First President's Letter from Damon Baker, DO, MACOI

It is an honor and a privilege to be the President of the ACOI, an organization that has meant so much to me throughout my career.  We are coming off a great convention in Marco Island where we had 800 in-person and over 800 virtual attendees.  Congratulations to C. Clark Milton, DO, FACOI, and Watson Ducatel, DO, FACOI, on a great program!  Of course, none of it would have been possible without the excellent staff of the ACOI.  Many thanks to them.  At the annual business meeting, the revised bylaws were approved.  These revisions will right-size the board of directors and provide important updates to many aspects of our organization that are key to our future success.  I want to thank ACOI staff, Karen Caruth and Tim McNichol, for their guidance and leadership through this process.

November is National Native American Heritage Month.  For those of you who do not know me, I am a lifelong Oklahoman – I live in Tulsa, and my home is within the borders of the Cherokee Nation.  I work for Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, the only COM in the nation with a campus affiliated with a tribal nation.  The Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation welcomed its inaugural class of students in the fall of 2020.  The campus is located at the Cherokee Nation capital in Tahlequah Oklahoma.  We are proud partners with the Cherokee Nation in advancing healthcare and wellness for their citizens.  

To many Native American tribes, the white buffalo is a symbol of sacred power.  The white buffalo occurs once every 10 million births.  In 1933, a white buffalo was born on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and was called “Big Medicine” to reflect his sacred power.  Many native American tribes consider the white buffalo to be a symbol of renewal for the people and the Earth.  You may see it featured in Native American art, often you will see seven white buffalo in tapestries and paintings.  The seven buffalo represents the seven directions: East, North, West, South, the Sky, the Earth, and Within.

I like to think of the ACOI as “Big Medicine”.  I am not suggesting that the ACOI has sacred power by any means but as a metaphor for the home of Osteopathic Internal Medicine, the direction Within.  A place that honors our history and is open to new thoughts and ideas, new relationships, and new beginnings for our many student and resident members.  I look forward to serving as your president this year.  Until next time.