Media update

Osteopathic medicine in the news: Aug. 4, 2021

Time, NBC DFW and Medscape recently featured DOs or osteopathic medicine in their news coverage.

Topics

Placing DOs in top-tier news stories and broadcast interviews has long been an AOA priority. Expert physician sources weigh in on the news of the day, as well as contribute research and perspective.

If you are interested in being featured as an expert physician source in content produced by respected news outlets, please email pr@osteopathic.org. Where possible, we will try to match your expertise with the needs of the media.

The following is a sampling of recent articles that feature DOs or osteopathic medicine. The AOA helped place DOs in some of these articles; others solicited a DO source without the AOA’s involvement. Additional news stories that feature DOs or osteopathic medicine are available here.

NBC 2 Fort Myers: This news segment on vaccine misinformation quotes AOA President Joseph Giaimo, DO, who states that evidence does not support assertions that COVID vaccines are ineffective or unsafe.

“Everyone has the right to their own opinion,” Dr. Giaimo said. “I think the science does not speak to that truly. We’re seeing the patients and people who have the best outcomes are the patients who got vaccinations.

“I think when we see misinformation like this, unfortunately, it leads to harm for our patients.”

Time: This article on Olympic athletes and mental health quotes Naresh Rao, DO, head physician for USA Water Polo and member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee medical team at the Tokyo Olympics.

“The majority of athletes should be using mental health support,” Dr. Rao said. “If you look at the percentages of people who have mental health illness in general, it ranges from 40% to 50%. Throw in the pandemic, and the fact that many of these athletes are teenagers or young adults, and you start to see the percentage could go up to as high as 70%.”

NBC DFW: This news segment shares the uplifting story of how Ann Hollas, OMS II, saved 7-year-old Cooper Muncy’s life via bone marrow donation. Muncy had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. Hollas attends the University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“For me, it was a no-brainer. You just have the chance to help someone in that way,” she said.

Medscape: In the wake of the deadliest tornado in the U.S. in the past 60 years, leaders in Joplin, Missouri, came together with officials from the Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM) to build an additional campus of the medical school in the tornado-damaged city.

KCU-COM Joplin opened its doors to students in 2017, and graduated its first class this spring, reported Medscape in this article.

“In many ways, it was like the phoenix rising from the ashes from mythology because this is where the hospital was destroyed, and now from those new ashes comes this new medical school,” said Marc Hahn, DO, president and CEO of Kansas City University.

Bonus coverage—Jeopardy: While the popular quiz show is not a news outlet, we couldn’t resist sharing a short clip of a recent episode that featured osteopathic medicine. Participants were asked, “As opposed to MDs some students become DOs, doctors of this type of medicine.”

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