Longtime New Jersey Medical Educator named Des Moines University's 2023 College of Osteopathic Medicine Alumnus of the Year

Thomas Cavalieri Honored for Fulfilling His "Why" - Excellent Patient Care

West Des Moines, IA (07/07/2023) — Thomas Cavalieri, D.O., MACOI, FACP, AGSF, a 1976 graduate of Des Moines University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, was named the 2023 COM Alumnus of the Year. He is senior vice provost of the Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences of Rowan University and chief academic officer of Virtua Health in Stratford, New Jersey.

The honor is given annually to one graduate of each of DMU's three colleges who is a member in good standing of their respective professional state or national organization and the DMU Alumni Association; demonstrates excellent service to DMU, its students and their profession; and demonstrates a record of service to their community on a local, state and/or national level.

Cavalieri sees his many contributions to health care and medical education as opportunities to focus on his "why" - caring for patients.

"When you're in academic medicine, whatever you do, it all impacts on caring for patients," he says. "I became a physician because I want to improve the human condition. In academic medicine, you can do that in three ways. You can care for patients at the bedside, which I still do today. You can inspire the next generation of physicians. And you can engage in discovery and innovation through research."

Cavalieri also has strengthened the osteopathic profession as a longstanding member of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Deans executive committee and a member and past chair of the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. He is the past chair of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, which provides assessment services for the osteopathic profession. He currently serves on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education board, which accredits all graduate medical training programs for physicians in the United States.

"D.O.s bring a holistic view of the patient, an emphasis on primary care and manipulative skills that are recognized as value-added to the health care of our nation," he says. "That's why it's been so exciting to be the dean of a school that helps create the type of physicians our nation needs."

Cavalieri had been in practice for about a year when the dean of the newly created University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine invited him to join its faculty as a general internist. That allowed him to combine his love of patient care with teaching.

In the early 1980s he "jumped at the chance" to develop his expertise in geriatrics and help create one of the nation's first formal fellowship programs in the specialty. He obtained research grants and wrote dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on end-of-life care and geriatric assessment. He is the founding director of the Center of Aging (now the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging) and was appointed to the New Jersey Commission on Aging.

He's helped fuel innovation in academic medicine in other ways, from developing new curricula and introducing clinical and research opportunities for students early in their training to increasing interprofessional, team-based medical education. He and his colleagues have worked to recruit more diverse students and faculty.

Cavalieri was appointed dean of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006. In 2013, he oversaw its successful reorganization as the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. He was tapped for his current role in 2023 after Rowan University formed a new academic partnership with Virtua Health, South Jersey's largest health system. As senior vice provost, he oversees the undergraduate and graduate education and research programs of Virtua Health College's three schools - osteopathic medicine, nursing and health professions, and translational biomedical engineering and sciences.

He has received numerous awards during his career, including the 2023 Dale S. Dodson Award of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, given to a current or past leader of an osteopathic college who has made significant contributions to the advancement and support of osteopathic medical education.

"My experiences at Des Moines University gave me an amazing foundation and put me on a trajectory to pursue a career that to this day I love," he says.

Located in West Des Moines, Iowa, DMU offers 10 graduate-level professional degree programs in anatomy, biomedical sciences, health care administration, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' scores on national examinations, pass rates on board certifications and match rates for medical residency programs are consistently higher than national averages and rates at peer institutions.

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