BUCOM Makes Their Mark at AACOM Educating Leaders 2026 Conference Las Vegas

BUCOM Makes Their Mark at AACOM Educating Leaders 2026 Conference Las Vegas 

Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine students, faculty, and staff traveled to Las Vegas for Educating Leaders 2026, the premier annual conference of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). The conference brought together leaders, educators, health care professionals, students, and industry experts to exchange ideas, explore solutions, and advance osteopathic medical education. 

Student Recognition 

Congratulations to BUCOM students, Catie Lockhart and Alhusain Hadidi for receiving 3^rd in the COSGP Research Symposium for their poster on ‘Perceived Engagement and Attendance in Graduate Medical Education’. 

Catie reflected on the experience, “The conference was a great opportunity to present and reconnect with ambitious student leaders from across the country!” 

Alhusain shared his first poster experience: “This was the first time I'd ever done a poster presentation, so naturally I was a little bit intimidated. It was definitely a phenomenal learning experience, and the judges were very nice. It felt less like they were critiquing our work and more like they were genuinely passionate about us improving our project and taking it to the next level. I remember leaving the presentation gallery already thinking about what I need to do in order to present another poster because it was surprisingly fun!” 

Faculty Recognition 

Dr. Brendan Williams earned 2^nd place in the Educating Leaders 2026 Poster Competition for his research on ‘Rural Origin and Career Intentions Among Preclinical Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey’.  

Dr. Williams commented on the project and the conversations it sparked:  

“It was a great experience presenting at AACOM in Las Vegas. The work started with a pretty simple question about whether rural-origin students and URiM students actually end up wanting to practice in the same places, and the short answer is largely no. The takeaway we kept coming back to is that rural origin deserves to be treated as its own admissions and pipeline category, not lumped in with URiM, but recognized alongside it. Coming away with second place was honestly a surprise and a real honor. The conversations around the poster were what I’ll remember most. It’s clear this is a question a lot of osteopathic educators are thinking about, and I’m excited to keep building on it and nurturing collaborations sparked by these conversations.” 

Congratulations to Catie Lockhart, Alhusain Hadidi, and Dr. Brendan Williams for their outstanding work and recognition at AACOM Educating Leaders 2026. Thank you to all BUCOM students, faculty, and staff who participated and represented the college.