Shawn Hamm, DO, MPH, has been appointed the “New Physician in Practice Advisor” to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Board of Trustees.
As a Presidential Advisor to Dr. Ira P. Monka, the newly installed President of the AOA, he will help provide insight and guidance on issues impacting the osteopathic medicine profession from the perspective of physicians who are within the first five years of practice following residency. In addition, Dr. Hamm will serve in an advisory role with the AOA’s Bureau on Emerging Leaders, with a focus on supporting and mentoring new physicians in practice in their leadership roles.
The board of trustees is the administrative body of the AOA, which represents more than 178,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students across the U.S., many of whom practice here in Burke County and at UNC Health Blue Ridge. The board of trustees is responsible for duties that include management of the association’s finances; appointments to bureaus, councils and committees; decisions on all questions of ethical/judicial issues; and review and approval of amendments to the constitution, bylaws and regulations of affiliated organizations.
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Dr. Hamm, who joined UNC Health Blue Ridge and Valdese Medical Associates in 2021, has been an active member of the AOA since 2014 and previously served on the Bureau of Emerging Leaders and the Bureau of Federal Health Programs as a new physician in practice. His appointment to the AOA Board of Trustees is a culmination of many years of service and brings national recognition here to our community in Burke County.
“This is an incredible honor that highlights how dedication and perseverance throughout medical school, residency, and the first years of clinical practice can open doors for early career advancement and opportunities thought to be out of reach for many years to come. I look forward to having a seat at the table to improve the osteopathic medicine profession at the national level so that ultimately our patients and communities will benefit here at home,” says Dr. Hamm.
He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree from the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dothan, AL, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. He completed his family medicine residency at Ascension St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside, Jacksonville, FL. Clinical interests include full-scope family medicine, serving all ages from newborns to adults, preventive medicine, quality and population health, public health, teaching medical students and offering osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) in clinic.
He was recently named Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Valdese and is the medical director at the Burke County Health Department.
