Osteopathic Center for Children Adds Physician
Shawn K. Centers, DO, a doctor who decided to pursue a career in
osteopathic medicine because of the care and concern he received as a
child from osteopathic physicians, is now on staff at the Osteopathic
Center for Children (OCC) in San Diego.
“”I decided to come to the OCC because it allows me the opportunity to
apply osteopathic principles to children in a holistic setting,”” Dr.
Centers said. “”We treat the whole child.””
The OCC is a teaching and research medical center operated by Western
University of Health Sciences (WesternU), a health professions university
in Pomona, California. It was founded by Viola M. Frymann, DO, FAAO, an
internationally recognized osteopathic physician and one of WesternU’s
founders. OCC’s program helps young patients to perform at their optimum
potential by integrating the science of osteopathic medicine with music
therapy, nutritional education, and other modalities that assist a child’s
growth and development.
A graduate of the Nova Southeastern University of Osteopathic Medicine in
Miami, Florida, Dr. Centers most recently served as chief resident in
pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, Mount Sinai School of
Medicine, in Livingston, New Jersey. Dr. Centers was the first osteopathic
physician (DO) to serve as the pediatrics chief resident, he said.
Dr. Centers said he decided to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine
following exposure to DOs as a child when they treated him for Moebius
Syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by a lifetime of facial paralysis.
“”The gentle manipulative treatments the osteopathic physicians prescribed
for me were far more effective than anything I’d tried before,”” Dr.
Centers said. “”Plus, they were so caring, so concerned. They truly seemed
to want to know about everything that was going on for me in all parts of
my life, not just the Moebius Syndrome.””
“”Dr. Centers is a very enthusiastic proponent of osteopathic medicine,””
Dr. Frymann said. “”He has so many of the attributes we particularly look
for in our physicians. He has a kind and gentle nature; he relates
extremely well with the children.””
Research also is an integral part of the center’s operation, as is
teaching osteopathic medical students about the diagnosis and treatment of
exceptional children through formal instruction and observation.
The OCC is located at 4135 54th Place, near San Diego State University.
The number is (619) 583-7611. Information about the Center and its non-
profit foundation, Osteopathy’s Promise to Children, may be accessed
through the Internet at http://www.osteopathic-ctr-4child.org.
