News

DOTHAN, Ala. –  The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is proud to announce it has received the 2026 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) from Insight Into Academia magazine.

This marks the fourth year in a row ACOM has earned this prestigious distinction from the oldest and largest national publication that is focused on best practices in higher education. The HEED Award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging and community building across all levels of campus life. ACOM will be featured, along with 60 other recipients, in the magazine’s October 2026 issue.

“At ACOM, our InSPIRED core values are not just ideals; they are actions we choose every day,” said Susie S. White, MA, institutional values officer at ACOM. “This recognition reflects our commitment to fostering a campus culture where integrity, service, passion, innovation, respect, excellence, and diversity guide everything we do. We are honored to receive the HEED Award, and we remain dedicated to creating an environment where every student, employee and community partner can thrive.

“We use a detailed scoring process as well as a holistic approach to reviewing each application to determine who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,” says Lenore Pearlstein, Co-Publisher of Insight Into Academia magazine.

For more information about ACOM, visit www.acom.edu.

DOTHAN, Ala. – The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is proud to announce Gregory T. Jacobs, DO, FACEP, FAAEM, was recently named department chair of specialty medicine in Clinical Sciences. He will also continue as assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and medical director of Clinical Simulation.

Dr. Jacobs is board certified in emergency medicine with more than 20 years of clinical experience. He came to ACOM more than five years ago from the Southeast Health Medical Center where he served as an emergency department physician.

DOTHAN, Ala. – The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is proud to announce that Richard R. Thacker, DO, MACOI, board-certified internist, was sworn in as the 130th president of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) on Saturday during a ceremony in Chicago.

Dr. Thacker took the oath of office and delivered his inaugural speech at the AOA’s House of Delegates annual meeting in the Grand Ballroom of the Chicago Marriott Hotel, which was followed by the president’s reception. Dr. Thacker served as president-elect last year before assuming the 2026-27 presidency.

“Osteopathic medicine has always understood that healing the patient means seeing the whole person,” said Dr. Thacker during his acceptance speech. “As physicians, educators and advocates, we have a responsibility to carry that philosophy into every exam room, every classroom and every statehouse. I am honored to lead this profession as we inspire the next generation of DOs and fight for the patients and communities who count on us.”

“It is with great pride that we share Dr. Thacker’s distinguished leadership to inspire the osteopathic physicians and medical students who make up the AOA,” said Rick Sutton, president of ACOM. “We look forward to seeing the great things he does in the coming year with AOA and on behalf of Southeast Health and ACOM, we congratulate you on this great honor.”

The AOA represents more than 197,000 osteopathic physicians and students in the U.S., promoting public health, scientific research, and the distinctive osteopathic approach to medicine.

“Dr. Thacker has always been that rare leader who keeps two things front and center: the highest standards of quality and the foundational principles of osteopathic medicine,” said James C. Jones, DO, FACEP, dean of ACOM. “The AOA is incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Thacker stepping into this leadership role. I have no doubt his wisdom, humor, and big-hearted approach will strengthen our profession.”

Dr. Thacker, who joined the ACOM faculty in 2018, is associate dean of Clinical Sciences, a member of the dean’s cabinet and associate professor of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Thacker is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine, and he is a master fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists. Prior to being selected president-elect, Dr. Thacker served on the AOA board of trustees.

He is the 2024 recipient of the ACOM Student Advocate Award, which is voted on by the student body.

Dr. Thacker is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University’s Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine in Davie, Florida, and he is a past president of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association. He is a long-time advocate for the profession with decades of legislative experience.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Thacker on this remarkable achievement and his continued dedication to advancing osteopathic medicine through this leadership role.

DOTHAN, Ala. – The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is pleased to announce William “Brownie” Browning and Chris Suddarth have been appointed to the college’s board of directors.

Browning and Suddarth currently serve on the Houston County Health Care Authority (HCHCA), which is a volunteer board that serves as the governing body for Southeast Health. ACOM is one of the five entities that makes up the Southeast Health system.

Browning, who was appointed to the HCHCA in 2022, relocated to Dothan in 1998 from Gainesville, Florida to start Signs Erectors Inc., with his business partner. He describes himself as a “simple and straight forward” man who makes his faith in God and his family his top priorities.

