A message from the AOBFP Chair
By Kenneth A. Heiles, DO, FACOFP dist.
December 2025
As we close out another productive year, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to every member of the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP) community. Your commitment, expertise and passion are the foundation of our mission, and the reason we continue to strengthen and advance osteopathic family medicine certification.
To our Board of Directors, thank you for your exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication throughout the year. In addition to your regular governance duties, you devoted countless hours preparing for the Job Task Analysis (JTA). This included many late-night meetings reviewing materials, participating in planning sessions and engaging in discussions to ensure our process is thorough and reflective of our profession. You spent dozens of hours examining the evolving landscape of family medicine, validating core competencies and helping to shape the framework that guides our certification standards. Your thoughtful preparation and dedication ensure that our certification standards remain relevant, evidence-based and aligned with the real-world practice of family medicine.
To our subject matter experts, both those writing items for our high-stakes examination and those contributing to longitudinal assessment, your expertise drives the quality and integrity of every assessment we deliver. We deeply appreciate the time and care you invest in this essential work.
To our osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) examiners, thank you for your unwavering commitment to upholding the hands-on principles of osteopathic medicine. Your skill, professionalism and dedication ensure that candidates are evaluated with fairness, rigor and respect for the practice of OMT.
To all of our diplomates, thank you for your continued trust and support of AOBFP certification. Your engagement fuels our shared commitment to lifelong learning and excellence in patient care. As part of this effort, we encourage you to participate in the JTA survey coming in February. Your input is crucial to ensuring our exams accurately reflect current practice and the evolving needs of the profession.
A special note of appreciation goes to our AOBFP Resident Ambassadors, who continue to be outstanding advocates for board certification within their residency programs. Your leadership and enthusiasm are making a meaningful impact on the next generation of osteopathic family physicians.
Thank you all for your dedication and partnership throughout the year. I look forward to continuing our work together in the year ahead.
Warmest wishes for a peaceful and joyful holiday season.
Kenneth A. Heiles, DO, FACOFP dist.
Chair, American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians