Center for the Future of the Health Professions June 2025 digest
Posted: June 11, 2025
This manuscript represents the culmination of five years of dedicated research and analysis in healthcare workforce planning by the Center for the Future of the Health Professions (CFHP) at A.T. Still University. As the Center’s final digest publication, this document serves both as a reflection on past achievements and a visionary blueprint for ATSU’s future direction.
The manuscript presents a compelling argument for adopting osteopathic philosophy as a unifying framework across all health disciplines at ATSU. Drawing from the foundational principles established by Andrew Taylor Still, DO, in 1874, the authors demonstrate how these time-tested concepts remain remarkably relevant to contemporary healthcare challenges and emerging scientific frontiers, including genetic research and molecular medicine.
Rather than merely celebrating historical accomplishments, this work offers a practical roadmap for integration through the proposed osteopathic interprofessional anthology and six specific recommendations for implementation. The document bridges the gap between osteopathic medicine’s philosophical roots and the diverse health professions represented at ATSU, including dentistry, nursing, audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant/associate, speech-language pathology, athletic training, and public health.
This manuscript will be of particular interest to healthcare educators, administrators, and practitioners seeking innovative approaches to interprofessional education and collaborative patient care grounded in holistic, whole-person healthcare principles.
We welcome your feedback and comments on this month’s digest at cfhp@atsu.edu. The following is a team effort by the CFHP’s Steering Committee.
Steering Committee
- Randy Danielsen, PhD, DHL (hon), PA-C Emeritus, CFHP director
- James Keane, DO, medical director of ATSU’s Osteopathic Medicine Center, ATSU-SOMA
- Mai-Ly Duong, DMD, MPH, associate director of special care dentistry, ATSU-ASDOH
- Leonard B. Goldstein, DDS, PhD, assistant vice president for clinical education development, ATSU
- Marisa Hastie, EdD, MS, ACSM-EP, PN-1, FACSM, dean, ATSU-CGHS
- Amanda Weaver, MBA, program administrator
The osteopathic paradigm: A unifying vision for ATSU’s health professions
Introduction: Reflecting on five years of progress
As the CFHP completes its fifth year of operation, we mark this milestone with both reflection and anticipation. Established in 2020 as a research and data hub for healthcare workforce planning, the Center has fulfilled its mission to provide stakeholders at state, local, and national levels with accurate, reliable, and comprehensive data about the healthcare workforce. This final edition of our digest celebrates our accomplishments while looking forward to how osteopathic principles can serve as a unifying framework across all health disciplines at ATSU.
Since our inception, the Center has published monthly digests exploring critical topics in healthcare education and professional development. From examining the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare education to investigating the future of various health professions, our publications have addressed pressing challenges and emerging opportunities. The digest has become a trusted resource for over 200 external healthcare leaders and more than 300 ATSU faculty members, fostering dialogue and collaboration across the healthcare landscape.
Osteopathic philosophy: From historical roots to modern applications
The vision of Andrew Taylor Still, DO, founder of osteopathic medicine, offers enduring wisdom for today’s healthcare challenges. Dr. Still’s revolutionary concept that the human body functions optimally when all its parts maintain proper structural relationships was transformative in 1874 and remains relevant today. His approach to healthcare emphasized the unity of the human body, its inherent self-regulatory and self-healing capacities, and the interrelationship between structure and function.
As we consider the future of healthcare education at ATSU, we must recognize the profound relevance of these foundational principles across all health disciplines and programs. The osteopathic philosophy’s emphasis on whole person care offers a unifying framework that transcends specialty boundaries and connects our diverse programs through a shared vision of healthcare.
The convergence of osteopathic principles and modern science
One of the most promising future directions for osteopathic philosophy lies in its convergence with cutting-edge scientific research, particularly in genetics. There exists tremendous potential for osteopathic principles to guide genetic research and therapy, specifically in understanding how matter and energy interact at the molecular level.
