Empowering Patients to be Healthy

As a primary care doctor, one of the most important roles Daniel J. Cavallo (D.O. '09) plays is helping patients navigate what can be a complex and confusing medical system. "In a time when most of my patients—especially new patients—have a specialist for every ailment or issue, I envision myself as the quarterback of their healthcare, ensuring that they understand the 'what, the why, and what comes next,'" he says. "I also make sure that nothing is missed because many times the specialists are only focused on what involves their area of expertise."

Cavallo was attracted to primary care by the notion of preventative as opposed to reactionary medicine—helping patients to be and stay healthy. "As I say many times every day, I like to empower my patients to play an active role in their own healthcare," he says.

Board certified in both family medicine and primary care sports medicine, Cavallo came to NYITCOM thinking he wanted to be a pediatrician. "As my training progressed, I realized that I was keenly interested in the transition from childhood to adulthood as well as from adulthood to 'elder' adulthood and realize these transitions are when having a primary care doctor is paramount." He also recognized that many patients developed everyday injuries, especially in the workplace, that mirrored those of athletes. That realization, along with his love of sports, prompted him to do additional training in sports medicine.

Unlike many primary care physicians with traditional office practices, Cavallo works for CityMD, an urgent care facility in New York City. The practice requires no appointments so he never knows who will walk through the door. He treats patients from all walks of life, including many foreign tourists visiting New York City. In addition, Cavallo is one of the team doctors for the USA Men's National Water Polo team, which recently qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, and he has also performed medical services at the U.S. Open (tennis) and New York City Marathon.

Cavallo says he draws on his NYITCOM training every day, whether he's using manipulation techniques or in his general approach to each patient and medicine. "Being an osteopathic physician gives me a incredible advantage when treating my athletes and any patient with musculoskeletal injuries," he says. "For me, and many of them, it has shifted the paradigm of their preventive measures and treatments."

And even though he works in an urgent care office, Cavallo says it's the connection to his patients that motivates him. "There is nothing more rewarding than establishing a relationship with a patient and their family," he says. "I couldn't imagine myself doing anything other than what I do now."

Read more about how NYITCOM prepares primary care physicians to serve New York communities in the fall 2015 issue of NYIT Magazine.