Alum Publishes 1st Original Research
Work on the Project Started while Dr. Danielle Emmet was a Student Doctor at Touro, with Support from College of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Members
A recent graduate of Touro University California’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has published her first original research paper as principal author with support from the University and a number of faculty members.
The paper authored by Dr. Danielle Emmet (DO Class of 2020) was published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine and is titled “Interoceptive Bodily Awareness in Patients Seeking Pain Relief with Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: An Observational Cohort Pilot Study.”
It’s based on research conducted through the recruitment of people seeking appointments at Touro‘s Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment clinic, which is operated by the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Genesis of the Research
An abstract for the paper puts the significance of the pilot study into context: “Integrating IBA into research on osteopathic manipulative treatment is growing, both as an outcome and predictor of treatment outcomes; however, it has yet to be studied in a clinical setting.”
The pilot study concludes that assessing interoceptive bodily awareness with Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness in a clinical OMT setting is feasible, with “significant positive correlations between OMT exposure and two of the eight MAIA scales,” and notes that future studies are justified to explore the relationship further.
Emmet began her research while attending Touro University California.
“This research has been a passion project for me since 2017, during my early days studying osteopathic medicine,” Emmet shared in announcing the publication of her research.
“As a patient of osteopathy first in 2009, I was struck by the internal sense of equilibrium and spaciousness treatment would impart on me,” she says. “While my studies trained me well in the anatomy, mechanics, and physiology at play in OMT, this project allowed me to delve more into considering the role of body awareness and interoception in pain and osteopathic treatment.”
Strong Support from Touro Faculty
Her co-authors include Dr. Daniel Shadoan (DO Class of 2002). Other co-authors with affiliations to the University include Glenn Davis, an Associate Professor and Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Osteopathic Medicine; Dr. Stacey Pierce-Talsma, who served as a faculty member from 2018-2021; and Dr. Jay Shubrook, a Professor in the Primary Care Department in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Emmet since July 2021 has served as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Resident Physician at Columbia-Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York. After she finishes her residency this summer, she will join the faculty at Columbia University in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
She served prior to that for more than a year as an Internal Medicine Resident Physician at Westchester Medical Center in Westchester County, New York.