TOUCH

Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health

Use TrackItForward for personal hour tracking. The Coordinator form is only for Club and event submissions. Student TOUCH Documentation form is only for students volunteering for orgs that are not affiliated/ planned by TouroCOM.  If you have found new volunteering opportunities please suggest them at the email below. Please forward all questions to the TOUCH Committee email touch.middletown@gmail.com.

What is TOUCH? 

The Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health (TOUCH) Program is a national initiative of the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP).

Its goal is to encourage osteopathic medical students to engage in service throughout their community, in order to impact those outside of osteopathic medical students and professionals, for the purpose of expanding the osteopathic ideals and principles to those unaware of our professional values.

Osteopathic medical students complete TOUCH approved events in the community and submit their hours to a national database. Recognition is given to students who achieve 50 hours, 100 hours, and the most hours on a campus in a given year.

For more information, visit  AACOM's website.

TOUCH Hours vs. Volunteer Infographic .pdf
TouroCOM TOUCH PPT 2022-2023 (FOR STUDENTS).pptx

What are the TOUCH program policies?

The TOUCH year runs from May 1st to April 30th each year. 

Students that reach a threshold (for either silver or gold) during any TOUCH year of their medical school career, will be eligible for rewards from the COSGP and TouroCOM.

From COSGP: 

From TouroCOM Middletown:

For more information, visit  AACOM's website.

How do I log TOUCH hours? 

Individual students must log their TOUCH hours on the Track It Forward Website

All submissions will be reviewed by the TOUCH Committee for approval or rejection. Rejected submissions will receive an email regarding the reason for rejection

Student TOUCH Hours should be submitted to Track It Forward within one month of the activity or date of service. (Submissions made over a month after the date of service risk being rejected.)

***Students who are found to have falsified a TOUCH record, in a first offense will receive a warning from the national TOUCH coordinator. Students who are found to have falsified a TOUCH record, in a second or subsequent offense, will receive no credit for previous hours; be deemed ineligible for TOUCH recognition the remainder of the TOUCH year; and the student’s falsification will be reported to the student’s college by the national TOUCH coordinator.

For more information, see the Logging Your TOUCH Hours page on the AACOM Website. 

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What are some TOUCH Opportunities available for me?

Updated TOUCH Hours Opportunities List.xlsx

How can I contact the TOUCH Committee?

Please send all TOUCH-related inquiries to touch.middletown@gmail.com.

The TOUCH Committee members for the 2023-24 academic year are:

The TOUCH Committee members for the 2022-23 academic year were:


FOR CLUBS/ COMMITEES

How do I get my event TOUCH approved

Student Organizations/ Committees must submit TOUCH-eligible events to touch.middletown@gmail.com for approval. You must receive written approval before your event can be advertised as TOUCH-eligible.

All submissions will be reviewed by the TOUCH Coordinator for approval or rejection. Rejected submissions will receive an email regarding the reason for rejection. If rejected, you may resubmit your event for approval with changes.

NOTE: TOUCH approval is one step in the two step process for event approval. You must also submit your event to the Student Events Form to receive Administration and SGA VP approval. 

What makes an opportunity TOUCH eligible? 

TOUCH Hours are any activity that works to improve the health and wellness of a community which incorporates osteopathic tenets, awareness, principles, and practice. (See Section VII, TOUCH Hours Standards)


All service hours are considered either TOUCH or Volunteer hours.


TOUCH hours include 100% of qualified event hours plus 50% of planning hours for a qualified event. Half of planning hours for a TOUCH eligible event are considered TOUCH eligible.

The following are examples of TOUCH approved hours:


Service that is not TOUCH (not engaging the outside community) is considered Volunteer.

The following are examples of Volunteer hours:


The following are examples of activities that are not service eligible (not TOUCH or Volunteer)

All TOUCH event requests at TouroCOM-Middletown should be submitted and approved by the TOUCH Coordinator at touch.middletown@gmail.com

Can students create a TOUCH Eligible Opportunity without a club/committee?

TouroCOM TOUCH PPT 2022-2023 (FOR CLUBS).pptx

CHECK OUT OUR TOUCH EVENTS ON INSTAGRAM