Suddarth, who was appointed to the HCHCA in 2025, has served as owner of TriState Graphics since 2010. Suddarth served a total of 39 years in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves as a pilot. He was active duty for 15 years with a final rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5.

Please join us in welcoming Browning and Suddarth to the ACOM Board of Directors.

The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is pleased to be ranked as one of the top medical schools in the nation in 2026 for the most graduates specializing in primary care, continuing ACOM’s previous years of success according to U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News ranked ACOM No. 22 of 168 schools across the nation for the most graduates specializing in primary care. The respected publication also ranked ACOM No. 32 nationally for graduates serving medically needy areas and No. 51 for graduates serving rural areas. These rankings underscore ACOM’s positive impact among peer medical schools and reflect the realization of the Houston County Health Care Authority’s original vision and strategic intent in
establishing a medical school. That vision is now being recognized on both a regional and national scale through the latest U.S. News awards.

“We are pleased to be recognized among the nation’s best for the third year in a row,” said James C. Jones, DO, FACEP, dean of ACOM. “We achieve this success because our talented students, faculty and staff are committed to the vision and mission of ACOM.”

The 2026 ACOM graduating class achieved an outstanding match rate that exceeded the national average among all medical schools. Notably, 52 percent of graduates matched or placed into primary care residency programs. Overall, more than 99 percent of the class secured residency placements across 16 specialties, including highly competitive fields such as orthopedic surgery, interventional radiology, neurology, and general surgery.

“We are proud with how competitive our graduates are across all residency specialties,” said Dr. Jones. “We provide our graduates with a high-quality osteopathic medical education so they can excel in all specialties, and we are pleased that so many of our graduates choose primary care.”

By collecting graduate school data annually, U.S. News is able to present the latest enrollment numbers, job placement rates, faculty statistics and other essential quality indicators that help prospective students make informed decisions.

• AskMayoExpert: A point-of-care tool offering concise clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions, including medical protocols, treatment recommendations and medical references. The database can be used wherever healthcare is provided.
• eConsults: Connections to Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinions on specific patient cases.
• eBoards: Live, scheduled video conferences that enable medical teams at Southeast Health to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary panel and other physicians in the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
• Healthcare consulting: Access to Mayo Clinic’s extensive experience, knowledge and subspecialty expertise to achieve clinical, operational and business goals.

Kleine-Levin Syndrome is an extremely rare neurological condition that is characterized by recurring-remitting episodes of hypersomnia and severe cognitive abnormalities with behavioral changes. 

There is only somewhere between 8,000 and 42,000 people in the world with the condition (based on the latest prevalence estimate). Unfortunately, while there are various factors that have been found to contribute to the condition, the underlying etiology has yet to be elucidated. There is also no definitive treatment.

Before I begin to speak on more personal experience, I want to provide context on the characteristics that I described. The cognitive abnormalities that occur during episodes of hypersomnia are what distinguish this condition from others that look similar. Such changes include severe derealization, memory loss, and disorientation. The criteria was updated in 2023 after over a decade without revision. I make this a point because it has been found that less than half of patients exhibit the characteristics previously used and are unfortunately still described in various resources. This includes our medical textbooks here which have outdated information on the condition, with respect to characteristics that are actually representative by the majority of patients and treatment. However, I contribute that to the lack of data that we now have, and I’m glad that Up-to-Date has much more accurate information. Thus, if anyone is interested in more, indexed literature from 2020-present and Up-to-Date is most reliable.

As for my own experience… I have always been a patient and guinea pig. By 15 I had one of the thickest files at my PCP’s office. From having developed epilepsy and kinesthetic cerebral palsy at a young age (years of physical therapy worked thankfully) to meningitis and Kawasaki’s disease and others, I still wasn’t prepared for being diagnosed with something that few people know about or have ever heard of, and knowing there’s no fix. That diagnosis was obtained after having to fly to Boston the day after the bombing, preceded by months of in-patient hospital stays, almost 10 spinal taps, endless scans, never ending labs and physical exams.

