NYITCOM Students and Faculty Earn Top Honors and Showcase Research at CORK 2026
San Diego, CA | September 9, 2026
Please join us in congratulating the outstanding NYITCOM faculty and student presenters who represented the College at the 2026 Conference on Osteopathic Research and Knowledge (CORK) in San Diego, California.
CORK is an important national and international forum for advancing osteopathic research and knowledge. The conference brings together osteopathic physicians, researchers, educators, residents, and students to share new research, foster collaboration, and explore innovative approaches to understanding and advancing osteopathic medicine.
NYITCOM Students Earn Top Honors
NYITCOM students had an exceptional showing at CORK 2026, with multiple research projects presented and two students earning top honors in the Student Poster Competition.
🏆 1st Place – Student Poster Competition
Hetvi Patel, OMS II
Patel received 1st Place for her research, “Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) Protocol on Executive Function Using the Stroop Test in Medical Students.”
🥈 2nd Place – Student Poster Competition
Rajiv Rao, OMS II
Rao received 2nd Place for his research, “Feasibility of Wearable-Derived Heart Rate Variability Assessment Following Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study.”
We also congratulate Catherine Chin, OMS III, ACE, whose abstract, “The Effect of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Post-Concussive Headache Symptoms,” was one of only three student abstracts selected for an oral stage presentation at the conference.
Catherine’s research was conducted with Rosemary Yadgarov, OMS I; Dr. Jung; and Dr. Yao.
Additional Student Research
NYITCOM students presented additional research demonstrating the breadth of student scholarship and innovation in OMM:
- Lea Dalco, OMS III, ACE, and Ian Nevers, OMS III, ACE — “Deep Learning-Enhanced Motion Analysis for Automated Assessment of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Techniques.” Faculty mentors: Dr. Toma and Dr. Yao.
- Ian Nevers, OMS III, ACE, and Lea Dalco, OMS III, ACE — “Advancing Objective Assessment in Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Education Through Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies.”
- Randy Ramsuchit, OMS II — “Enhancing Sleep in Parkinson’s Disease Through Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Pilot Feasibility Trial.”
These projects span a wide range of innovative research areas, including OMT, Parkinson’s disease, concussion, sleep, wearable technology, artificial intelligence, and objective assessment of OMM techniques.
NYITCOM Faculty Contribute to CORK Program
NYITCOM faculty were also highly active throughout the conference, contributing to lectures, workshops, research presentations, and poster judging.
Francesco Cerritelli, MSc, DO, PhD, Assistant Professor at NYITCOM, is a European neuroscientist and osteopathic physician, internationally recognized researcher and speaker in osteopathy and osteopathic research. Dr. Cerritelli has been an important collaborator in NYITCOM’s OMM research program, including ongoing functional MRI (fMRI) studies investigating the neurophysiological effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment.
Dr. Cerritelli was prominently involved throughout CORK 2026 and participated in multiple conference events. He also co-presented with Dr. Sheldon Yao on “Understanding Shams, Placebos, and Control Groups in Manual Therapy Research.”
Dr. Joanne Donoghue presented “From LLM to AI Agent: Integrating Artificial Intelligence into OMM Research,”exploring the potential of artificial intelligence to advance osteopathic research.
Dr. Jennifer Xie co-presented “From Mechanisms to Medicine: OMM Research Workshop.”
Additional NYITCOM faculty attending the conference included Dr. Gabriel Gelves, Director of MRI; Dr. Patricia Kooyman, who assisted with poster judging; and Dr. Hugh Ettlinger.
Advancing the Future of Osteopathic Medicine
The strong NYITCOM presence at CORK 2026 highlights the College’s continued commitment to research, innovation, student scholarship, and faculty mentorship. From traditional clinical research to fMRI, wearable technology, and artificial intelligence, NYITCOM faculty and students continue to explore new ways to understand the mechanisms and clinical applications of osteopathic medicine.
Congratulations to Hetvi Patel, Rajiv Rao, Catherine Chin, and all of our student and faculty presenters for their outstanding accomplishments and for representing NYITCOM at CORK 2026.
We are proud of their contributions to advancing osteopathic research and knowledge!