2026 POSTER WINNERS

The Louisa Burns Osteopathic Research Committee (LBORC) and the National Undergraduate Fellows Association (NUFA) hosted their annual poster presentation on during the AAO 2026 Convocation.

The AAO Louisa Burns Osteopathic Research Committee wishes to thank the Osteopathic Cranial Academy Foundation (OCAF) for sponsoring the research poster presentation session and thank the following volunteers who judged the presentations. The committee appreciates their contributions in making this a successful event. AAO Members are bolded.

Aleksandr Abakulov, DO; Reem Abu-Sbaih, DO; Elizabeth Svyatoslavna Balyakina, DO, MS, MPH; Jessica Beebe, DO; Bernadette Marie Bibber, DO; Marta Bringhurst, DO, MHPE; Michael Aaron Chipman, DO, FACOEP; Jacob Joseph Cukierski, DO; David Dalton, DO; Brian F. Degenhardt, DO; Gina Maria Benaquista DeSipio, DO; James Docherty, DO, MS, MS; Connie J Earl, DO; Regina K. Fleming, DO; Ryan Freibert, DO; Nicole A Fremarek, DO, MBA, CAQSM, FAAFP; Gary Gailius, DO; Slava Gitelman, DO; Sebastian Orion Groot, DO; Steven A. Gustafson, DO; Kurt P. Heinking, DO, FAAO; Kyle K. Henderson, PhD; Anneliese Huntzinger, DO; Virginia M. Johnson, DO, MBA, FAAO; Adrienne Marie Kania, DO, FAAO; Patricia S. Kooyman, DO; Albert J. Kozar, DO, FAOASM, R-MSK; Melchiorra M. Mangiaracina, DO; Haley Koth Manning, DO; Adrienne M. McCallister, DO; Kimberly McKinnon, DO; Joe J. Melograno Jr., DO; Grace Mitchell, DO; Tanner Morris, DO; Barbara Ann Moss, DO, MPH, FACOFP, FAAO; Kenneth Jerome Mueller III, DO; Ania Pathak, DO; Nicole Pena, DO; John Popovich, PhD; Jan Pryor, DO, MPH; David C. Romine, DO, MPH; Max Schaefer, DO; Deborah Schmidt, DO; Kristopher M. Schock, DO; Ayat Shah, MD; Jillian Lynn Smith, DO; Jason A. Sneed, DO; Matthew Spousta, DO; Victoria Lynn Tuttle, DO; Eren Ural, DO; Michael D Waddington, DO; Sherri Lee Walker, DO; Zachary Whitaker, DO; Deborah Denise Sayle Whitson, DO; Amy Wysong, DO, MS

The table below lists the winning authors and poster titles for the 2026 presentations.

Category

Title

Authors

School or Institution

Student—Case study
First place Beyond the Break: An Osteopathic Approach to Sensory Disturbance and TMJ Dysfunction Following Mandibular Fracture

Mackenzie Buckholz, OMS III; Rachel Rosner, OMS III; and Nathan Widboom, DO

 Nova Southeastern University Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Second place A Crash Course in Healing: Osteopathic Care for Whiplash, Concussion, and Dental Trauma Following a Motor Vehicle Accident

Rock Cates; Kurt Heinking, DO; and Kyle Henderson, PhD

 Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Third place Cyclical Reduction of OFF Time in a Patient with Advanced Parkinson's Disease Using Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Case Study Report Andrew Abdelmalak; Adena Leder, DO; Patricia Kooyman, DO; and Sheldon Yao, DO New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine

Student—Education & Public Health
First place Educational Impact of a Student-Run Osteopathic Soft Tissue Clinic: A Quantitative Assessment of Academic Outcomes Katherine Axness; Sarina Singh, OMS; and Kurt Heinking, DO, FAAO, CS Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (MWU/CCOM)
Second place The Application of Competency Based Medical Education in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Practical Examinations Alyssa Kampen, OMS-V; Alyssa Vest-Hart, DO; Haley Koth, DO; Kurt Heinking, DO, FAAO; and Emily Daly, PGY-2 Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (MWU/CCOM)
Third place Improving Knowledge and Confidence in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine/Treatment (OMM/OMT) Through an In-Person Fourth-Year Elective for Osteopathic Medical Students (OMS)

