CHICAGO—Richard R. Thacker, DO, MACOI, was installed Saturday, July 18, 2026, as the 130th President of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the nation’s leading voice for osteopathic medicine, representing over 207,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and medical students across the nation.
Dr. Thacker assumed the presidency before osteopathic physicians, medical students and guests at the AOA’s Annual Business Meeting in Chicago, succeeding Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN.
“Osteopathic medicine has always understood that healing the patient means seeing the whole person,” said Dr. Thacker. “As physicians, educators and advocates, we have a responsibility to carry that philosophy into every exam room, every classroom and every statehouse. I am honored to lead this profession as we inspire the next generation of DOs and fight for the patients and communities who count on us.”
A leader in osteopathic medical education and physician advocacy, Dr. Thacker brings more than three decades of experience in clinical practice, academic medicine and legislative engagement to the presidency. He serves as associate dean of Clinical Sciences and associate professor of internal medicine at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) in Dothan, Alabama, where he oversees all four years of clinical education for osteopathic medical students. In 2024, ACOM’s student body honored him with the Student Advocate Award.
Dr. Thacker has served on the AOA Board of Trustees, most recently as President-elect, and has chaired the AOA Departments of Finance, Governmental Affairs and Membership, in addition to serving as co-chair of the Department of Education and as Treasurer of the AOA’s Osteopathic Political Action Committee (OPAC).
AOA board-certified in internal medicine and in hospice and palliative medicine, Dr. Thacker is a Master Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI). Over the course of his clinical career, he served as chairman of the Department of Medicine, chief of staff and chairman of the Board of Trustees at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee, Florida, and spent 15 years as associate medical director of Big Bend Hospice. In 2015, he received the HCA Frist Humanitarian Award in recognition of his community service and international medical mission work.
“Dr. Thacker embodies the full arc of the osteopathic profession: clinician, educator, mentor and advocate,” said AOA CEO Kathleen S. Creason, MBA. “His decades of service at the bedside, in the classroom and in the halls of government make him exceptionally prepared to lead our profession forward.”
A past president of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA), Dr. Thacker was named FOMA’s Physician of the Year in 2008 and received the association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2026. His decades of regulatory experience include service on the Florida Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and advisory roles with the Florida Department of Health. Dr. Thacker earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM), where he served as Student Osteopathic Medical Association president and freshman class president. He completed his residency at Delaware Valley Medical Center, where he served as chief intern and chief medical resident and was honored as Resident of the Year.
Also, during the AOA’s Annual Business Meeting, Bruce A. Wolf, DO, was named President-elect of the AOA. A board-certified diagnostic and interventional radiologist, he is the associate dean of the Macomb University Center and associate professor of Radiology at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM). He will begin his term as AOA President in July 2027.
About the AOA
As the nation’s leading voice for osteopathic medicine, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents more than 207,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and medical students, championing public health, scientific research and the highest standards of DO certification. For over a century, the AOA has advanced whole-person healthcare, shaping the future of the osteopathic profession and ensuring its founding principles remain a vital force in modern medicine.
To learn more about the AOA, DOs and the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, visit osteopathic.org. To find a DO in your area, visit findado.osteopathic.org.
Media contact:
Cristobal Martinez
Director, Corporate Communications and Reputation
(312) 202-8169
cmartinez@osteopathic.org
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