Meet David Park, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP dist.

David Park, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP dist.

As we continue our osteopathic journey, I would like to next introduce the next member of the ACOFP Board of Governor leading ACOFP! Please meet our 2022–23 ACOFP President-Elect David Park, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP dist.

Where did you to attend college, medical school and residency?

I graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook with a bachelor of science in psychology. I chose this university because of its strong pre-med program and its affiliation to a top-notch medical school and hospital.

For medical school, I attended the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has been since renamed to New York Institute of Technology College of osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic philosophy and OMT really resonated with me.

I completed my residency at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York (close to the JFK airport), which was an affiliate of Mount Sinai School of Medicine at the time. This was one of the busiest hospitals in New York City with a Level I Trauma Center.

Where do you live and practice now?

I currently live in Billings, Montana, where I serve as the vice president and founding dean of Rocky Vista University – Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVU-MCOM), which should open in July 2023.

After 20 years of practicing patient care in various settings—outpatient clinic, nursing home, urgent care and emergency department (ED)—and working weekends in the ED at small, critical access hospitals for the past 12 years, I am currently on a hiatus from seeing patients since moving to Montana a year ago to take a little break and to focus all my efforts on the launch RVU-MCOM.

What are your hobbies or interests?

I love cars, military history and, recently, all things Western. I think moving to Montana has unleashed the cowboy in me! However, I spend almost all my free time learning. In the past, I read a lot, but now I find myself learning about all sorts of things by spending many, many hours on YouTube!

What drew you to family medicine?

I enjoyed just about every clinical rotation during medical school, so choosing just one specialty was really difficult. Therefore, I decided to choose them all!

As a dean of an osteopathic medical school, what is something about academia that may surprise students?

It’s not all about grades and scores! I found that the happiest and most successful students were the ones who were actively engaged with their college of osteopathic medicine—student affairs, clubs and events—or other professional organizations like the Student Association of the ACOFP. My advice to students is to be intentionally engaged.

You wear many hats in your professional career (doctor, dean and president-elect), what would you recommend to students on managing multiple roles in their lives?

For having multiple roles, it’s no secret that time management is crucial. However, I believe work efficiency is just as important. If you can get work done expediently, then you will have more time to do more things.

What would you like to see from the student chapters or student members this year/next year?

I have one major ask for our student chapters and student members of ACOFP. I would love to see a record number of students attend the ACOFP 60th Annual Convention & Scientific Seminars, taking place March 29 – April 2, 2023, in Orlando (Disney fun!). I guarantee it will be a mind opening experience and quite possibly life altering!

Thank you so much, Dr. Park. We truly appreciate all that you do for ACOFP and family medicine.