Monday, November 4, 2019
Chris Breedlove (LUCOM Marketing)
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) celebrates Michael D. Lockwood, DO, FCA, professor of osteopathic manipulative medicine. At the recent Osteopathic Medical Conference and Exposition (OMED), annually hosted by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Dr. Lockwood was recognized with the AOA’s most prestigious award –the Distinguished Service Certificate. This specific award recognizes leaders who have made outstanding contributions toward advancing the osteopathic medical profession in science, philanthropy, education or other fields of public service.
For Dr. Lockwood there have been two awards in his professional career that are personal and resonate the closest to him; the AOA Distinguished Service award and the “Above and Beyond” award from the student body at his alma mater, the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, A T Still University of Health Sciences. “They were two of the “big” surprises of my life. One cannot, must not, serve for rewards or awards rather simply choose a life through service by serving…osteopathic physicians take an oath that reminds us to be always mindful of the responsibility to preserve the health of our patients, guard their secrets with scrupulous honor and to perform faithfully our professional duties,” said Dr. Lockwood. “To serve is a fulfillment of the command to love our brothers and sisters more than we love ourselves. Awards help remind us of why we are here.”
Ronald Burns, DO, FACOFP, president of the AOA, presented the award during the opening ceremony of the OMED conference. “We honor Dr. Lockwood for his long career of teaching osteopathic theory and methods, validating them through research, practicing in his community as a family physician, and treating the underserved on many missions’ trips… in all these endeavors you have enriched the lives of thousands of patients, coworkers, and students.”
Prior to joining LUCOM, Dr. Lockwood served for many years as a clinician, professor, and administrator at A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, his alma mater. There he taught many courses on osteopathic medicine and philosophy and also held several leadership roles in local hospitals. After 32 years, he left Kirksville, in 2014, to join the faculty of the newly established Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he continues to teach family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM).
“Time will reveal our legacy. I have attempted to understand the human condition from the truth that we are first a soul with a body. My two loves in medicine are Women’s Health with newborn care and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. First women’s health and newborn because they were areas of underserved medicine. Osteopathic Medicine because the chance to find the source of the problem and transform difficult medical puzzles is the mainstay,” added Dr. Lockwood.
At LUCOM, he has directed a women’s health course and conducted research focused on integrating OMM into the curriculum; he is a knowledgeable and passionate advocate for osteopathic medicine. Dr. Lockwood has been active in many professional organizations and is past president of the Osteopathic Cranial Academy Foundation. He is distinguished by his passion and dedication to reaching the underserved and helping others. He started a foundation dedicated to providing grants, education, and support for adoptions and orphans. His [personal] medical mission trips have taken him to locations such as Afghanistan, Nepal, and Haiti.
Dr. Lockwood was one of the founding faculty for LUCOM shortly after it was provisionally accredited. “I chose to come to LUCOM to advance its mission: to train and develop osteopathic physicians in a Christian environment – and to teach osteopathic medicine through didactic presentation and psychomotor skill development,” he added. “All the knowledge and skill in the world is worth little if not put into service. Those who are able to do and teach can multiply the work. Our students can and do make a true difference in the clinic, hospital or mission field. For me, there will be no such thing as retirement. The one true God has a path for each of us. My choice in life, as there are more years behind me than in front of me, is to finish well.”
“Receiving recognition by your peers through your profession’s largest, most influential organization, is no small matter. As physicians we have been called to serve our patients and we are held to the highest of standards in the delivery of that care. There are always those among us who lead by excelling well above and beyond the expectations of service,” said Peter A. Bell, DO, MBA, FACOEP-dist, FACEP, dean of LUCOM. “In his career, Dr. Michael Lockwood has been one who strives for excellence, and has exceeded those expectations in a myriad of categories. He is a living example of what a DO should be and has served God (giving God the glory) according to the mission Christ gave us.”
OMED is the annual osteopathic conference that brings thousands of Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) altogether to network as well as discover new technologies and osteopathic methods and tools to help provide cutting-edge care for their patients.