A Lasting Impression
A serious case of viral meningitis propelled Chris Kyriakides (D.O. ’89) into the field of osteopathic medicine. He was studying at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at the time but had to step away due to his illness.
“I was very sick; I was aphasic,” he recalls. “I had several D.O.s who helped me get better, and that turned me on to it.”
Once he recovered, Kyriakides entered the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM). “Only New York Tech offered D.O. degrees in the area at the time,” he says. But Kyriakides soon learned that he wouldn’t be settling for this medical school; he would be getting the education of a lifetime. “They had some of the best residents and doctors anywhere. They had a hands-on approach to treating patients, so you were an active participant in treatment.”
Something else in the osteopathic medicine approach impressed Kyriakides: the significance of caring for patients, not just treating them. “That was very important to me,” he says.
His medical school experience had a huge effect on Kyriakides’ endeavors. He launched a successful musculoskeletal practice that encompasses surgery, regenerative medicine, and pain management. Since 1993, his practice has mentored medical students, about 80 percent of whom attend NYITCOM. “They are quality medical students,” he says.
His passion for medicine carried into his family life and inspired his children to follow in his path. Two of his children, Christopher and Kalliope, also attended NYITCOM. Christopher is a physiatrist, and Kalliope is a dermatologist. The experience for the Kyriakides children proved to be fruitful personally as well as professionally: Each met and married a fellow NYITCOM student.
Kyriakides, who received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from NYU, has worked with his daughter to develop dermatological products, including natural remedies for psoriasis and alopecia. At the moment, they are available on Amazon, but the Kyrikideses are working on a pharmaceutical partnership for wider distribution.
Another son attended medical school out of state, “but he learned through NYITCOM by osmosis,” jokes Kyriakides.
In addition to his family, Kyriakides spreads his appreciation for NYITCOM to everyone he encounters. In 2024, he and longtime friend Phil Spadafora (D.O. ’89) established the Kyriakides Spadafora Endowed Scholarship, which supports an NYITCOM student with financial need. He says he looks forward to seeing what the next generation of NYITCOM students brings to the field, and he hopes they will continue to appreciate what the college is doing to train competent, caring professionals.
As they face challenges, such as the introduction of artificial intelligence to medicine and the ongoing influence of insurance companies on treatments, he feels confident that graduates of NYITCOM will use their talents and caring personas to make an impact.
“We should understand, appreciate, and respect what NYITCOM has done for us,” says Kyriakides. “None of us doctors would be anywhere without NYITCOM.”
By Diane DiPiero
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