Frequently Asked Questions

DO Day 2026 will take place on March 21 and March 22 (virtual conference) and March 25 and 26 (in-person congressional prep and meetings in Washington, D.C.). Mandatory advocacy training, health policy briefings and other educational sessions will take place in-person on Wednesday, March 25. Registrants will meet with their members of Congress throughout the day on Thursday, March 26. Congressional schedules will not be available until a few days before the event and may change day-of, so participants should plan to be available all day on Thursday, March 26.

Similar to last year, DO Day 2026 contains both in-person and virtual components. The virtual conference takes place on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22, and in-person congressional meeting prep in the afternoon of Wednesday, March 25, followed by a full day of in-person congressional meetings in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 26. Attendees who want to participate in the in-person portion of DO Day must register by March 3.

DO Day on Capitol Hill 2026 will focus on health policy education, leadership development and advocacy training. The event will include learning tracks for physicians, affiliate leaders and students. Our goal is to partner with our affiliates and state, specialty, and student associations to develop physician and student leaders to help cultivate a culture of advocacy for the whole of the osteopathic profession, with an emphasis on strengthening participants’ understanding of health policy and advocacy skills that will support the development of and strengthen relationships with lawmakers.

Over the past decade, DO Day has grown into a large event that relies heavily on student participation. DO Day is now being structured to improve our efficacy on Capitol Hill. It will also have dedicated learning tracks for students, physicians and affiliates. Registration for congressional meetings will be capped per state.

Registration fees are used to offset various costs associated with the event, including the online educational platform, congressional meeting scheduling service and various advocacy training tools. More information about rates and fees can be found on the DO Day registration landing page.

Registration includes access to two days of CME programming and congressional meetings (for those who registered for that option) with up to 15 hours of programming available until June 20, 2026. The registration fee permits you to attest up to the maximum approved AOA Category 1-A Credit or AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

All DO Day events are listed in Eastern time.

Attendees can access the platform through all current mobile devices. Android devices operating systems should be either version 6.x or later. Apple devices operating systems should be up-to-date. Some older devices are incapable of having the most current updates and will be incompatible with the complexities of the site.

The mobile experience of the event platform can be accessed on a mobile browser. Please log in to the AOA Learning Platform with your AOA credentials to access the event.

For optimal results, be sure to keep both your operating system and web browsers up to date. We recommend using a computer or laptop to view DO Day with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari or Firefox. The website is incompatible with Internet Explorer. Mobile devices, such as phones or tablets (i.e., iPads), can be used to access the platform and view sessions.

Supported operating systems

• Windows 7+
• Apple Mac OS 10.10+
• Android 6.x
• Apple iOS

Additional tips

• Close unnecessary browser tabs and refresh your browser occasionally.
• Disconnect from your VPN.
• Stay close to your Wi-Fi device or use a wired internet connection.
• Can’t hear? Check your computer sound settings and confirm the browser tab isn’t muted.

Login or access issues? Email [email protected] using “DO Day 2026 Access” as the subject.

Speakers will use the chat feature to participate in Q&A. While there technically will not be a “live/verbal” Q&A after each session has finished, speakers or subject matter experts will be online in “real time” while their recorded content is playing to answer questions throughout their presentations. Live chat is only available during session broadcast time. Unmoderated Q&A chat will remain open through the duration of the meeting.

If an attendee would like to ask the faculty a question after the broadcasted time, the attendee should click on the “email the speaker” link. This will send an email to the designated speaker.

A listing of all sessions that offer CME are listed in the DO Day Program. All sessions that list CME are available for either AOA Category 1-A Credit or AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is typically allopathic CME, while AOA credit is typically osteopathic CME. Both are equivalent. The physician should select which credit to claim based upon their own personal requirements with their boards, state licensure, etcetera.

All content is available to be viewed for CME from the dates and time listed in the program until June 20, 2026.

