Elections for our 2023 Board seats will take place at our October 19th Annual General Meeting in London, England.
- 2023 seats: The Full member organizations will fill the three at-large seats expiring at the 2023 AGM by ballot, from nominees brought forth from the Nominating Committee (below). Terms for all three seats will expire at the 2026 AGM.
Laura Lee Calonius (née Kamppila) (FI)*
Nominating Organization: Finnish Osteopathic Association
Brief Bio: I am an osteopath, leader, political activist, lecturer, partner an a mother of two grown-up children. Born and raised in Finland, I am a holder of a dual citizenship (USA-Finland). I have also spent 16 years of my adult life studying, working and living in central Europe. Due to the years spent abroad, I speak 5 different languages and have a very rich experience of living in multi-cultural settings.
My first profession was a performing artist which eventually led me to study osteopathy. I graduated from the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland 8 years ago. Apart from working as an osteopath in a clinic I co-founded in 2015, I am a member of the Metropolia UAS faculty of osteopathy as a lecturer since 2019 and head of programme for the Master’s degree in Osteopathy since 2021. Prior to focusing on health care, I worked in arts administration in a very culturally diverse environment for several years mastering administrative skills, specializing in problem solving and management. I have steadily worked towards a master’s degree in Health Business Management. This study has enhanced my understanding of financial management, leadership skills, safety and regulation in healthcare, marketing and service design, among others.
From the very start of my career, I have been very involved in the politics of both health care and my own profession. I am a board member of the Finnish Osteopathic Association since 2016, and the president since 2018, contributing to improving the national regulatory framework and advancing the profession in general. Getting involved with the international politics followed suit, strongly supported by the life experiences I have had.
Prior to becoming a board member of the OIA in 2021, I was a member of the Public Relations & Membership Committee, which I currently chair. Due to the fact that my work was instrumental in creating a nomenclature that is currently used by osteopaths in the national digital data repository in Finland, I was asked to join the World Health Organization Glossary Task Force when it was formed in 2021.
Rebecca Giusti (US)*
Nominating Organization: American Academy of Osteopathy
Brief Bio: Rebecca Giusti, DO loved growing up in Yemen, Morocco and Egypt and was planning on a career as veterinarian. However, an injury in college led her to an osteopathic physician and a life-changing treatment. After this, she was determined to help patients optimize their health and wellness as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
She graduated from Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), in 2003 after completing the Pre-Doctoral NMM/OMM Teaching Fellowship. She did her Family Medicine residency and a +1 NMM/OMM year at Downey Regional Medical Center and maintains her double board certification through the AOA. She is currently the Chair of the NMM/OMM Department of COMP and COMP-NW and served two consecutive terms as the Chair of the AACOM Educational Council on Osteopathic Principles (ECOP).
With respect to national assessment and licensure, she is a member of the NBOME national faculty, is serving her second term as the NBOME OPP COMAT Chair and serves on the AOBNMM. Dr. Giusti maintains an active clinical practice at the Patient Care Center (PCC) at WesternU. She has had the privilege of serving on the board of the OIA.
All of these roles have required her to be an effective listener and communicator, to be a role model and positively influence students, NMM/OMM Pre-Doctoral Teaching Fellows, new faculty and colleagues, and build consensus among diverse population groups. All of these entities require a strong sense of commitment, a knowledge of when to lead and when to follow, and a respect for and a desire to hear alternate views.
As the Chair of the NMM/OMM Department, she manages pressure from external sources and is responsible for the review, analysis and management of financial statements. The Chair position necessitates the ability to see and understand the broad picture of the entire organization and its politics as well as creating and delivering a finely honed and detailed-oriented curriculum for years 1-4.
She has had to think and plan strategically, especially during COVID, and had to innovate and reimagine hands-on osteopathic education during a challenging time, all while maintaining the morale of the department and the students. She feels that her time on the OIA Board and as the OIA-WHO Glossary Chair and Conference Organizing Chair has helped her grow immensely in her knowledge of the global osteopathic industry and regulation. Her work as both the Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology Chair on the ECOP and as the current OIA-WHO Glossary Chair have provided her with ambassadorial and representative experience, as she was invited to provide updates on these topics both nationally and internationally.
Nikole Grbin (NZ)
Nominating Organization: Osteopathy Board of Australia
Brief Bio: I am a practising osteopath registered in Australia. I have been a member of the Osteopathy Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, the authority responsible for registering osteopaths and accrediting courses of study leading to a qualification in osteopathy, for more than ten years. I have also Chaired the Registration and Notification Committee, hearing complaints against individual osteopaths, for much of this time. Over the years, I have been involved in a plethora of reviews, working groups, consultations and projects involving independents reviewers, governments, standard setting bodies and health departments to improve processes and efficiency, inter-professional practice, accreditation
and innumerable healthcare initiatives, including virtual meetings for the WHO collaboration for improved health workforce regulation.
