Lisa A. DeStefano, D.O., and David Kaufman, D.O., have been named the recipients of the 2025 Walter F. Patenge Medal of Public Service Award. This award is the highest honor from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and named for Walter F. Patenge, the first president of the Michigan Osteopathic Medicine Advisory Board.
Dr. DeStefano
Dr. DeStefano is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine and has spent most of her 30-plus-year career in osteopathic medicine teaching and leading osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, her alma mater. She earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (D.O.) from the college and also earned her B.S. in physiology from MSU.
She interned in the Michigan Capital Medical Center Pennsylvania Campus, as well as in Family Medicine at the Ingham Regional Medical Center and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“The Walter F. Patenge Medal of Public Service award is deeply meaningful to me as it reflects my commitment to advancing osteopathic medicine through my work in clinical practice, education, research, mentorship and service to the profession,” Dr. DeStefano said. “While I am grateful for this recognition, I see it as a reminder of the continuous journey ahead in sharing knowledge and improving patient care. It motivates us all to continue advancing osteopathic medicine and inspiring future physicians. I am deeply honored to be recognized alongside those who have greatly impacted the osteopathic community and profession.”
Dr. DeStefano began teaching at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1994, where she served as an instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and professor with the college’s Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, a department she also chaired from October 2003-April 2023. Today, Dr. DeStefano is professor emeritus and clinical director for the department.
Outside of MSU, Dr. DeStefano has served as chairperson of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Residency Review Committee, as well as clinical director for the MSU Health Team/Health Care OMM Clinic. She serves on the ACGME Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM) Appeals Board, the American Osteopathic Association; the American Academy of Osteopathy, Education Committee of the American Academy of Osteopathy; and the Board of Trustees American Academy of Osteopathy, among other positions. She also has previously served on the American Association of Osteopathic Medicine, Educational Council on Osteopathic Medicine; the Board of Trustees American Association of Orthopaedic Medicine; and the Michigan Osteopathic Association, Osteopathic Principles Committee.
Dr. DeStefano has been recognized for her work with numerous awards, including the American Academy of Osteopathy Harold A. Blood, DO, FAAO, Memorial Lecture Award in appreciation of outstanding mentorship to osteopathic medical students; the American Academy of Osteopathy Northup Award in appreciation of service to the osteopathic medical profession; and the Michigan Osteopathic Association Award for Outstanding Scientific Research Exhibit Presentation, “Michigan Osteopathic Research Network – A Feasibility Study.” She also has earned grants and awards for research, has been published in several publications and presented at numerous conferences.
Dr. Kaufman
Dr. Kaufman is the assistant vice president for clinical affairs at Michigan State University’s Office of Health Sciences and is a tenured professor and founding chair of the MSU Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology. Joining Michigan State University as an assistant professor in 1984, Dr. Kaufman has served in numerous roles – associate professor, professor, director of the Center for Clinical Neuroscience and Ophthalmology and associate dean of clinical affairs for the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Kaufman earned his D.O. from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin. He did an internship at the Cherry Hill Medical Center in Cherry Hill, N.J., and residency in neurology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. He also completed a clinical neurophysiology fellowship at the University of Wisconsin and was a clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology/Harvard Research Fellow, served at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“When I first heard about the Patenge award I assumed they got the wrong Dr. Kaufman. Once it was actually confirmed I was humbled. Deeply humbled to be acknowledged by a place that I have such passion for that maybe I am of some value to them,” Dr. Kaufman said of his recognition. “Humbled is the only word I can think of to sum up the emotion of this honor.”
During his career, Dr. Kaufman also was deployed by MSU to serve as the founding medical director of the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Saint Mary’s Health Care, and the founding chair of the Sparrow Hospital Department of Neurology. In addition, he has served on the Board of Trustees at Sparrow Physicians Health Network and Sparrow Health System, along with several other positions within Sparrow (now UM Health-Sparrow).
His clinical interests have included using the afferent visual system to assess prognosis and early therapeutic strategies for brain disease, such as multiple sclerosis and stroke, and his research work includes numerous grants and contracts, including “The Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial and the Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Decompression Trial.” Other clinical investigations have included the “GAINS American Study (Glycine Antagonist in Neuro Protection),” among others. He has also worked with a large MSU group to study functional MRI scanning in acute mTBI and a national group to look at “Rapid Measures to Detect Visual Impairment on the Sidelines and in Clinical Settings for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.”
His more recent work focused on sports concussion. In fact, he recently released his book, “We Need You in the Locker Room,” about his first years serving on the sidelines of the MSU football team as a sports neurologist.
Dr. Kaufman has received numerous MSUCOM teaching awards and clinical honors, including being named in “Best Doctors” nationally on several occasions and the Top Doctors – Neurology, by Michigan Magazine.