OMM Lab Rededication Ceremony Honors NYITCOM Founder

^{Pictured from left: President Hank Foley, Dean Nicole Wadsworth, Jordan Keys, Dennis Dowling, Hugh Ettlinger, and Sheldon Yao}

On December 6, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) celebrated the grand reopening and rededication of the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Lab (OMM Lab) located in the Hannah and Charles Serota Academic Center on the Long Island campus. Opened in 2000, the lab is rededicated to the legacy of Stanley Schiowitz, D.O., founder, chairman, and dean of NYITCOM.

Schiowitz, who passed away in 2011, helped found NYITCOM in 1977, where he taught and served in leadership roles for three decades. He retired as dean emeritus in 2002. He also had a private practice in Brooklyn, N.Y., for more than 30 years.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to remember Dr. Schiowitz for what he established here and to continue to push forward osteopathic medicine and education,” said Sheldon Yao (D.O. ’02), professor and chair of osteopathic manipulative medicine

The OMM Lab features electric adjustable tables, natural lighting, state-of-the-art HD monitors, and iPad-driven learning stations, where students learn to diagnose injury and illness while promoting the body’s natural ability to heal by treating bodily dysfunctions with your hands while following the holistic philosophy of osteopathic medicine.

The day’s event also included a workshop led by Dennis Dowling (D.O. ’89) and Hugh Ettlinger (D.O. ’87), who worked closely with Schiowitz as students. They demonstrated the facilitated positional release technique developed by Schiowitz, which is featured in his textbook An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment. Additionally, NYITCOM Associate Professor of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Director of the Osteopathic Medicine CenterJordan Keys (D.O. ’10), spoke about the Biomedical Research, Innovation, and Imaging Center (BRICC), which will be opening in 2025. She also spoke about the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suite, which will be located in the BRIIC. The fMRI technology will offer a noninvasive solution to measure human brain activity, allowing for better analysis of brain abnormalities, cognitive function, and treatment efficacy.