Dana C. Shaffer, DO, Honored with NBOME Santucci Award
December 11, 2023
PHILADELPHIA, PA—The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), an independent, nonprofit organization that provides competency assessments for osteopathic medical licensure and related health care professions, honored Dana C. Shaffer, DO, with the NBOME Santucci Award at its recent Board of Directors meeting on December 9.
The Santucci Award is the highest honor the NBOME bestows, given to members of its Board, staff, or committees with 10 or more years of service for their outstanding contributions to the mission of the NBOME.
Shaffer has demonstrated continued and steady service to the NBOME and to its mission in numerous roles. These include Board chair from 2017-2019, Board vice-chair and secretary-treasurer, a member of the Test Accommodations and Executive committees, the Compensation Subcommittee, and chair of the Finance and Liaison committees. He was first elected to the NBOME Board in 2007.
He was appointed dean of the University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2018 and was formerly the chief academic officer of the Appalachian Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute Consortium. He previously served as the senior associate dean of clinical affairs at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2006-2013. He retired in 2021.
Shaffer practiced the complete spectrum of rural family medicine in rural Iowa for 22 years, including osteopathic manipulative medicine, obstetrics, and emergency medicine, as well as both inpatient and outpatient care.
He has served on numerous committees and task forces dealing with health information technology, health care reform, graduate medical education, and access to primary and rural health care. In addition, he has served on both the Iowa Board of Medicine and the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, and as a former president of the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners.
Shaffer served four years in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital and with the Marine 8th Communication Battalion at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
After completing his tenure on the NBOME Board of Directors, he continues to serve the NBOME admirably with his unique perspective from serving in so many different roles during his career. He has offered counsel and guidance to the organization since leaving the Board, particularly during the tumultuous time of the pandemic and its immediate aftermath.
The Santucci Award was established in 2009, named for Thomas F. Santucci, Jr., DO, president and chair of the NBOME Board from 1985-1987, in honor of his efforts to further enhance the NBOME’s licensure assessments and National Faculty.
About the NBOME:
The NBOME is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit assessment organization committed to protecting the public by providing the means to assess competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health care professions. NBOME’s COMLEX-USA examination series is a requirement for graduation from colleges of osteopathic medicine and provides the pathway to licensure for osteopathic physicians in the United States and numerous international jurisdictions.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Renee Cree, MA
Director for Communications
rcree@nbome.org
