Medical education summits: building a solid foundation for the future of the osteopathic medical profession.

In January 2006, the inaugural Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Medical Education Summit was held to address key issues confronting the osteopathic medical profession, particularly the physician workforce, student recruitment, and the funding of postdoctoral programs. Building off of the draft statements from the first summit, the Medical Education Summit II addressed issues specifically related to osteopathic graduate medical education. The authors provide a brief outline of the summit process, describe the outcomes from both meetings, and discuss the future goals of osteopathic medical education.