The CME Attestation is available on the platform’s main page. A reminder email will be sent out to all attendees. Attendees must keep track of the sessions they attended. Once the attestation is finalized, attendees will receive a certificate with the correct number of CME hours based upon the sessions they attested to attending. The conference is available on the platform until June 20, 2026, for CME course viewing. Credits earned will be uploaded to their CME report the same day that attestation is submitted.

Speakers who attend DO Day should plan to self-attest to all sessions that they attend (including their own, if applicable). If their session is eligible for CME, they will also automatically receive one additional speaker credit, and AOA Staff will issue a standalone certificate for that credit after the conference. Please contact Amanda Weir at [email protected] with any questions.

If you’re an AOA member, you may view your CME Activity Report by logging into osteopathic.org. Members also have access to a personalized CME dashboard in the My AOA section of the website. Alternatively, you may contact the AOA’s Member Resource Center at (312) 202-8000 or [email protected].

To receive a certificate of attendance, attendees should contact [email protected].

DO Day participants will meet in-person with their members of Congress or staff. Members of Congress have very busy schedules. Between votes, committee hearings and meetings with other constituents, their time is scheduled down to the minute. They may spend the whole meeting with you, two minutes or none at all. We always request that the member of Congress be present at the meeting, but you may also meet with staff who are subject matter experts and influential in helping Congress members develop their positions.

While a personal anecdote that supports our legislative “asks” can be impactful, members of Congress are very busy and, to be respectful of their time (and of potential differences in politics/backgrounds), it is important to stick to the talking points around our “asks” and not use this time as a platform to bring in other issues or potentially controversial topics. This helps maintain the integrity of the meeting and ensures that DOs are seen as a knowledgeable and useful resource on health policy issues.

Participants are encouraged to dress professionally and wear their white coats.

Based on feedback from participants in recent advocacy events and Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) meetings, there is a strong consensus that congressional meetings are more productive when the group size is limited. Building relationships with members of Congress and staff is critical to advancing health policy, and smaller meetings help foster better relationships with lawmakers. Registration for the congressional meeting option for each state is based on the size of the state’s congressional delegation and state osteopathic association.

Once states have reached their cap, in-person attendees are added to a waitlist and will be notified of any cancellations on a first-come, first served basis.

Most of the DO Day material, presentations, and CME sessions will be recorded and made available after the event. In addition, we encourage you to join the Osteopathic Advocacy Network (OAN). Joining the OAN is free and is the best way to ensure your voice is heard on Capitol Hill.

With the OAN, we’ll continue to provide you with action alerts on legislation that could affect your patients or your practice. We’ll also provide you with more ways to get involved, such as attending town hall meetings hosted by your member of Congress or attending one-on-one meetings locally with your representative or their staff. We also host monthly Public Policy Roundtables where you will meet with AOA Public Policy staff to discuss legislative updates.

Another option is to register for the conference only to view all CME content. This registration option will not include access to the congressional meetings.

Congressional meetings are more productive when meeting group size is limited. A smaller group size tends to facilitate more substantive discussions and provide an opportunity for more participants to speak.

The DO Day registration confirmation will inform attendees whether their registration includes congressional meetings or if they are registered for the conference only without congressional meetings. Anyone placed on a waitlist for congressional meetings will also be informed of that in their registration confirmation.

Participation in congressional meetings is not required. Anyone unable to participate in congressional meetings in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 26 can still attend the virtual advocacy and policy conference on March 21 and 22. However, attendance on Wednesday, March 25 is required for anyone participating in congressional meetings on March 26.

The AOA and Omega Beta Iota (OBI), the student national osteopathic honor society, invited osteopathic medical students and resident members to participate in the Advocacy and Policy Research Poster Competition during the in-person session of DO Day on Capitol Hill. This competition offers a unique platform for members to present research on healthcare advocacy and policy to a broad osteopathic audience, providing an opportunity to highlight their contributions to the osteopathic profession. 

The 2026 poster competition will take place on Wednesday, March 25. Viewing and judging times are TBD. First place winners will receive $500 and second place winners will receive $250.

DO Day 2027 dates will be announced soon. Please check back for updates.

Please email [email protected] with any feedback or suggestions.