NYITCOM Presents at OMED 2024

College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) students, faculty, and alumni gathered in San Antonio for this year’s Osteopathic Medical Education Conference (OMED). Hosted every year by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the event is the world’s largest gathering of osteopathic physicians, medical students, and health professionals.

Held at the Henry B. González Convention Center from September 20–22, OMED offered attendees a multitude of opportunities to explore the latest trends in medicine, hear exclusive updates from public health leaders, and connect with fellow medical students and professionals.

Programming across the three-day conference featured both in-person and virtual content presentations covering topics ranging from addiction medicine, pediatrics, and sports medicine to anesthesiology, orthopedics, and radiology, among many others.

Among the researchers and event presenters were more than 15 current and future physicians from NYITCOM, including White House Physician Kevin O’Connor (D.O. ’92), who delivered a keynote address.

Faculty Research:

• Patricia E. Happel, D.O., associate professor and director of interprofessional education: “Pharmacologic Treatment for Patients Overweight and with Obesity”

• Richard A. Morgan, D.O., instructor: “Assessing the Role of Pronoun Competency Training in the Expansion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education”

Medical Student Research (Poster Presentations):

• Ermin Tale: “Utility of the Implantable Loop Recorder in Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder”

• Julie B. Ochs: “Persistent Ascending Aortic Vascular Calcification in DBA/2J Mice After Warfarin Exposure”

• Justin Edward: “Utility of BardyDx ECG Monitoring to Assess the Impact of Anxiety on Self-Reported Cardiac Symptoms: A Pressing Matter”

• Malcom Zeroka: “Utilizing the BardyDx Low-Profile ECG Telemetry Monitor as a Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tool on Cardiac Patients”

• Isabella Church: “AMPKβ1 Knockdown Increases Autophagy Flux but Decreases Doxorubicin-Induced H9c2 Cardiomyocyte Death”

• Matthew Cirrone: “Adenine Reduces Plasma Triglycerides in Mice with Chronic Kidney Disease”

• Tzipora Levitt: “Evaluating Factors Contributing to Vascular Calcification and Aortic Stiffness in an Animal Model of Atherosclerosis”

• Kiran Kumar Bhurtyal: “Student Perception of Case-Based Learning at a Medical School in New York Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

• Anthony J. Guccione, III: “Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Physiologic Parameters as Measures of Stress in Medical Students”

Alumni Research:

• Robert Agnello (D.O. ’01): “De-Stress Pain Management Case Forum”

• Jacqueline Watson (D.O. ’91): “POP CULTURE: Adopting a Power of Policy Mindset to Advance Health Outcomes”

• Ian Storch (D.O. ’99): “Reflux: Beyond the Burn—Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask” and “Swipe Right on Osteopathy: The Impact of Osteopathic Docs on Social Media”

• Stella Rubina (D.O. ’12): “Palliative Care—Your Roadmap Companion to Living Your Legacy with Grace” and “Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care—What it is and What it isn’t”

• Naresh Rao (D.O. ’97): “Experience Working with Olympic Athletes”

Awards and Recognitions

Members of the NYITCOM community were also recognized with various awards, including students Emily Resisi, who was awarded as a Golden Ticket Scholarship Finalist, and Shea Buckley, who received the LGBTQ+ Pride Scholarship.

With medical school being both a critical and stressful time in future physicians’ lives, the American Osteopathic Foundation is present at OMED to honor select partners of students and recent graduates with the Donna Jones Moritsugu Memorial Award. Named for the wife of former U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., the award recognizes spouses for the immeasurable support and personal sacrifice that is crucial to their partner’s success, leading to the betterment of their future and society. This year’s honorees were Augustine Kairo, spouse of Class of 2024 NYITCOM-Long Island graduate Judy Kairo, who is completing a psychiatry residency at Harvard South Shore, and Kelsey Lambou, spouse of Class of 2024 NYITCOM-Arkansas graduate Steven Lambou, who is completing his emergency medicine residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The next OMED conference will take place September 26–28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Learn more.