The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations roots were first established in 1961 with the incorporation of the Doctors Hospital Foundation, a supporting organization of Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. This valued hospital system, anchored by acute care facilities in Columbus and Nelsonville, grew into one of the nation’s leading osteopathic post-graduate medical education centers.

In the mid 1990s, the boards of directors in Columbus and Nelsonville considered if the communities-at-large and osteopathic medicine would be better served through philanthropic organizations that had the financial strength and commitment to improve health and quality of life locally and to advance the principles and practices of osteopathic medicine locally, statewide and nationally. For this direction to be pursued, it was vital that the traditions and successful programs provided through the hospital system be retained. Therefore, in 1998, the boards approved an asset sale transaction for the hospitals to become part of OhioHealth, a large, local, nonprofit healthcare system that committed to retain the community services and osteopathic traditions upon which the hospitals had been established. The impact of this transaction has been significant for local health initiatives as well as for statewide and national enhancements to osteopathic medical education and osteopathic medical research.

The names of the foundations were selected to reflect the recognition of the osteopathic legacy and to demonstrate independence from any hospital system. The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (the Foundations) recognize the exceptional opportunity to improve health and quality of life in their respective communities as well as to enhance osteopathic medicine, its educational programs and medical research.