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

Held at the Henry B. Gonz谩lez Convention Center from September 20鈥�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鈥機onnor (D.O. 鈥�92), who delivered a keynote address.

Faculty Research:

• Patricia E. Happel, D.O., associate professor and director of interprofessional education: 鈥淧harmacologic Treatment for Patients Overweight and with Obesity鈥�

• Richard A. Morgan, D.O., instructor: 鈥淎ssessing the Role of Pronoun Competency Training in the Expansion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education鈥�

Medical Student Research (Poster Presentations):

• Ermin Tale: 鈥淯tility of the Implantable Loop Recorder in Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder鈥�

• Julie B. Ochs: 鈥淧ersistent Ascending Aortic Vascular Calcification in DBA/2J Mice After Warfarin Exposure鈥�

• Justin Edward: 鈥淯tility of BardyDx ECG Monitoring to Assess the Impact of Anxiety on Self-Reported Cardiac Symptoms: A Pressing Matter鈥�

• Malcom Zeroka: 鈥淯tilizing the BardyDx Low-Profile ECG Telemetry Monitor as a Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tool on Cardiac Patients鈥�

• Isabella Church: 鈥淎MPK尾1 Knockdown Increases Autophagy Flux but Decreases Doxorubicin-Induced H9c2 Cardiomyocyte Death鈥�

• Matthew Cirrone: 鈥淎denine Reduces Plasma Triglycerides in Mice with Chronic Kidney Disease鈥�

• Tzipora Levitt: 鈥淓valuating Factors Contributing to Vascular Calcification and Aortic Stiffness in an Animal Model of Atherosclerosis鈥�

• Kiran Kumar Bhurtyal: 鈥淪tudent Perception of Case-Based Learning at a Medical School in New York Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic鈥�

• Anthony J. Guccione, III: 鈥淗eart Rate Variability (HRV) and Physiologic Parameters as Measures of Stress in Medical Students鈥�

Alumni Research:

• Robert Agnello (D.O. 鈥�01): 鈥淒e-Stress Pain Management Case Forum鈥�

• Jacqueline Watson (D.O. 鈥�91): 鈥淧OP CULTURE: Adopting a Power of Policy Mindset to Advance Health Outcomes鈥�

• Ian Storch (D.O. 鈥�99): 鈥淩eflux: Beyond the Burn鈥擡verything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask鈥� and 鈥淪wipe Right on Osteopathy: The Impact of Osteopathic Docs on Social Media鈥�

• Stella Rubina (D.O. 鈥�12): 鈥淧alliative Care鈥擸our Roadmap Companion to Living Your Legacy with Grace鈥� and 鈥淧alliative Care vs. Hospice Care鈥擶hat it is and What it isn鈥檛鈥�

• Naresh Rao (D.O. 鈥�97): 鈥淓xperience Working with Olympic Athletes鈥�

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鈥� 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鈥檚 success, leading to the betterment of their future and society. This year鈥檚 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鈥�28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. .