Something else that I’d like to share is that many patients, contrary to what some old literature and criteria would suggest, are not completely “normal” outside of exacerbations. Latest research has shown that this is likely due to notable changes in perfusion and metabolism in various areas of the brain, even between exacerbations. My own functional imaging has shown that as well. While from the outside I may look like I’m operating on the strengths and limitations as most of us do in school, I have to accept that my brain doesn’t function at the physiological capacity that it used to. There have been days that I’ve ensured I have made sure to come across completely normal with people at school, despite operating at 30% and shouldn’t have driven to school let alone not being able to prepare a meal at home, due to the cognitive changes that can still reside in-between exacerbations.

Since the age of 14, due to unpredictable and uncontrollable periods of time of being incapacitated, I’ve lost friends, missed vacations, graduations, birthdays, holidays, and a whole lot of school. And the mental/emotional impact of that isn’t talked about enough. However, once in college, I dedicated my time outside of class to becoming one of the most knowledgeable people of the condition by reading almost every single publication that comes out, have been a patient advocate, presented at conferences, and have now several publications in effort to contribute to the minimal research that is being produced on this condition.

I continue to speak to patients and their providers to educate and consult on the condition, continue research activity and should have another genetic paper out in the next year, and oversee a support group of a few hundred patients and families, all with the intention to give something to the rare disease space and this field that I didn’t have before.

There is already a deficit in medical education in rare diseases (for understandable reasons), and there are thousands of patients like myself that sometimes only get an accurate diagnosis because a provider had a lightbulb moment from a paper they read at some point. I pray that the next generation of providers remain up-to-date on the disease that they still might run into in their practice, which is something that I am fully committed to. There are over 20 million people in the U.S. with a rare disease, many that do not have a definitive treatment, elucidated cause, lack biomarkers, and those patients still need answers and help.

Learning my Stripes: Receiving my EDS-BCS Diagnosis in Medical School

I started to see my stripes when I was learning how to recognize stripes. During my first
year of medical school, I saw myself in a patient case. The stripes of symptoms the patient
presented bore a striking resemblance to the decades of struggles myself and various
family members endured. The sudden realization of so many symptoms being “connected”
slamming into me. Am I a zebra?

At the age of 13, I had one of my first father-daughter dates to the Retinologist. My
optometrist, knowing my Dad’s retinal medical history of spontaneous 3 retinal
detachments from a young age, kept a close eye on my retinas and referred me after
finding my first few retinal tears. From there, I received 10 laser photocoagulation retinal
repair surgeries as new holes and tears developed throughout the years. My Dad and I
always tried to schedule our appointments together. Even though the retinologist would
finish with my appointment then having me hop out of the chair switching with my Dad for
his appointment, genetic testing was never discussed in our care plan.

“You’ve got your Dad’s eyes, that’s for sure,” was all we got.

Being a scientifically curious person and a future physician, I wanted to know what that
meant. How does lattice degeneration come about in a person genetically? At the time, my
own amateur research yielded common results: lattice degeneration was genetically
complicated and much of the etiology was unknown. Well, I’ll just have to keep looking.
Maybe when I get a more complex understanding of the human body, I will get some
answers.

I kept learning and progressing through my AP science biology classes in high school to my
undergraduate degree in biochemistry, to finally my master’s in medical science, before I
first heard the name “Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.”

Wow, these people have really stretchy skin! And they are very flexible! “There is an issue
with their collagen, some with specific genes already specified as pathogenic, and
connective tissue issues leading to them being prone to joint dislocations and aortic
dissections.” That was about as in-depth as we went in our studies.

Flash forward to a few years later, I am sitting in my first-year medical school eye neurolab
when a fictional patient’s case broke my own “cold case” wide open. The patient was
undergoing multiple eye surgeries for retinal tears and detachments from the ages of 12-
22. Family medical history includes a parent with a similar history…. and additional sx of
joint pain/abnormalities and hearing loss. His diagnosis? Stickler Syndrome, a hereditary
connective tissue disorder.