Peyton Couch; Payal Morari, MS, OMS-IV; Cecelia Telemeco, OMS-II; and Nicole Fremarek, DO, MBA, CAQSM, FAAFP

 Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Student—Original Research
First place Does Dominance Matter? Laterality Effects in Assessing Pelvic Asymmetry Cassadi Forman, OMS-III; Brian Degenhardt, DO; Zane Starks, MS; and Mary Ying-Fang Wang, PhD A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Second place Evaluation of the Osteopathic Compression of the Fourth Ventricle Manipulative Technique Effect on Parasympathetic Activity

Adrian Cordero; Mia Cotero, OMS II; Taylor Marelli, OMS II; and Adrienne Kania, DO, FAAO

 Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Third place Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Protocol Demonstrates Improved Sleep Quality, Cognition, and Oxygen Saturation in a Cohort of Medical Students

Giovanni Fardella, OMS-III; Samantha Tola, OMS-II; Rachel Radigan, OMS-IV; Alexa Finkelstein, OMS-IV; Nikhila Indukuri, OMS-II; Sucika Perumalla, OMS-II; Michael Terzella, DO; Priya Bhushan, DO; Amber Sousa, PhD; and Sheldon Yao, DO

 New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine

Category

Title

Authors

School or Institution

Resident—Case study
First place Sweet Dreams: Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) Enhances Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence and Reduces Apnea Events

William Tedjo, DO, MS, PGY3; and Sheldon Yao, DO, FAAO

 St. Barnabas Hospital
Second place Utility of OMM in Chronic Back Pain Exacerbated by H. pylori Gastritis Emily Tonkin, DO; and Katelyn Campbell, DO St. Barnabas Hospital
Third place Use of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine in Treatment of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: A Case Report Kaelan Hayes, PGY-2; and Jeremy Shugar, DO St. Barnabas Hospital

Resident—Education & Public Health
First place Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury: A Comprehensive Review Natasha Hamilton, D.O., PGY-II; and Teodor Huzij, D.O. HCA HealthONE Swedish
Second place The "Sub-Fellowship": Facilitating Osteopathic Scholarly Training for Osteopathic Medical Students Marija Rowane, DO, PGY4; Michael Rowane, DO, MS, FAAFP, FAAO; and Robert Hostoffer, DO, LhD, MSMEd, MBA, FACOP, FAAP, FACOI, FCCP Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Third place Increasing Awareness of Osteopathy and OMM in a Combined Osteopathic and Allopathic Pediatric Residency Program Natalie Gallagher; Karina Darby, PGY-2; Quynh Le, PGY-2; and Rachel Hibberd, PGY-4 AdventHealth East Orlando Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Residency

Resident—Original research
First place Therapeutic Efficacy of OMT on Thoracolumbar Fascia Glide Impairment in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain Kai Yuan Teng; Gunner Brolinson, DO; Julia Damron, BS, MS, PhD candidate; Bradley Hilger, BS, Master candidate; Georgina Flynn-Smith, PhD, MBEE, MAJ, MS; Vincent Wang, PhD; David Risov, DO; Nicole Fremarek, DO, MBA, FAAFP; and Albert Kozar, DO, FAOASM, R-MSK Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)
Second place Quantifying Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) Effects on Gait Using the Aletheia Sensor in Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) Curtis Smith; Leena Seyam, OMS-II; Per Brolinson, DO; and Albert Kozar, DO Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)
Third place Earlier Initiation of Inpatient Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Is Associated With Shorter Hospital Length of Stay in Pediatric Asthma Exacerbations Neil Khanna, DO; Katelyn Campbell, DO; Sheldon Yao, DO, FAAO; Jeremy Shugar, DO; and Hugh Ettlinger, DO, FAAO St. Barnabas Hospital