and family medicine at Rowan-VirtuaSOM, at Rowan University in New Jersey.
The appointments ensure continued representation for the osteopathic medical education community, an AACOM news release says.
The NCFMEA evaluates accreditation standards applied to foreign medical schools and determines how they compare to U.S. medical school standards, the AACOM release says. Comparability is required for foreign medical schools to receive U.S federal financial aid.
“Dr. Channell’s academic medical and accreditation expertise and commitment to helping medical students from all cultures and backgrounds succeed, and Dr. Kessler’s proven experience leading the successful opening of new medical schools, will greatly enhance the important work being done by the NCFMEA,” AACOM President and CEO Dr. Robert A. Cain said in a statement.
“Their appointments ensure the osteopathic perspective and voice will continue to be represented on this critical committee.”
Kessler served as associate dean of clinical affairs for the Campbell Medical School in 2011, two years before it opened to students. He also spent five years as vice president, dean and chief academic officer for Lincoln Memorial University’s DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tennessee. At Lincoln Memorial, he helped launch a branch campus in Knoxville, Tennessee, as vice president and dean.
“I am honored to serve on the NCFMEA and help ensure our country’s future physicians meet the highest educational and clinical standards. As a proud DO, I feel it is imperative that the entire medical community be represented and heard on this important committee,” said Kessler.
Channell’s and Kessler’s terms began in October 2023.