TouroCOM Harlem Strengthens Its Core
Student-Led Initiative to Develop Research Skills Gains Momentum in Second Year
Following the success of its 2024 pilot program, TouroCOM Harlem’s Center for Osteopathic Research Excellence (C.O.R.E.) continues to provide osteopathic medical students (OMS) with the opportunity to strengthen their research skills through hands-on experience. As C.O.R.E. members, students work alongside peers and faculty mentors to design, conduct, and present original studies that aim to improve the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) techniques.
TouroCOM Harlem students Lauren Velasquez, Daniel Hahn, and Allison Walker-Elders founded C.O.R.E. to fulfill the need for structured OMS research opportunities. “We are so lucky to have PIs like Dr. Volokitin who are supportive of student research, but with students moving through campus every year, it's hard to keep momentum going,” said Walker-Elders, “Part of the design of C.O.R.E. is in trying to keep that momentum alive. By counting on the osteopathic skills of second-year students, we can engage first-year students and prepare second-years to lead projects in their third and fourth years.” The program’s unique approach works to support students at every step of their OMS career, fostering a collaborative environment through which they can grow as professionals as well as researchers.
While C.O.R.E. is both student-led and student-focused, its positive impacts extend far beyond the lab. The expertise and confidence that students build during their time in the program can lead to better outcomes for the patients and communities they serve. Additionally, C.O.R.E. research works to improve not only the wealth of osteopathic knowledge but the field itself as well. Their current study, "Evaluating the effectiveness of a novel diagnosis and treatment method for the respiratory diaphragm," aims to identify optimal treatment techniques, thus enhancing patient care.
In the year since C.O.R.E.’s inception, its members have already made significant contributions. Their research, which has included topics such as barriers to student diagnoses and the calibration of palpatory techniques, has garnered recognition both within and beyond the TouroCOM community. Two C.O.R.E. projects—"Beyond the Barrier: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Core Components of Muscle Energy Treatments” and “Lucky Number 13 for Learning: A Data-Driven Curriculum Recommendation for Diagnosis Proficiency”—were awarded first and third place, respectively, in the Clinical Research category at the 2025 TouroCOM Research Symposium. Their calibration study, “A Novel Calibration Methodology for Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Research: Improving study validity by standardizing intra-researcher techniques,” came in first place in the Original Student Research Category at the American Academy of Osteopathy’s Louisa Burns Osteopathic Research Committee Research Symposium.
In only a year, TouroCOM Harlem’s C.O.R.E. program has laid the foundation for lasting achievement in research. As C.O.R.E. continues working to advance the field of osteopathic medicine, its success remains a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of TouroCOM students and faculty.
