Old Westbury, NY – Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar of New York Institute of Technology's College of Osteopathic Medicine has been selected as the 2012 Educator of the Year by the American Osteopathic Foundation.

The foundation's award honors "osteopathic educators who inspire greatness and change lives," noting their excellent teaching, passion for osteopathic medicine, and impact on students.

"I feel deeply honored and humbled to receive this national award," said Gilliar, chair of NYIT's Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine since 2004 and a former professor at both Stanford University School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine. "It serves as another stimulus to continue teaching with passion and to share our enthusiasm directly with our students who soon will be our medical colleagues."

Gilliar, author or contributor to 20 books and book chapters on osteopathic and musculoskeletal medicine, is an advocate of osteopathic medicine's hands-on medical care. Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) are broadly educated medical practitioners who receive additional training in palpatory diagnosis and manipulative treatment and emphasize connections between structure and function.

"Osteopathic medicine has advanced into an integral component in the U.S. medical landscape," Gilliar notes. "With a longstanding patient-centered philosophy and while fully embracing modern science and good evidence-based practice, we can move forward with new and innovative approaches that go beyond medications and lifestyle changes."

Gilliar, his colleagues, and several NYCOM students are currently studying the effect of osteopathic manual techniques on patients with Parkinson's disease, hypertension, asthma, and back pain.

"The entire NYIT community is proud of Dr. Gilliar's achievements and his well-deserved recognition as Educator of the Year," said NYIT President Edward Guiliano. "Dr. Gilliar has inspired hundreds of medical students and demonstrated a passionate commitment to the advancement of osteopathic medicine. We salute his leadership and applaud this prestigious award."

Nicholas Beatty (D.O., '12) nominated Gilliar. The pair worked in 2009, when Beatty had just completed his first year of medical school, on a study about the effects of osteopathic manual techniques on stroke patients. Gilliar received a Faculty of the Year award from the Class of 2012 and is also the past recipient of an NYIT Standard of Excellence Award.

"Wolfgang Gilliar's commitment to students and osteopathic principles underlie his success as a teacher and a physician," said Barbara Ross Lee, D.O., vice president for health sciences and medical affairs. "I am not surprised that his students hold him in such high esteem. He has made us proud."

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 14,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 92,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

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