CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / March 16, 2026 / The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) and the ACOFP Foundation will recognize 2026 award winners at the ACOFP 63rd Annual Convention & Scientific Seminars, April 15-19, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.
ACOFP's awards program honors in-practice physicians, residents, and students who make exemplary contributions to the field of osteopathic medicine.
ACOFP award recipients include:
Osteopathic Family Physician of the Year Award: Nicole Bixler, DO, FACOFP dist.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Barbara Walker, DO, FACOFP
Excellence in Advocacy Award: Jonathan Torres, DO, FACOFP
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award: Jessica McColley, DO
Outstanding Female Leader of the Year Award: Kerry Agnello, DO, FACOFP
Osteopathic Family Medicine Educator of the Year Award: Deborah Schmidt, DO, FACOFP
New Osteopathic Family Physician of the Year Award: Christopher Kennedy, DO
Distinguished Service Award: Bonyo Bonyo, DO
Distinguished Service Award: Joshua Cox, DO
Distinguished Service Award: Rodney Wiseman, DO, FACOFP dist.
Distinguished Service Award: Anna Karina Zuniga
Master Preceptor Award: Douglas Harley, DO, FACOFP, FAAFP
Master Preceptor Award: Matthew Told, DO
The ACOFP Foundation will honor Aaron Lagoy Bautista, DO, with the Sander A. Kushner, DO, FACOFP, Memorial Osteopathic Family Medicine Resident Award.
Maduka Gunasinghe, OMS-IV, will be recognized as the Marie Wiseman Outstanding Osteopathic Student of the Year. Patricia Kate Balatbat, OMS-III; Valerie Domingo, OMS-III; Meihui He, OMS-II; and Cosette Lim, OMS-III will receive the Emerging Osteopathic Student Leader Awards.
Several other individuals will be honored with the Namey/Burnett Preventative Medicine Writing Award.
First place: "Optimizing Sleep Through Osteopathic Principles: Preventing Chronic Disease," by Sarin Sajan Itty, DO, PGY-3
Second place: "Integrating Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine into Preventive Care: The Role of Family Physicians in Sports Physicals and Injury Prevention," by Humza Baig, OMS-IV (Co-authors: Ahad Yousuf Khatri, OMS-IV; Syed Rahman, OMS-IV)
Third place: "Standardizing Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening in Primary Care Using the STOP-BANG Questionnaire: A Preventive Medicine Study," by Hetasvi Saraiya, OMS-III (Co-authors: Lucinda Dass, MD; Ameer Abdelrahman, MD; Raza Kazmi, MD; Veronica Muyolema-Arce, MD; Alina Dovban, MD; Aya Yaseen, MD; Hesha Patel, MD; Anand Kaji, MD)
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 25,000 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 policy. 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 Information:
Emily Bennett, Director of Communications and Engagement
emilyb@acofp.org
847-952-5100
SOURCE: ACOFP
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/american-college-of-osteopathic-family-physicians-honors-2026-outstan-1146078
