NBOME President and CEO John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, Announces Retirement

After three decades of transformative leadership, John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, FACOFP, FAAFP, has announced his retirement as President and CEO of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), effective on or about December 31, 2026. Gimpel’s service began in 1996 as an NBOME board member, followed by his pivotal role in introducing a standardized national clinical skills component for COMLEX-USA, and later as vice president for clinical skills testing. In 2009, he was appointed President and CEO, leading the organization through exponential growth and innovation. His 17-year presidency makes him the longest-serving leader in NBOME’s 92-year history.

Throughout his career, Gimpel advanced the role of assessment in professional self-regulation and competency-based medical education with a patient-centered focus. He developed curricula and assessments that emphasized fundamental patient care, clinical skills and clinical reasoning and was known for a focus on humanism in medicine, compassion, excellence in doctor-patient communication, and empathy as nonnegotiable competencies in care.

He also addressed limitations in existing pedagogic and assessment frameworks by designing assessment programs that promoted patient and learner safety and helped to ensure educational equivalency across diverse clinical sites and curricula.

As an educator and assessor, he underscores that the content and methods of evaluation impact the development of physicians by guiding the attention of both learners and faculty toward specific competencies, ultimately affecting patient care, and continuing to earn patient trust. His passion for professional identity formation, and for the osteopathic medical profession to produce physicians who practice distinctive osteopathic medical care, and who demonstrate compassion and a person-centered, body-mind-spirit approach, has consistently guided his career.

His academic work, encompassing peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and mentorship, has made substantial contributions to assessment, teaching, clinical skills, and medical professionalism. In particular, his research to support the validity of NBOME assessments and to explore innovations in testing has been instrumental to the NBOME’s growth and recognition. He has authored and mentored more than one hundred peer-reviewed publications and delivered numerous invited lectures and presentations at over 70 DO-granting and MD-granting medical schools across twelve countries and five continents.

Transformative Assessment Programs

During his tenure, Gimpel spearheaded several landmark initiatives:

• COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE, Fundamental Osteopathic Medical Competency Domains (FOMCD) framework (2006, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2026)
• COMLEX-USA’s competency-based Blueprint (2018)
• Core Competency Capstone (C3DO) assessment
• COMAT program
• COMSAE expansion, and
• Longitudinal Formative Assessment CATALYST platform-powered assessments such as WelCOM and COMAT Self-Evaluation

These programs advanced competency-based evaluation through summative and formative assessment and supported continuous learning and quality improvement throughout the osteopathic medical continuum.

Building a National Faculty

Gimpel championed the transformation of the National Faculty at the NBOME, now comprising over 1,000 clinicians, educators, and other subject matter experts. This group reflects the diverse make-up of the osteopathic medical profession and harnesses the expertise in osteopathic medical education and practice across the country. Members of the National Faculty play a vital role in developing assessments, setting standards, and contributing to professional development initiatives, often raising the bar for assessment at their home campuses.

Leadership in Times of Change

From 2014 to 2020, Gimpel led the NBOME and its stakeholders through the transition to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education (GME). His guidance ensured that the NBOME’s assessment standards remained robust and relevant, supporting the expanding scope and recognition of the osteopathic profession.

He strengthened connections to the broader GME world to promote greater recognition of DOs, COMLEX-USA, and American Osteopathic Association Board Certification.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he prioritized safety and innovation, developing clinical skills assessment alternatives and expanding proctoring options. In his role within the Coalition for Physician Accountability, he played a key part in bringing together national leaders who developed strategies to ensure all health care workers had access to personal protective equipment, to facilitate the shift to virtual residency interviews, and to improve the transition to residency.

He served in a leadership role on the Coalition’s aligned UME-to-GME Transition Review Committee. Their recommendations were transformative in fostering wellness, inclusion, diversity, and holistic review practices for all applicants and programs, including mitigation of misinformation and bias.

Strengthening Partnerships and Advocacy in the US and Abroad

Gimpel cultivated collaborative partnerships between DO and MD communities, strengthening the NBOME’s role in promoting standards and supporting medical education nationally, with consistent guidance that showcased the distinctive contributions osteopathic physicians make in GME programs and in practice throughout the country. He has been a passionate advocate for osteopathic medical credentials in the US and abroad, working with regulatory bodies and global organizations to promote the value of osteopathic medical education and licensure.

Gimpel’s dedicated work has led to numerous official statements from residency program director associations and specialty societies supporting holistic review of applicants, encouraging the inclusion of DO candidates in GME programs, and recognizing COMLEX-USA as an equivalent credential.

Internationally, his 7-year tenure on the Board of the Osteopathic International Alliance, coupled with more than two decades of participation as an attendee and presenter at international meetings—such as those held by the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities and the Ottawa Conference on Clinical Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions—has significantly contributed to the global recognition of US DOs as equivalent to MDs for licensure and regulation in numerous jurisdictions worldwide.

Osteopathic Family Physician and Educator

A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Gimpel completed family medicine residency training at Chestnut Hill Hospital and PCOM, initially practiced in a family-run community practice for over a decade, and has remained clinically active for the past 35 years.

He served in various educational roles, including faculty and director positions at PCOM, St. Luke’s University Hospital, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and as Dean and Vice President at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Winner of numerous Golden Apple and other Teacher of the Year awards, Gimpel’s role modeling for students and residents to engage with patients and learn about them as people has been a hallmark of his clinical bedside teaching. For most of the past 25 years, he has served as a part-time faculty preceptor at the Bryn Mawr Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

A Lasting Impact

As president and CEO of the NBOME, Gimpel championed innovation, collaboration, and excellence, advancing NBOME’s mission to protect the public and put patients first through competency assessment of osteopathic physicians. His work has enhanced patient care and public trust in medicine and the DO profession.

In his announcement to the NBOME Board and staff, he credited the organization’s success to a shared commitment to the mission and acknowledges the contributions of staff, Board members, National Faculty, leaders at partner organizations, mentors, and patients. He also thanked God and his family, citing their strength, love, and guidance in making everything possible.

Looking Ahead

Chair of the NBOME Board of Directors David Kuo, DO, states, “The NBOME extends its deepest gratitude to Dr. Gimpel for his exemplary service and visionary leadership over 30 years. Dr. Gimpel’s legacy will continue to inspire future leaders and professionals as well as impact the osteopathic medical profession and patient care for years to come.”

Plans for next steps in the succession process include a national search which will be announced in the coming weeks. The NBOME community joins colleagues across the nation in wishing Dr. Gimpel a fulfilling retirement and continued success in all his future endeavors.

For media inquiries, please contact:
NBOME Communications Office
Jeanne M. Sandella DO
Vice President of Professional Development Initiatives and Communications
Jsandella@nbome.org
866-479-6828

John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd – Through the Years