Can hereditary connective tissue disorders cause retinal pathologies? I couldn’t research
fast enough. So many similarities to my “stripes” riddled the web pages.
My mind flashed back and connected so many things all at once: all of the retinal
appointments and laser surgeries. My debilitating hip pain as a child that led to an MRI and
a diagnosis of hip dysplasia. Having to edit bruises out of so many of my photos before
posting them on social media. Getting spray tans and putting foundation on my chest to
cover up the veins you could trace with a pen. Being hospitalized for five days for acute
pancreatitis with no apparent cause besides mild gallbladder symptoms – of which they
removed my gallbladder – and the not normal, atrophic scars now on my abdomen from
that surgery. Is this all connected?

The main looming part that didn’t quite fit was the hypermobility part. I have never
considered myself double-jointed in my fingers. We had not learned about hypermobility in
a clinical setting yet in medical school. How do I even test for this? I found my answer on
the Ehlers-Danlos Society page. The “Beighton Scoring System”? There, in the study room
of my medical school, with the help of my medical school friends, I scored an 8/9. I was
hypermobile. “I think I need to go to a Medical Geneticist.”

My primary care doctor at the time referred me after hearing my concerns, and a few
months later, I was with my dad in the office with a Medical Geneticist. The main concern
of our visit was the retinal problems, but we did briefly discuss my joint hypermobility. They
told me a full retinal panel would be done to see if any pathogenic genes came back. I got
my blood drawn and waited for the results.

Nothing can prepare someone for the disappointment that comes from hearing the words
from the genetics counselor, “We could not find any pathogenic genes in all the retinalassociated genes we tested for in your blood work.” How can that be? It didn’t make any sense. Confusion and disappointment riddled me as I asked, “There really are no genes that came
up in the retinal pathology panel? What about my hypermobility?”

“The retinal pathology panel is very extensive. We didn’t run a connective tissue panel
because there was some overlap between the panels. I can ask the doctor if he wants to
run the connective tissue panel, but we already tested for a lot of the connective tissue
issues with the retinal panel.”

“Okay. Ask the doctor what he thinks and let me know his recommendation.”

I received a message they were going to run the connective tissue panel. I am so grateful
that my doctor listened to my question about whether we can test for my hypermobility. I
am so grateful that I was able to advocate for myself, even knew I was hypermobile, and
how to test for it, because of the Ehlers-Danlos Society website.

They called back a few weeks later with answers. “Andrea, we found 2 pathogenic variants
of ZNF469 in the connective tissue panel that correlates with something called ‘Brittle
Cornea Syndrome’, a subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). If your parents are open
to it, we need them to send in samples to see if you inherited the variants from one or both
of your parents. Even though this syndrome is definitively diagnosed if it is inherited in an
autosomal recessive pattern, these variants are showing signs in the literature of actually
being autosomal dominant in nature and presenting various EDS symptoms in carriers,
and not just corneal issues.”

I called my parents so fast. They submitted their samples, and we waited again. The call
came a few weeks later.

I am a zebra, my stripes definitively being Brittle Cornea Syndrome (BCS) subtype of
Ehlers-Danlos, the first diagnosis of BCS in my medical genetics clinic’s history. My dad
was a zebra, being a carrier of a pathogenic variant of ZNF469 that was showing autosomal
dominance characteristics and correlated heavily with eye pathologies in its presentation.
And… my mom was also a zebra, being a carrier of a pathogenic variant of ZNF469 that was
showing autosomal dominance characteristics and correlated heavily with a more
vascular EDS-like presentation of symptoms and pathologies. My mom has extensive
varicose veins, hypermobility, hernias, and a history of a postpartum hemorrhage that
almost took her life.

“You definitely have your mom’s legs.” I remembered hearing from one of my family
members when my mom and I were comparing our varicose veins.

I received a pathogenic variant of ZNF469 from each parent and was autosomal recessive.
My cold case was solved. My parents’ cold cases were solved. It all, finally, connected.
Equipped with answers, my family and I are learning so much about how to better manage
our health, symptoms, and lifestyle to accommodate our lives with Ehlers-Danlos. From
how to exercise, to preventative heart and eye screenings, to learning how to live our best
and healthiest lives alongside our connective tissue disorder is possible through the work
of organizations like the Ehlers-Danlos Society.

