Campaign underscores the urgency and need to support early career osteopathic family physicians
CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / April 15, 2026 / The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) Foundation announced today that its Family Medicine Forward campaign has reached its $750,000 fundraising goal in only two years, a year before its 2027 target. This campaign aims to provide expanded leadership development support for early career osteopathic family physicians and future leader alumni, as well as address critical barriers within the profession, including increased representation in our communities and enhanced patient support.
“The Family Medicine Forward campaign supports programs that address the evolving healthcare landscape and recognizes the critical role early career osteopathic family physicians play,” said Kevin V. de Regnier, DO, FACOFP dist., ACOFP Foundation President. “The ACOFP Foundation believes that well-trained osteopathic family physicians, supported with appropriate leadership skills and mentoring, are uniquely positioned to improve the health of their patients and have a lasting impact on the communities that they serve.”
To reach the $750,000 goal, the ACOFP Foundation’s Family Medicine Forward campaign attracted widespread support from individual osteopathic family physicians, professional medical organizations such as colleges of osteopathic medicine, and state societies. A donation from ACOFP at the ACOFP Congress of Delegates meeting, held earlier today in Orlando, Florida, brought the campaign to its goal.
Thanks to these generous donations, the Foundation has expanded ACOFP’s popular Future Leaders program to provide a wider range of career coaching and support. The Future Leaders Conference expanded to two cohorts starting in 2025. The first Next Level Leaders conference, an expansion of the original Future Leaders curriculum, will be held December 4-6, 2026, in downtown Chicago. The campaign has also allowed the Foundation to hold several alumni networking events around the country, and to offer one-on-one strengths coaching to Future Leaders alumni. With the funds raised from the campaign, a new mentorship program, Osteobridge, has been launched and thus far has matched over 60 osteopathic family physicians with experienced osteopathic family physician mentors.
Founded in 1986, the mission of the ACOFP Foundation is to champion comprehensive osteopathic family medicine that provides high-quality care, improves patient outcomes, and reduces health disparities. It works to achieve this mission through:
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Strengthening the osteopathic family physician profession by promoting a diverse and distinct workforce.
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Providing osteopathic training, resources, and other learning opportunities to promote delivery of the highest quality of care for the body, mind and spirit.
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Demonstrating the impact of osteopathic family medicine in improving the health of patient and communities through addressing social determinants of health.
“As osteopathic physicians, we are dedicated to whole-person, longitudinal care, and this perspective extends to how we approach the stewardship of our profession,” shared Carol L. Henwood, DO, FACOFP dist., ACOFP Foundation Director and Chair of the campaign. “The Foundation addresses the future of osteopathic family medicine through a holistic, long-term lens. This campaign is designed to empower and support the next generation, so they can provide visionary leadership and carry forward our legacy. By engaging in this initiative, donors contribute to ensuring the health of the profession for generations to come.”
The ACOFP Foundation welcomes continued support of the Family Medicine Forward campaign. Visit the ACOFP Foundation website today to make a donation, acofpfoundation.org.
About the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
Founded in 1950, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) is a community of more than 26,000 current and future family physicians that champions osteopathic principles and supports its members by providing resources such as education, networking and advocacy, while putting patients first. ACOFP empowers its members with education and resources that allow them to adapt to new models of care and to quickly changing government policies. For more information, visit acofp.org.
About the ACOFP Foundation
Founded in 1986, the ACOFP Foundation promotes osteopathic family physician leadership, strives to improve public health and advocates for greater awareness of osteopathic family medicine principles and practices. Dedicated to furthering members’ goals and ensuring the future of tomorrow’s osteopathic leaders, the ACOFP Foundation achieves its objectives by identifying and securing funds from various sources. For more information, visit acofpfoundation.org.
Contact: Paige Zelinsky, Director, ACOFP Foundation, paigez@acofp.org, 847-952-5100
SOURCE: ACOFP
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