PHILADELPHIA — 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 Robert J. Theobald Jr., PhD, with the John E. Thornburg, DO, PhD, National Faculty Leadership Award at its recent Board of Directors meeting on June 7.
Theobald is a professor and chair of pharmacology at the A. T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM). His tenure at KCOM of almost 50 years has been highlighted by numerous Excellence in Teaching Awards and the 2011 KCOM Osteopathic Alumni Association’s Living Tribute Award.
He began writing test items for the NBOME in the early 1990s and has written numerous test items focused on pharmacology and physiology subjects for COMLEX-USA and the COMAT Foundational Biomedical Sciences examination.
During his tenure on the National Faculty, Theobald has served on numerous committees and task forces, including the COMLEX-USA Composite Examination Committee and the COMLEX-USA Blueprint Subcommittee, and the Task Force on Numeric Scores.
He was the COMAT Discipline Lead – Pharmacology from 2017-2019 and was part of the original COMAT Foundational Biomedical Sciences Task Force, establishing the highly successful COMAT FBS and FBS Targeted examinations. He currently serves as the NBOME Foundational Biomedical Sciences Department Chair, a role he has held since January 2020.
In addition to his work with the NBOME, he has been an active member of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the Association Medical School Pharmacology Chairs, and the National Caucus of Basic Biomedical Sciences Chairs. He also is a member of the American Urological Association; the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction; and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.
Theobald received his PhD in pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacology.
The Thornburg Award is bestowed periodically to National Faculty leadership members who have distinguished themselves by their longstanding contributions to examination development, committee work, or related activities. It is named for longtime National Faculty Chair John E. Thornburg, DO, PhD, who diligently served the NBOME in numerous capacities for five decades and passed away in February 2025.
Thornburg and Theobald worked closely together for many years at the NBOME. Thornburg’s daughter, Courtney Thornburg, MD (pictured above), gave remarks about her father and assisted in presenting this year’s award.
Previous Thornburg Award winners are:
Dennis Dowling, DO, MA
Charles A. Finch, DO
Michael F. Oliverio, DO
John E. Thornburg, DO, PhD