Health and Fitness : MEEKER ELECTED PRESIDENT AT IOWA OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION’S CONFERENCE

Elections were held during the 123rd Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association's (IOMA) Annual Conference, which was recently held in Des Moines. Dr. Brian Meeker of Vinton was elected President of the Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association.

Dr. Meeker obtained his Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree in 1984 from University of Osteopathic Medicine & Health Sciences (Des Moines University), in Des Moines, Iowa. He did a rotating osteopathic internship in Davenport in 1984-85 and then one year of general practice before completing a Family Medicine Residency at St. Luke's Hospital in Milwaukee from 1986-1988. Dr. Meeker is board certified by, and is a Fellow of, the American Board of Family Medicine. He has been a family medicine physician at the Virginia Gay Hospital and Clinics in Vinton since 1992.

The Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association, founded in 1898 and headquartered in West Des Moines, proudly represents osteopathic physicians in Iowa. There are approximately 1,200 osteopathic physicians practicing in Iowa, in addition to the approximately 135,000 practicing D.O.s in the United States. As complete physicians, D.O.s practice in all areas of medicine from neurology to sports medicine to dermatology to emergency medicine and are able to prescribe medication and perform surgery. In addition, D.O.s have added training in Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), a hands-on treatment tool that they can use to diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. OMT can be used in conjunction with, and sometimes in place of, medication or surgery to restore mobility and function