NBOME President and CEO John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) at the AOA’s annual House of Delegates Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on July 18, 2026.
The Distinguished Service Award is the AOA’s highest honor. Awarded annually to deserving physicians or lay individuals, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in advancing the science and art of osteopathic medicine, education, philanthropy, or other fields of public service.
In January, Gimpel announced he would retire from the NBOME at the end of 2026, capping a historic 18 years as president and CEO – the institution’s longest serving leader. This followed an additional 15 years as NBOME board member, vice president, and consultant.
During his tenure at NBOME in multiple roles, Gimpel has overseen the development of several transformative assessment programs, including COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE; COMAT and WelCOM programs; the expansion of the COMSAE program; and most recently, the Core Competency Capstone (C3DO) assessment. He also led work on the development of and updates to the Fundamental Osteopathic Medical Competency Domains framework and the redesign of the COMLEX-USA Blueprint to a competency-based framework.
In addition, he has been a passionate advocate for patients, for professional self-regulation, and for DOs and osteopathic medical credentials in the US and abroad, working with regulatory bodies and global organizations to promote the understanding and value of osteopathic medical education and licensure.
Outside of his tenure with the NBOME, Gimpel has been a dedicated educator and clinician for more than 35 years, and a prolific researcher; he has authored and mentored more than 100 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.
After earning his DO degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), and competing residency training in family medicine at PCOM and Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia, he has served in faculty and director roles at PCOM, Jefferson Medical College, and Georgetown University School of Medicine. He later served as dean and vice president for health affairs at the University of New England-College of Osteopathic Medicine. For most of the past 30 years, Gimpel has continued to be active in patient care and in education, teaching the family medicine residency at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
“Dr. John Gimpel embodies the very qualities the Distinguished Service Award was created to recognize,” said AOA Immediate Past President Robert G. G. Piccinini, DO. “Throughout his career, he has advanced osteopathic medicine through visionary leadership, innovation in medical assessment, an unwavering commitment to excellence in education and steadfast advocacy for the osteopathic profession in the United States and around the world.”