WesternU Board of Trustee Awarded American Osteopathic Association's Highest Honor

Ethan Allen, DO, DSc (Hon.), treasurer of the board of trustees at Western

University of Health Sciences (WesternU), has been awarded the

Distinguished Service Certificate for his outstanding contribution to the

osteopathic profession by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

The Distinguished Service Certificate is the AOA’s highest honor.

Dr. Allen was one of four osteopathic physicians honored Monday, October

25, by the AOA at the 45,000-member association’s annual convention in San

Francisco.

“”The pride we feel for Ethan at WesternU is beyond words,”” said WesternU

President Philip Pumerantz, PhD. “”The work he has done – and continues to

do – on behalf of osteopathic medicine benefits many people, from

osteopathic medical students to their future patients. We are honored he

is a member of our WesternU family.””

A resident of Whittier with a family medical clinic of his own in Norwalk,

Dr. Allen helped found the state’s osteopathic medical association, the

Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California (OPSC). He also is a

founder of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP),

which has since grown to become WesternU, an institution comprised of five

colleges and 1,400 students located in downtown Pomona. In addition, he is

the founding president of the California Society of the American College

of Osteopathic Family Physicians.

Dr. Allen served three terms as the president of OPSC and he continues to

teach osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative treatment at

COMP.

Osteopathic medicine is a distinctive form of medical care founded on the

philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and dependent upon one

another for good health. This philosophy was developed in 1874 by Dr.

Andrew Taylor Still, who pioneered the concept of “”wellness”” and

recognized the importance of treating illness within the context of the

whole body.

Osteopathic physicians (DOs) use all of the tools available through modern

medicine including prescription medicine and surgery. They also

incorporate osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) into their regimen of

patient care when appropriate. OMT is a set of manual medicine techniques

that may be used to relieve pain, restore range of motion, and enhance the

body’s capacity to heal.

Osteopathic physicians, like their allopathic counterparts (MDs), must

pass a national or state medical board examination in order to obtain a

license to practice medicine. DOs provide comprehensive medical care to

patients in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.