Together with our regulatory partners, I have worked diligently in the Australian regulatory system to strengthen public safety and access to effective, evidenced based-health care in Australia. This has been a time of great change in an ever-evolving regulatory environment, striving to strike a balance between fairness, timeliness and transparency in process. There has been a strong drive to provide well researched and up-to-date registration standards, ‘best practice’ guidance to practitioners as well as modern and fit-for-purpose competencies, including the Capabilities for Osteopathic Practice 2019.
If given the opportunity, it would be an honour to contribute and serve alongside the dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable team and staff of the OIA. I would act and lead with integrity, bringing to the role the skills that I have developed as an osteopath and a regulator, including sound understanding of organisational governance, strategic oversight as well as excellence in communication and stakeholder engagement. I would endeavour to continually improve the culture and respect of an already dynamic team that actively listens to differing viewpoints, reflects on the understanding and contributions of others, to critically review and constructively share perceptions and ideas to drive innovation.
Biography Summary:
2010-2012, State President, South Australia for Osteopathy Australia.
2012 to present, Practitioner member of the Osteopathy Board of Australia.
2014 to present, Chair, Osteopathy Board of Australia, (osteopathic regulatory Board)
2014 to present, Member of the Forum of National Board Chairs (Chairpersons from regulatory boards across the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme).
From 2014-2022, Chair, Registration & Notification committee of the Osteopathy. Board, (Considers notifications or complaints against osteopaths in Australia).
From 2014-2022 Member of the Accreditation Liaison Group
Anna Zelencic Hayden (US)
Nominating Organization: American Association of Osteopathic Examiners
Brief Bio: Anna Zelencic Hayden, DO, is a graduate of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. She completed her internship at Humana Hospital Palm Beaches, her residency at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the AACOM osteopathic health policy fellowship. She is board certified by The American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians and is also credentialed by the American Academy of HIV Medicine as an HIV specialist. She is a fellow of the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners.
Leadership positions held:
• Past President of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association
• Past President of FOMA district society 6- Broward County Osteopathic Medical Association
• Past President of American Association of Osteopathic Examiners
• Past Chair ACHA Florida Medicaid Drug Utilization Review and Physician Prescribing Review Panel board.
• The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine- twice chair
• Board of Directors of The Federation of State Medical Boards and FSMB nominating committee.
Dr. Hayden has been caring for the community of downtown Fort Lauderdale for more than 30 years at Broward Health-Specialty Care Center now a federally qualified health care center. Currently she is serving as interim chair of Broward Health Point Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and voting member for Ambulatory Clinical Integration Committee (electronic health record) and on the guidelines committee for its Accountable Care Organization. She continues to serve as clinical professor for NSU-Dr. Kiran Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine training osteopathic medical students.
Dr Hayden has been advancing the philosophy and practice osteopathic medicine by mentoring students, promoting excellence on best practices in healthcare by competency testing, credentialing, peer review and regulation. Collaboration and education with all the stakeholders are a vital necessity in promoting the osteopathic profession globally.
Hanna Tómasdóttir (DK)*
Nominating Organization: Danske Osteopater
Brief Bio: Hanna Tómasdóttir is currently an At-Large Member of the Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA).
Originally from Iceland, now resident in Denmark for just over 30 years, Hanna has a successful track record in building recognition of the osteopathic profession. In a pleasingly short time, osteopaths gained full regulation as a primary healthcare profession in Denmark in 2018 under Hanna’s leadership.
She has been highly involved in the regulation processes of the osteopathic profession in Europe, where she led a Regulation Working Group, which published the first overview of Regulation of the osteopathic profession in Europe in 2021. Since the regulation in Denmark, Hanna has worked with the Danish Government on implementing the regulation of the osteopathic profession and participated in multiple working groups under the Danish national health authorities. She has also been involved in several multidisciplinary projects with other regulated healthcare professions, including a research project which resulted in the development of the first ‘National Clinical Guidelines for Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Headache,’ and as co-author of three peer-reviewed articles. In close cooperation with other stakeholders, she has worked towards a Danish state-financed and accredited full-time osteopathy education since 2019.
Hanna was elected as a Board Member of Danske Osteopater in 2013, became Vice-President in 2014, and President in 2017. She was elected to the Board of the European Federation & Forum for Osteopaths (EFFO) in 2018, representing 22 countries in Europe, Brazil, Canada, and Israel. She was elected as EFFO President in 2020 and re-elected in 2023.
Hanna is a licensed physiotherapist and an osteopath with a Master’s in Positive Psychology. In addition to her organizational work for the OIA and the EFFO, she was one of the founding members of the Nordic Osteopathic Alliance (NOA), where she is still active. She is co-owner of two flourishing osteopathic clinics in Copenhagen, Q KLINIK, works as a health columnist
for a Danish women’s magazine, SØNDAG, and currently studies her second master’s degree, a Master in Headache Disorders, at Copenhagen University. Hanna speaks Icelandic, Danish, and English.