It was the years of scientific advocacy, research, and discovery for patients in the EDS
community to finally have some life-changing and life-saving answers. As we look ahead, it
is important that we continue this momentum to find even more genes, comorbidities, and
alternative lifestyle changes. Additionally, it is important that we educate, advocate, and
promote methods for uncovering EDS to those on the front lines: medical professionals.
Even in the countless doctors’ offices and specialists I have seen throughout my life, it took
my personal journey of becoming a medical professional to connect, research, advocate,
and discover my stripes. With my efforts no longer going to detective work, I am now able
to bring my efforts towards advocacy of hereditary connective tissue disorders to medical
education and clinical landscapes.

While I am still in medical school, I am working to change the landscape of medical
education by advocating for representation and clinical skills training on connective tissue
disorders, where the foundation of scientific knowledge is formed: in medical school.
Equipping all of our future physicians, no matter what specialty they go into, with the skills
and confidence in recognizing potential connective tissue disorders and giving appropriate
medical genetics referrals can, and will, change and save lives.

We’ve all heard in the medical field, “If you hear hoofbeats behind you, think of horses and
don’t expect to see a zebra.” Unfortunately, many clinicians only recognize a patient is a
zebra in retrospect; after the patient has pieced it together themselves, finding the “right”
provider, and finally receiving a diagnosis. This often follows years of misdiagnoses,
repeated consultations with multiple providers, and relentless self-advocacy. By then,
patients may have endured decades of harm from EDS and its comorbidities, sometimes
affecting multiple generations within a family.

We need to train clinicians, and future clinicians, not only to listen for hoofbeats, but to
distinguish among them. Even when horses and zebras sound similar, there are subtle
differences. Through clinical skills testing, education, and continued research into
evidence-based practices, we can learn and teach others how to recognize the distinct
sound of a potential connective tissue disorder, the zebra’s hoofbeat, without having to
turn around. Clinicians should not have to “look back” in hindsight to tell the difference.
My name is Andrea Gathercole.

I am an osteopathic medical student.
I have Brittle Cornea Syndrome subtype of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes.
I am a zebra.
And I am using my voice, my story – my hoofbeats – to teach future physicians how to spot stripes.

The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is pleased announce Paul Hopper’s appointment to the college’s nine-member volunteer board of directors.

Hopper currently serves as the assistant director of Rural Initiatives for the Alabama Medical Education Consortium (AMEC), which was a driving force in establishing ACOM. AMEC and ACOM continue to grow the number of teaching healthcare facilities in Alabama. Through their efforts, the state currently has 12 healthcare facilities offering graduate education programs.

Hopper is a former town council member in Elberta, Alabama, where he oversaw the acquisition of millions of dollars in federal and state grants. He is a past recipient of the Norman J. Walton Award from the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission for innovative use of funding.

Hopper received his bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in public relations from the University of South Alabama in Mobile. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in health administration from the University of North Alabama in Florence.

Hopper has demonstrated a long history of serving in leadership roles with civic and special interest organizations. He is a member of the Alabama Rural Health Association, Alabama Primary Healthcare Association and Pi Kappa Alpha Inc. Fraternity.

He resides in Mobile with his three children, where he is restoring a historic home in his free time. He also enjoys exploring the unique small towns and remote places in Alabama.

Please join us in welcoming Hopper to the ACOM Board of Directors.

In advance of Match Day on March 20, the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is pleased to announce the early military match results for members of the class of 2026. These five students’ commitment to serving their country parallels their passion for helping others, which has been apparent throughout their medical education at ACOM.

In the spring of each year, Match Day signifies the shift to a new phase of a medical student’s education: residency. Medical residency is a multi-year program with intensive training in a specific area of medical care. In their final year of medical school, students apply for and interview with residency programs where they may want to continue their training. The students and programs rank each other respectively through the National Residency Match Program, which runs a computerized algorithm to determine the match. Those match results are revealed on Match Day. Certain programs, such as those associated with the military, complete their match processes separately and announce those results in advance.

ACOM is proud to announce the following military match results and we look forward to celebrating the entire class of 2026 on Match Day in March.