TCOM’s Dr. John Licciardone receives George W. Northup Medical Writing Award

July 6, 2021
Our People

Dr. John Licciardone of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Director of the Osteopathic Research Center and its PRECISION Pain Research Registry, is the 2021 recipient of the George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award, the American Osteopathic Association has announced.

The award is based on the article, “Osteopathic Medical Care With and Without Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pain Registry-Based Study,” with Dr. Robert Gatchel as a co-author.

The article, which included 445 patients in the PRECISION Pain Research Registry, found that those treated by DOs who used OMT reported significantly lesser low back pain intensity and back-related disability and less frequent use of NSAIDs or opioids, than patients treated by MDs. However, there were no differences in such outcomes between DOs who did not use OMT and MDs.

Dr. Licciardone and his research team previously received the Northup Award in 2013 for a trilogy of articles based on the OSTEOPATHIC Trial that reported on somatic dysfunction, somatization, and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with chronic low back pain.

“I am pleased that the Osteopathic Research Center has continued to provide an evidence base for osteopathic medical care in the two decades since its establishment at the Health Science Center,” Dr. Licciardone said. “The PRECISION Pain Research Registry now uses a digital research platform to more broadly study and seek solutions for chronic pain at a national level.”

Each year, the AOA recognizes individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the osteopathic medical profession through leadership, excellence, achievement, and dedication. Dr. Licciardone will be recognized at the upcoming AOA House of Delegates Annual Meeting on July 16.

The American Osteopathic Foundation honored Dr. Licciardone with its Gutensohn-Denslow Award for devoted lifetime service and contributions to research and education within the osteopathic profession in 2007.

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