Dr. James Keane, a member of our Steering Committee, has articulated a compelling vision where osteopathic philosophy plays an increasingly important role in organizing and interpreting genetic information. This approach could help guide both diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders by viewing DNA structure and function through the lens of Dr. Still’s fundamental concepts about matter in motion and structural integrity.
The osteopathic perspective provides the opportunity to expand biological science beyond its current “materio-centric” focus, potentially incorporating insights about the nonmaterial aspects of life and healing. This integration could lead to innovative approaches in genetic medicine that consider both the material (atomic) and nonmaterial components of biological systems.
Creating an interprofessional osteopathic framework
To maximize ATSU’s unique position within healthcare education, we propose the development of an osteopathic interprofessional anthology. This innovative resource would demonstrate how osteopathic philosophy can enhance and inform every discipline represented at ATSU. The anthology would compile contributions from faculty members across all programs, each applying osteopathic principles to their specific field.
This project directly advances ATSU’s mission of “continuing its osteopathic heritage and focus on whole person healthcare by creating practical applications of founding principles across diverse health professions. By demonstrating how osteopathic concepts inform modern practice in dentistry, advance practice nursing, audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, physician assistant studies, medical sciences, public health, kinesiology, and other disciplines, we can strengthen ATSU’s distinctive identity while improving patient care.
Recommendations for future research and integration
As we conclude the current phase of the Center’s work, we offer the following recommendations for future research and integration of osteopathic philosophy across ATSU’s disciplines:
- Establish interdisciplinary research teams. Create collaborative research groups that include representatives from multiple health professions to investigate how osteopathic principles can enhance patient outcomes across various specialties.
- Develop core osteopathic competencies. Define fundamental osteopathic concepts that can be integrated into the curriculum of every ATSU program, creating a common philosophical foundation while respecting discipline-specific applications.
- Create experiential learning opportunities. Design interprofessional clinical experiences that allow students from different programs to collaborate on patient care using osteopathic principles, fostering mutual respect and understanding.
- Expand digital resources. Build upon the Center’s successful web presence by developing comprehensive digital resources that demonstrate osteopathic applications across health professions, accessible to faculty, students, and external stakeholders.
- Foster faculty development. Implement workshops and mentoring programs to help faculty across all disciplines understand and incorporate osteopathic principles into their teaching and research.
- Establish an Osteopathic Innovation Fund: Create dedicated funding for projects that apply osteopathic concepts to emerging healthcare challenges, encouraging creative solutions that bridge traditional boundaries.
The path forward: Osteopathic philosophy as a catalyst for innovation
The healthcare landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with technological advancements, shifting demographic patterns, and changing care models creating both challenges and opportunities. In this dynamic environment, osteopathic philosophy offers a stabilizing framework that grounds innovation in fundamental principles of human health and healing.
By embracing Dr. Still’s holistic approach to healthcare across all disciplines, ATSU can lead the development of a truly integrated model of health professions education. This model would prepare graduates who not only excel in their specific fields but also share a common philosophical foundation that guides their approach to patient care.
As the CFHP concludes its current phase of operations, we remain committed to advancing a paradigm that promotes true interdisciplinary education and practice. The osteopathic philosophy – with its emphasis on the unity of the human body, the interrelationship of structure and function, and the body’s inherent capacity for self-regulation and healing – provides an ideal framework for this endeavor.
Conclusion: A legacy of impact and a future of promise
The CHFP has demonstrated clear value during its five years of operation. By supporting competent healthcare professionals who focus on whole person healthcare and community health, we have actively embodied ATSU’s mission. Our publications have become respected sources of insight for healthcare educators, practitioners, and policymakers nationwide.
As we look to the future, the osteopathic philosophy that guided Dr. Still’s revolutionary approach to healthcare over a century ago continues to offer wisdom and inspiration. By applying these enduring principles across all health professions at ATSU, we can honor our institution’s heritage while addressing the complex healthcare challenges of the 21st century.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all who have contributed to and supported the Center’s work, and we look forward to seeing how the seeds we have planted will grow in the years to come.