Affiliates

Ohio Osteopathic Foundation

Overview

The Ohio Osteopathic Foundation (OOF) is the charitable arm of the Ohio Osteopathic Association (OOA), founded in 1963 to support osteopathic education and research in Ohio. From June 1975 until April 1983, the OOF was funded by a mandatory assessment, unanimously approved by the OOA House of Delegates. The assessment was restricted to support the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) and raised more than $1 million to support the development of the college. Today, the OOF depends on tax-deductible contributions and grants from other foundations and governmental agencies to carry on its work. 

OOF Board of Trustees
2025-2026

Chair
Edward E. Hosbach II, DO

VIce-Chair
Andrew P. Eilerman, DO

Treasurer
Chelsea A. Nickolson, DO

President
Heidi A. Weber, MBA, CAE

Trustees elected by the OOA 
Douglas W. Harley, DO, FACOFP, FAAFP
Katherine H. Eilenfeld, DO

Trustees elected by the OOA House of Delegates
Sharon L. George, DO (term expires May 2027)
Paul T. Scheatzle, DO (term expires May 2026)
Mark S. Jeffries, DO (term expires May 2026)
Jennifer L. Gwilym, DO (term expires May 2027)
Sean D. Stiltner, DO (term expires May 2027)

Contributions

The OOF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization supporting scientific and educational programs. Contributions are tax-deductible and may be made during life, through wills, or as memorial gifts. Donors may restrict gifts to specific OOF programs and will receive an acknowledgment for tax purposes.

OOA Past President Robert W. Hostoffer, Jr., DO, launched the PULL Campaign—Pride, Unity, Loyalty, Legacy—during his 2015–2016 term, inspired by his passion for competitive rowing. Learn more about the campaign and Dr. Hostoffer.

Additionally, the OOA donates $25 to the Ohio Osteopathic Student Loan Fund in memory of deceased members. Gifts or bequests of $10,000 or more may establish endowment funds in a donor’s name. Contact the OOA office for details on the planned giving.

Memorial Contributions

OOA members and friends may make tax-deductible memorial contributions in honor of a deceased physician. The family is notified with a card (no amount mentioned), and donors are acknowledged in Buckeye Osteopathic Physician, unless anonymity is requested.

See the In Memoriam archive. To report a colleague’s passing, email info@ohiodo.org. 

Student White Coat Fund

OOF white coat patch photo

The white coat symbolizes a physician’s professionalism, and OOA donors help welcome new students by sponsoring coats for incoming OU-HCOM students.

Each first-year student receives a white coat with an OOA arm patch, gifted by the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation at the Convocation & White Coat Ceremony. Donors can include a personal message tucked into the coat pocket.

Sponsorship is $45 per coat. (Include your message in the “comments” field when donating online.)

Commemorative Walkway

OOA Office & Commemorative Walkway

To celebrate its 110th anniversary, the OOA installed a commemorative brick walkway at its Columbus headquarters.

Bricks can honor a mentor, friend, or loved one, and the proceeds support osteopathic research and education in Ohio. As then-president Barbara A. Bennett, DO, said, “You’ll mark a place in history and help pave the way for our future.”

Bricks are $125 each, with an optional fourth engraved line for $25. They make meaningful birthday, anniversary, or memorial gifts. Donations are tax-deductible.

Download the Engraved Brick Form and return it with payment to the OOA.

Scholarships

The first OOF Student Scholarships were awarded from 1975 to 1977 to four students in each inaugural class at OU-COM, renewable for four years based on academic excellence. In 1977, three permanent scholarships were endowed.

Two honorable key legislators—Tom Fries and George Tablack—helped establish and fund the college. The third, given by Dr. and Mrs. William J. Athens, honors their daughter, Angela Sophia.

OU-HCOM students should contact the Office of Student Affairs for details.

General Fund

Undesignated funds support OOF Board-approved projects that advance osteopathic medicine. They fund lab coats with OOA patches for OU-HCOM freshmen and support student programs that enhance osteopathic education in Ohio.

OOF has contributed over $1 million to OU-HCOM, funding microscopes, research equipment, library acquisitions, OMM curriculum development, and more. The fund also helped name two Ohio University Academic Research Center research labs.

Continuing Medical Education

The OOF is an approved AOA Category 1-A CME sponsor in Ohio and offers umbrella agreements for districts and affiliates to provide CME under its supervision. Visit the AOA CME page for details.

Since 1999, OOF has co-sponsored the Ohio Osteopathic Annual Convention with OOA. The James O. Watson, DO Memorial Lecture, first awarded in the 1970s, was expanded in 2006 with support from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation to honor leading osteopathic researchers. In 2010, the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium was co-hosted by OOA and OU-HCOM.

Fund for Impaired Health Professionals

This fund supports the Ohio Professionals Health Program (OhioPHP), which provides identification, intervention, referral, and case management for physicians affected by substance use disorders.

Health Policy Fellowship Grant

The OOF offers grants to help OOA members cover the costs of the AACOM Health Policy Fellowship. Recipients must serve on the OOA State Health Policy Committee and support staff in developing policy positions. Contact OOA Executive Director Heidi Weber for details.

OOA History Fund

In January 1997, the OOF established a centennial fund to raise money for special projects designed to honor the 100th anniversary of the profession in Ohio. Commemorative posters, a video profiling the profession in Ohio, and radio public service announcements were produced. In 1999,the fund received a $45,000 grant from The Brentwood Foundation to hire Carol Poh Miller, a Cleveland historian, to research and write a history of the osteopathic profession in Ohio. The book was published by the Ohio University Press in 2004. A Second Voice: A Century of Osteopathic Medicine in Ohio is available from the Ohio University Press.

Warren General Hospital Fund

In 2006, the Warren General Hospital Board endowed an $804,144 fund to support osteopathic education in Ohio, including programs at St. Joseph Health Center in Warren. The fund also supports physician and student education, osteopathic research, and scholarships, prioritizing students from Trumbull and Mahoning counties.

A three-member advisory committee—Charles H. Curtiss, DO; Sandra W. Foster, PhD; and Harold O. Firster, DPM—guides fund use. The gift honors the hospital’s physicians and staff.

Founded in 1958 by local DOs, Warren General operated until 1996. The endowment stems from its sale to St. Joseph Health Center.

 

Click here for the latest copy of the OOF's IRS Form 990:   2023 OOF 990 Form