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Dr. Janet Lieto, the director of Health Systems Science, Leadership and Innovation and an Associate Professor at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine was selected to participate in the highly esteemed American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s Osteopathic Health Policy Fellowship. 

The Osteopathic Health Policy Fellowship is a year-long leadership training program designed to give osteopathic physicians the skills they need to analyze, formulate and implement health policy on the local, state and national levels, with the purpose of increasing access to affordable, quality health care. 

“This fellowship will give me the tools needed to further develop the Health Systems Science curriculum that will allow students to understand and apply policy concepts to solve health care problems on a larger platform,” Lieto said.  

For the 2022-2023 year, Fellows will attend an intensive four-day academic orientation before entering a regimen of nine three-day weekend seminars, usually beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday and finishing at noon on Sunday. Six of the seminars will be held in-person and rotate among osteopathic colleges, the AACOM offices and other relevant sites, with the remaining four held virtually. Between monthly seminars, Fellows are expected to devote a minimum of 20 hours to reading, research and completing written assignments. 

“Our students learn about the Institution for Health Care Improvement’s Quadruple Aim, which supplies a framework to improve population health, enhance the care experience, reduce cost and advance health equity,” Lieto said. “The development of policy curriculum is essential for our students to learn how change in health care occurs.”  

Lieto is the course director for the Professional Identity and Health Systems Practice Courses for TCOM. This course prepares students for clerkship and residency by tying students’ professional identity and growth with health systems science foundational knowledge that can be applied to their clinical experiences.  

The curriculum is designed to promote confidence in becoming an innovative Health Systems Science Health Care leader, system thinker and adaptive learner. Along with her team, Lieto launched the first and only Institute for Health Care Improvement-supported patient safety initiative that allows medical students to learn patient safety and sit for the certified professional in-patient safety certifying board examination.  

Established in 1994, alumni of the program have served as policy advisers in public and private forums to the profession, legislators at the local, state and national levels, diverse health-centered institutions and other health leadership groups. The program is designed for practicing or teaching osteopathic physicians who are preparing for leadership roles in the profession and positions of influence in health policy. 

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