Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Methodol. Sep 20, 2026; 16(3): 118145
Published online Sep 20, 2026. doi: 10.5662/wjm.118145
Published online Sep 20, 2026. doi: 10.5662/wjm.118145
Doctor of osteopathic medicine degree still faces recognition challenges in the United States: Suggested ways to improve awareness
Reicelle Garcia, Department of Internal Medicine, Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy, Omaha, NE 68124, United States
Kevan English, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States
Co-first authors: Reicelle Garcia and Kevan English.
Author contributions: Garcia R and English K wrote the original draft, contributed to conceptualization, and writing, have made crucial and indispensable contributions towards the completion of the project and thus qualified as the co-first authors of the paper; English K reviewed and edited the article; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Kevan English, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 42 Emile Street, Omaha, NE 68198, United States.
Received: December 25, 2025
Revised: January 19, 2026
Accepted: February 9, 2026
Published online: September 20, 2026
Processing time: 198 Days and 3.6 Hours
Revised: January 19, 2026
Accepted: February 9, 2026
Published online: September 20, 2026
Processing time: 198 Days and 3.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Despite the growing number of osteopathic physicians within the United States workforce, the degree remains under recognized compared to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. This is partly due to degree misrepresentation and the lack of osteopathic physicians in prominent leadership positions within the United States healthcare system compared to their MD counterparts. Addressing these factors may ultimately improve awareness.