VCOM President Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins named 2018 American Osteopathic Foundation president

The American Osteopathic Foundation has named VCOM President and Provost Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins as the organization’s board president for 2018.

Tooke-Rawlins is the current president and provost of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, Virginia, as well as its branch campuses in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Auburn.

As VCOM's founding dean, Tooke-Rawlins played a key role in establishing VCOM's first campus in 2001.

"Being elected president during this transformative time in our profession is exhilarating, as there are many opportunities for the AOF to provide leadership and direction to ensure sustainable, impactful programs are administered that will have a lasting impact on the health of patients across the country," Tooke-Rawlins said.

Tooke-Rawlins said key goals during her tenure as the president of AOF will include fostering personal connections, ensuring relevancy in a rapidly changing landscape, and seeking new opportunities that enrich and advance osteopathic medicine.

VCOM's mission of “educating globally minded, community-focused physicians for rural and medically underserved areas," aligns with the AOF's expanding efforts to support students and physicians doing invaluable work in such regions.

"While the AOF has a strong and proud legacy, I'm excited for the future, as the AOF is positioned to help advance activities of osteopathic doctors that improve health care in communities around the world," Tooke-Rawlins said.

Beginning her career as a practicing physician, Tooke-Rawlins specialized in emergency and family medicine for 15 years before joining academia full-time. She served as faculty at multiple medical schools as well as residency program director and director of medical education, giving her first-hand experience on how vital grants and scholarships are to today's medical trainees.

Tooke-Rawlins is passionate for advocating the role osteopathic medical education can play in increasing access to medical care in rural areas and improving a community's well-being. As the number of grants, scholarships and awards the AOF provides continues to grow, Tooke-Rawlins will work to build new connections and strengthen existing donor relationships.

"Regardless of the amount, every person who contributes to the AOF makes a statement about their commitment to the profession and helps the AOF to reach more, impact more, D-O more,” Tooke-Rawlins said.

Tooke-Rawlins' prior leadership includes terms as President of the Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association and on the Board of Deans for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine where she sits on its Council of Presidents. She is a longtime member of both the American Osteopathic Association and American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. She was also appointed by the Governor of Virginia to serve on many task forces as well as on the Southwest Virginia Health Authority for the past ten years.

"There’s no one in the profession like Dixie. In addition to being an exceptional leader, and inspiring educator – she is a compassionate person and an excellent DO! Her leadership is a tremendous asset to the AOF at a time when the organization is blazing new trails for osteopathic philanthropy,” said 2017 AOF President Peter B. Ajluni, DO.

Tooke-Rawlins received her Bachelor of Science degree from Truman University and her DO degree from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Both of her sons are osteopathic physicians as is her husband, Frederic Rawlins, DO. The pair has 3 grandchildren.

---