# Student Osteopathic Medical Association

The Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) is a national, not-for-profit osteopathic medical organization founded to ensure a high quality of education for osteopathic medical students, to promote unity within the osteopathic medical profession, and to improve the delivery of healthcare by Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) SOMA is the student affiliate organization of the American Osteopathic Association and works with all chapters to foster communication between government at the local and national levels and the osteopathic medical profession.
The organization also awards scholarships annually to osteopathic medical students who demonstrate leadership, compassion, or exceptional dedication to addressing the medically underserved, political activism, international medicine, or public health. Pre-SOMA is a branch of the organization dedicated to the education of undergraduate pre-medical students about the osteopathic medical profession to aid them in the medical school selection process.

## History

The association was founded in September 1, 1960 as the Student Osteopathic Medical Association after a motion was made to establish a national student organization.
In July 1965, representatives from the student bodies of five osteopathic colleges were invited to attend the January 1966 meeting of the AOA Board of Trustees.
In December 13–14, 1969, students from the osteopathic medical schools met in Des Moines, Iowa to establish a National Student Osteopathic Medical Association, and in July 1970, the Student Osteopathic Medical Association was approved for affiliation with the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
March 27–29, 1970 the first SOMA convention was held at Drake Hotel, Chicago. The purpose of this convention was to formulate plans for the role that SOMA should play in regards to 1) Osteopathic education, 2) community service, 3) public relations, 4) and the Osteopathic profession.
   “There were 6 osteopathic schools at that time. 2-3 students from each school came to Chicago during these years and there were 2 from Kansas City. We met on the top floor of the Drake Hotel. There the 10-15 students stayed up late into the night and organized and started SOMA. We went back to our schools to keep organizing the students to have a voice in their chosen profession.” - Al Faigin, DO - KCCOM Class of 1972.
September 30, 1970 SOMA was incorporated under the general Not for Profit Corporation Act in the state of Illinois. SOMA was organized and is operated exclusively for educational, scientific, and charitable purposes.

## Programming & Initiatives
### Publications

In May 1963, a newsletter for students at osteopathic colleges was created after a motion was made by the American Osteopathic Association. This newsletter, prepared and distributed by the AOA, would be distributed to students in osteopathic colleges. The newsletter Reflection was prepared by the executive department for student distribution. Edition I was mailed May 1963. SOMAP was later created as the “official publication” of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association. SOMAP was published nine times yearly, September through May, by the Student Osteopathic Medical Association. In 1977-1979 Emely Karandy was the editor of The Student Doctor - the first SOMA Magazine. These publications went through multiple revisions and by 2010, the Inside SOMA publication was created.
As of 2023, SOMA’s major publication is The Future DO a biannual magazine dedicated to research and essay content from medical students.

### SOMA Foundation

The SOMA Foundation was created in 1978 as the philanthropic branch of SOMA. One of the founding Foundation Chairs, Edward Loniewski, wrote a letter to Steve Jobs looking for a temporary donation of the new McIntosh computer to project the Constitution and Bylaws of the Organization for ratification. Steve Jobs sent over a McIntosh computer with 1 gig of memory and this was used by SOMA for management of documentation.
   “I was the National SOMA VP for a day until I became the SOMA Foundation National Chairman. I revamped the Foundation including donor levels and categories for individuals and corporations/hospitals. I created what was known as the SOMAnet Newsletter. Raised funding to send 10 student doctors to the International Federation of Medical Student Associations annual meeting in Alexandria, Egypt.” - Karoly J. Dobay, III
As of 2021 the SOMA Foundation came under the American Osteopathic Foundation, the philanthropic non-profit serving Osteopathic Physicians nation-wide. For over 40 years, the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) Foundation has provided the SOMA members with many scholarships and grants. Osteopathic medical students from colleges across the nation run both organizations. This could not happen without the support of our corporate, institutional and individual supporters.

## Conventions

The first SOMA convention was held March 27–29, 1970 at Drake Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. There were 175 people in attendance representing this six osteopathic schools. These schools were the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine; the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (now DMU-COM); the Kansas City College of Osteopathy and Surgery (now KCUMB); Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine; Michigan College of Osteopathic Medicine; and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. At the opening session J. Scott Heatherington, D.O. and President of the American Osteopathic Association addressed the House of Delegates and declared SOMA the “official voice of the students in the Osteopathic medical schools." Elections for the officers of 1970-1971 were held, with the result: Keith Hansen (President), Keith Hindman (Vice-President), Ron Tauber (Treasurer), and Margaret Attebery (Secretary).
   “Planning special meetings and conventions was lots of fun. We hired a cruise ship in Florida for a SOMA evening at sea; sipped afternoon tea at the world famous 5-Star Greenbrier Hotel and Resort in WV, and enjoyed dinner and a show at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. We found ways to have loads of fun interspersed with loads of hard work.” - Lorraine Byrd, DO WVSOM Class of 1990; SOMA Convention Coordinator
In 1997 the National Osteopathic Student Caucus (NOSC), was formed as an opportunity for students at each college of medicine to bring forth issues of concern to national leadership. A resolution was passed in the AOA House of Delegates for the creation of the NOSC, to unite the voices of the students of osteopathic medicine. This student caucus is held annually prior to the AOA House of Delegates.
SOMA currently holds 3 yearly conventions in Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Spring Convention is held in conjunction with the AOA’s DO Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C. The Summer Convention, “Summer Leadership Meeting,” is held annually with the AOA’s House of Delegates. Finally, the Fall Convention is held yearly at OMED, an annual conference bringing together thousands of osteopathic physicians, residents, and medical students. SOMA holds two House of Delegates each year in Spring and in Fall.