MAHA™ Action Honors LECOM’s Drs. John and Silvia Ferretti of for Transformative Leadership in Whole-Person Medicine

By The MAHA Report

Earlier this week, Make America Healthy Again™ (MAHA™) Action recognized Dr. John M. Ferretti, President & CEO of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), and Dr. Silvia M. Ferretti, LECOM Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, for their visionary contributions to the advancement of osteopathic medicine and the renewal of whole-person health in America.

Among the most visionary initiatives now emerging from LECOM’s extended network of leaders and innovators is the prospective United States Accreditor for Graduate Medical Education (USAGME) guidelines — a transformative national project that establishes whole-body, prevention-centered accreditation for residency education.

USAGME (or MAHA-GME) seeks to restore integrity, autonomy, and community alignment to the formation of future physicians. This initiative will revolutionize healthcare from the ground up—shifting focus from disease management to health creation, from institutional compliance to compassionate competence. It embodies the MAHA Action principle that lasting change in medicine must begin with how we educate those who practice it: through the renewal of ethics, prevention, and whole-person understanding at the very heart of medical training.

[Drs. John and Silvia Ferretti of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine]

The presentation was held in honor of the Ferrettis’ decades of leadership transforming LECOM from a regional medical college into the nation’s largest medical school and the only osteopathic academic health center in the United States.

Representing MAHA™ Action at the ceremony was Sayer Ji, Advisor and Chairman of the Global Wellness Forum, who delivered a keynote reflection on behalf of the organization.

[Sayer Ji presents Dr. Silvia M. Ferreti with the MAHA Proclamation in support of LECOM’s pioneering leadership]

Remarks from Sayer Ji, MAHA™ Action Advisor

“It is with deep respect and heartfelt gratitude that we at Make America Healthy Again Action honor Dr. John M. Ferretti and Dr. Silvia M. Ferretti of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Together, they have transformed not only a college, but an entire philosophy of medicine—one rooted in the understanding that the human body is an integrated, self-healing system and that prevention is the truest form of care.

Under their visionary leadership, LECOM has become the largest medical school in the nation—a living testament to the power of purpose, perseverance, and compassion.

The Ferrettis have guided thousands of future physicians to see beyond the symptoms, to treat the whole person, and to view medicine not as the management of disease but as the restoration of balance.

At MAHA Action, we share that same conviction: that America’s health revival begins when education and care align with nature’s design, when practitioners are trained to listen—to the body, to the patient, and to the wisdom that animates both.

Drs. John and Silvia Ferretti embody this vision. They have elevated osteopathic medicine to its rightful place at the heart of a holistic, prevention-first healthcare future.

Among the most visionary initiatives now emerging from LECOM’s extended network of leaders and innovators is the United States Accreditor for Graduate Medical Education (USAGME) — a transformative national project that reimagines how medicine is taught and practiced at its very roots. By establishing a new, prevention-centered accreditor for residency education, USAGME seeks to restore integrity, autonomy, and community alignment to the formation of future physicians. This initiative will revolutionize healthcare from the ground up—shifting focus from disease management to health creation, from institutional compliance to compassionate competence. It embodies the MAHA Action principle that lasting change in medicine must begin with how we educate those who practice it: through the renewal of ethics, prevention, and whole-person understanding at the very heart of medical training.

Today, we recognize them not only as educators and leaders, but as healers of culture—restoring humanity to medicine and medicine to humanity.

Their legacy lights the path toward a nation made healthy again, one compassionate physician at a time.

On behalf of MAHA Action, and all who believe in this noble calling, we thank you both for your unwavering dedication, your wisdom, and your profound contribution to the healing of our people and our planet.”

A Revival of Osteopathic Wisdom

Osteopathic medicine, first articulated by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in the late 19th century, was founded on the revelation that the human body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism—an integrated whole of body, mind, and spirit.

That principle, long at the heart of the osteopathic tradition, has found new life under the Ferrettis’ leadership. Through LECOM’s pioneering programs in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and podiatry, they have reestablished a model of care centered on prevention, compassion, and the restoration of balance.

As Tony Lyons, President of MAHA™ Action, noted, “Drs. John and Silvia Ferretti exemplify what it means to lead with purpose, rigor, and heart. Their work has reignited the core philosophy of osteopathy—trust in the body’s innate capacity to heal—and inspired a new generation of physicians devoted to that truth.”

About LECOM’s Enduring Impact

Since its founding in 1992, LECOM has granted the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree to more than 9,000 graduates, alongside 4,000 pharmacists and over 800 dentists, serving diverse communities across the nation.

Its integrated health system—including LECOM Health Center and Behavioral Health Pavilion, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging, and Medical Associates of Erie—embodies the osteopathic model in action: education, research, clinical care, and community service unified under one mission.

Through the Ferrettis’ leadership, LECOM’s influence continues to grow, with new expansions such as LECOM at Jacksonville University (opening 2026) ensuring that future generations of physicians carry forward this holistic legacy.

About MAHA™ Action
Make America Healthy Again™ Action is a national advocacy organization dedicated to restoring integrity, prevention, and natural wisdom to American medicine through education, civic action, and media engagement.