NYITCOM Goes Big at OMED 2019

Pictured: NYITCOM Associate Professor William Blazey, D.O., third from left, and Dean Jerry Balentine, D.O., far right, with students at the 2019 OMED conference.

NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) students, faculty, staff, and alumni made an impressive showing at the 2019 national Osteopathic Medical Education Conference (OMED), October 25 to 28 in Baltimore, Md. The annual conference, hosted by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), is the world’s largest gathering of osteopathic physicians (D.O.s). 

“Every fall, I look forward to joining with osteopathic physicians, fellow educators, NYITCOM alumni, and students from around the country at the annual OMED conference,” said Jerry Balentine, D.O., dean of NYITCOM and vice president of health sciences and medical affairs. “This event provides a wonderful forum to share ideas and information and to connect with our colleagues. Each year, I walk away with new ideas, new connections, and a renewed energy that can only be found by spending time with others committed to the osteopathic profession. This forum provides not only an occasion to learn, but also an opportunity to share the great work being done at NYITCOM. Our students and faculty have produced incredible research.”

Thirty-six NYITCOM students from both the Long Island and NYITCOM-Arkansas campuses presented research alongside faculty mentors. Posters spanned a variety of research topics, including Parkinson’s disease, eSports medicine, migraines, and chronic kidney disease, among others.

NYITCOM-Arkansas Dean Shane Speights, D.O., left, and student Katherine Byrd.

This year’s poster winners include two first-place winners: Karthik Bola Kamath, a second-year student from the Long Island campus, who presented on Rock Steady Boxing and memory improvement in Parkinson’s disease patients; and third-year, NYITCOM-Arkansas medical student Katherine Byrd who presented on osteopathic manipulative treatment’s (OMT) ability to treat migraines. Amna Haider, a second-year student from Long Island, took home a second-place award for her research on musculoskeletal tissue gene expression.

In the spirit of always helping others to stay healthy, NYITCOM students also participated in a Health Fair for the Helping Up Mission, a Baltimore-based addiction treatment center with programs aimed at assisting homelessindividuals affected by addiction to recover and rebuild their lives. The event was sponsored by The National Osteopathic Medical Association, NYITCOM, and the medical school’s Office of Student Life. Students provided blood pressure, diabetes, and BMI screenings, as well as lectures on a variety of health topics.

Hallie Zwibel, D.O., gives a TED-style talk on how physicians can treat e-athletes.

The medical school’s faculty and staff also shined brightly. Hallie Zwibel, D.O., director of NYIT Center for eSports Medicine, gave a TED-style talk on how physicians can treat e-athletes, and Bhuma Krishnamachari, Ph.D., associate professor and assistant dean of research, received a grant from the AOA for $146,220 that will fund research to examine the differences in stress between male and female medical students. In addition, Dost Khalique, director of the NYITCOM Academic Technologies Group, wowed attendees with a state-of-the-art booth that featured holograms of NYITCOM students sharing their medical school experience.

NYITCOM was also well-represented at this year’s annual receptions, including the medical school’s alumni reception and the American Osteopathic Foundation Honors Gala. This year’s NYITCOM annual alumni reception was held at the National Aquarium on October 27. Amidst a backdrop of stunning and vivid aquatic exhibits, the event united alumni from across the country and provided an evening of valuable networking and relationship-building opportunities.

NYITCOM administrators at the alumni reception

NYITCOM-Arkansas student Tyler King took to the stage at the American Osteopathic Foundation Honors Gala at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. More than 700 osteopathic physicians attended the event that recognizes and celebrates the philanthropic efforts of osteopathic physicians. King, who was elected president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association’s (SOMA) at last year’s OMED, thanked the D.O.s that paved the way for future physicians. SOMA is the student affiliate organization of the American Osteopathic Association founded to ensure a high quality of education for osteopathic medical students and to promote unity within the osteopathic medical profession.