International Visiting Osteopaths visit Midwestern Facilities, Exchange Techniques

The Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) welcomed 15 international visiting osteopaths from Poland and Belgium. The visiting osteopaths toured the Midwestern University facilities, including the OMM lab. They exchanged ideas with Kurt Heinking, D.O., FAAO, CS, Professor and Chair, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, CCOM, and the OMM student scholars. 

Dr. Heinking reviewed principles of OMM and demonstrated techniques. Some of these are different from the way OMM is taught in Europe, allowing for an exchange of ideas about how best to use OMM to treat patients. They also reviewed the history of osteopathic medicine, practiced techniques demonstrated by Dr. Heinking and the OMM scholars, and noted that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the field of osteopathic medicine, developed by Andrew Taylor Still, D.O. 

Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine student and OMM student scholar Reem Darwish (CCOM ’26) discussed her experience of working with the visiting osteopaths. “Working with the Belgian and Polish osteopaths taught me more hands-on material than I received at previous conferences. Their insight and approach to treatment mirrors what we learn here at CCOM, and it was amazing to see their focuses and personalities throughout their time with us.” Reem also said this experience increased her motivation to become a better physician. “I very much appreciated their insights on different modifications to certain techniques I was struggling with because it allowed me to be able to execute them without difficulty. All of them had such great hands and seemed to excel in every field of osteopathic treatment, as the visitors included professors and recent osteopathic graduates.”

The visiting osteopaths also expressed appreciation of the experience and the time and dedication from Dr. Heinking. 

“I think we can learn a lot from each other,” said Jöry Pauwels, Principal of Warsaw Osteopathic Medicine Academy in Poland and Principal of Osteon Education (osteopathic medicine) in Belgium. He also shared the experience exceeded his expectations as he did not quite know what to expect. Dr. Pauwels also discussed some of the differences in osteopathic education in Europe, such as the approach of OMM being similar to physical therapy. “We are way more into cranial structures than pharmacology,” adding he put into place a class on this topic. He also compared the different principles and methods of OMM to learning how to cook a dish in different countries, where the approach and ingredients might be different to create a completely new dish. 

Natalia Bernat, D.O., runs private practices in Nysa, Poland and Den Haag in the Netherlands. “I wanted to see different techniques of OMM from different approaches,” she shared and added, “We of course work with the trigger point (tender area in muscle). We keep the tension on the trigger point and wait a few seconds and relax.” She said the demonstration of the OMM method was different than what she was used to, but she was interested in acquiring additional knowledge.

Pascale De Dene, D.O., runs a private practice in Lochristi, Belgium. He expressed his appreciation of the labs, resources, and research available at Midwestern University. He also shared differences in osteopathic medicine education. “When you graduate in the U.S. as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, you’re also a doctor. We train physiotherapists after their education to become osteopaths.”  

While methodologies may have slight variations, patient care is at the heart of collaborative events like this. Reem appreciated her opportunity to work with international peers and hopes to keep in contact with them following the event. “It is nice to know we have peers across the world. Their approach to teaching and enthusiasm is something I hope to give to those that I teach and will interact with in the future.” She also said the visiting osteopaths helped her increase her skills in OMM and she hopes to implement the knowledge she gained in her future career.

Through opportunities like international collaboration, students at Midwestern University expand their knowledge, skills, and communication, which assists them on their journey of becoming patient-centered future healthcare professionals.