Critical to our mission of protecting the public, our dedicated National Faculty includes over 850 active members from across the nation. These thought leaders have diverse expertise across osteopathic health professions and specialties, osteopathic medical education and assessment, and osteopathic physician licensure and regulation.
Write and review test items, cases, and rationales to ensure quality and fairness
Assist in recruiting residents and newly practicing physicians
Contribute to online learning modules
Serve on Board and operational committees
Develop into National Faculty leadership roles
Benefits of Participation
CME credits through the AOA for status 1A and 1B activities
Letters of scholarly activity provided for promotion and tenure
Acknowledgement in the NBOME Annual Report
Opportunities to grow and expand your professional network
Resources and Training
To assist our item writers in ensuring the highest-quality test items, the NBOME provides an introductory training course in the NBOME Learning Center free of charge to all National Faculty members. All NBOME National Faculty are encouraged to complete Item Writing 101: Multiple-Choice Items with Realistic Clinical Scenarios.
There are other valuable learning modules available for National Faculty members to access in our Learning Center.
The NBOME has made a public version of its Mindful Language Guide available. The guide is meant to assist National Faculty members in considering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into NBOME assessments when writing or editing test questions.
Available Opportunities
Item Writers. The NBOME welcomes enthusiastic, interested, and qualified individuals to consider writing test items for use in COMLEX-USA and/or COMAT examinations. You may qualify to join the unique group of subject matter experts who contribute to the future of osteopathic medicine by writing or reviewing test items or clinical cases for COMLEX-USA or COMAT examinations.
Resident Volunteers. The NBOME also welcomes resident volunteers to contribute to the content development process. As a recent COMLEX-USA examinee, you may participate in learning opportunities: item writing training, examination development, and standard setting. Network with colleagues from across the US in a wide variety of specialties and disciplines as you support the advancement of testing standards, continuous quality improvement, innovations in testing, and research.
Who Should Participate?
DOs with an active license (training or full) to practice medicine
Individuals who have passed all three levels of the COMLEX-USA licensure examination series
DOs from an AOA-COCA accredited college of osteopathic medicine
Individuals who serve on a state medical licensing board or are physicians in clinical practice
Individuals with a career in academic osteopathic medicine who serve as clinical or biomedical sciences faculty
Becoming a Member
We invite practicing osteopathic physicians, student residents, educators, researchers, and assessment experts to apply to the National Faculty. Email NBOME National Faculty with your interest in joining in order to start the application process.
"Why I Joined"
Hear from National Faculty members on why they joined, the benefits they've received, and some of their favorite memories.
National Faculty Chairs
The NBOME is honored to have the following leaders and experts serve as our National Faculty Chairs.
Osteopathic Principles & Practice | Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
Ava C. Stanczak, DO
Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine
Ryan M. Smith, DO, PhD, MBA, MSEd
Psychiatry, Neurology, & Clinical Neurosciences
Janie Myers, DO
Surgery, Surgical Subspecialties, & Anesthesia
Competency Chairs
Charles Finch, DO
Interpersonal and Communication Skills in the Practice of Osteopathic Medicine
Janet Lieto, DO
Systems-Based Practice in Osteopathic Medicine
H. Eduardo Velasco, MD, MSc, PhD
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
William R. Blazey, DO
Professionalism in the Practice of Osteopathic Medicine
Foundational Biomedical Sciences Chairs
Robert J. Theobald Jr., PhD
Foundational Biomedical Sciences
Jonathan Leo, PhD
Anatomy Division
Martha A. Faner, PhD
Biochemistry Division
David Gardner, PhD
Genetics Division
Balbina J. Plotkin, PhD, MEd
Microbiology & Immunology Division
Thomas E. Rosenzweig, MD
Pathology Division
Adrienne Z. Ables, PharmD, MS
Pharmacology Division
Edward Wagner, PhD
Physiology Division
COMLEX-USA Examination Chairs
Joyce A. Brown, DO
COMLEX-USA Level 1
Wayne R. Carlsen, DO
COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE
Brett Stecker, DO
COMLEX-USA Level 3
COMAT Examination Chairs
Thomas E. Benzoni, DO
Emergency Medicine
Sarah M. Hall, DO
Family Medicine
Michael L. Smith, PhD
Foundational Biomedical Sciences
Rodney Bates, DO
Internal Medicine
Meaghan Nelsen, DO, MS
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Rebecca E. Giusti, DO
Osteopathic Principles & Practice | Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
Alissa P. Craft, DO, MBA
Pediatrics
Jacqueline Locrotondo, DO
Psychiatry
Michelle M. Sowden, DO
Surgery
COMVEX Examination Chair
Regina Lewis, DO
Content Committee Chairs
Alesia Wagner, DO
Clinical Decision-Making & Key Features
Bernadette Riley, DO
Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Item Writers and Case Authors of the Year
The NBOME annually evaluates the efforts of the item writers and case authors who contributed to the exams. We honor an author from each exam series whose items or cases are exemplary. The Item Writers and Case Authors of the Year produce exam elements in the type and format needed to ensure a valid, high-quality examination that assesses competencies for osteopathic medicine.
Item Writer & Case Author of the Year Awardees
