American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists

AOA Board Certification is recognized by key healthcare accreditation organizations. The AOA is also recognized as the primary verification source for physician osteopathic board certification data on medical specialists for credentialing purposes.

History

The concept of a specialty board was first proposed in 1908 by Dr. Derrick T. Vail. In 1916, ophthalmology became the first officially incorporated board. The second specialty board, the American Board of Otolaryngology, was founded and incorporated in 1924. The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1930) and the American Board of Dermatology and Syphilology (1932) followed. The AOA BOS was organized in 1939 as the Advisory Board for Osteopathic Specialists for the certification of osteopathic physicians. The first medical specialty board part of the AOA BOS was the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology. In 1993, the Board of Trustees of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), through its agency, the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists, became the osteopathic certifying body.