MAOPS Gallery Hall dedicated on ATSU’s Missouri campus to prominent osteopathic organization

MAOPS Gallery Hall dedicated on ATSU's Missouri campus to prominent osteopathic organization

A.T. Still University (ATSU) faculty and staff joined the Board of Trustees and University administration for a dedication of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (MAOPS) Gallery Hall on Thursday, Oct. 23, during Founder's Day activities. The dedication ceremony honored MAOPS' significant contributions to the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine and its continual advocacy on behalf of the osteopathic profession.

ATSU Chief Advancement Officer Bob Behnen, MBA, highlighted the centrality of charitable support to the continued operation of the museum and preservation of osteopathic history.

"Through their generosity, donors support exhibits that inspire, educational programs that enlighten, and the preservation of artifacts that tell the remarkable story of osteopathic medicine's birth and evolution," Behnen said. "Donor support not only sustains the museum's daily work but expands its reach, inviting students, professionals, and the public to discover how osteopathy continues to shape healthcare today."

ATSU Chancellor Craig M. Phelps, DO, '84, described osteopathic medicine's growth and influence. Today, at least one in four medical students are studying to become osteopathic physicians.

"The museum is truly a treasure of the University but also for all of humankind to understand the philosophy of Dr. Still, to understand the history of osteopathic medicine and the role it's playing not only nationally but internationally," Dr. Phelps said.

Osteopathic medicine extends worldwide as a discipline at the current height of its influence. Dr. Phelps emphasized it is more important than ever to preserve its history and heritage, and the museum is key to this preservation, as it houses important artifacts relating to the origins of osteopathic medicine and the philosophy of A.T. Still, DO. Through its generous six-figure donation, MAOPS actively contributes to this preservation. However, this is not the only way MAOPS supports the osteopathic community.

"They're the folks who are doing the work every single day so the physicians can do what they need to do and enjoy what they do," Dr. Phelps said.

Established in 1897, MAOPS enables osteopathic physicians to focus on their work, rather than the bureaucratic framework surrounding it, including legal and advocacy matters. Its efforts ensure physicians always have a support system in place. Katie Davenport-Kabonic, DO, '12, president of MAOPS' Board of Trustees, expressed appreciation for the association's recognition and reiterated the importance of advocacy.

"MAOPS is an organization of osteopathic physician members from all stages of training and from all specialties," Dr. Davenport-Kabonic said. "We are made of many members who have walked through this very hall and many members who originated from other colleges and states, with their own halls of osteopathic knowledge having found their pathway to Missouri to serve our communities. We are fortunate to be a family of so many backgrounds, so many pasts, and futures. Whether or not we study or practice osteopathic medicine on these very grounds, we all share our common roots here in Kirksville."

Dr. Phelps unveiled a plaque symbolizing the University's gratitude for MAOPS' unwavering support and generosity, with a ribbon-cutting held at the hall's entryway to Heritage Hall. The MAOPS Gallery Hall now serves as a testament to the power of advocacy and unity, and honors the commitment of an extraordinary group of individuals whose efforts will echo across the osteopathic profession for years to come.