One of the greatest threats to osteopathic medicine in the first years came from imposters—usually correspondence schools that advertised in newspapers and magazines. Soon after the turn of the century, the AOA Board of Trustees directed the AOA Committtee on Education to work to close down these schools.

The committee targeted publications carrying the imposters' advertising and sent persuasive letters urging those publications to reconsider the ads. The campaign was so effective that by 1907, all but one publication honored the AOA request and rejected ads from schools issuing mail-order diplomas.