OMM Scholars Director Shapes Community-Focused Physicians

August 25, 2026

When she's not at PCOM South Georgia teaching Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment to medical students, Robyn Long, DO, MS, runs Harvest Health Cairo, a practice in Cairo, Georgia. She and her husband manage the office together, where she provides primary care to patients of all ages.

Dr. Long sees many patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease related to diet and nutrition, and helps patients with complex medical needs access the care they need in their own community.

One patient came to her with severely unmanaged diabetes and a need for insulin, but he could not afford it. She treated him every day in the office until he was able to get his prescription filled.

“In rural Georgia, you get to know your patients differently; they are your neighbors. I can better care for them because I know the community and its resources. One of our signs says: ‘We will treat you like a neighbor, not a number.’”

As director of the OMM Clinical Scholars Program at PCOM South Georgia, Long is not only helping to care for patients in South Georgia, but also giving her medical students real-world clinical experience by having them work at her practice. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Scholars take an extra year to complete their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, which allows for an additional year of clinical experience.

This year, OMM Scholars are volunteering at Harvest Health one day a week, taking turns throughout the year.

“It's been very insightful to be able to apply what we've learned over two years in a clinical setting,” said Nick Daneshvar (DO '28). “There's a big difference between learning in the classroom and having a patient come in with non-descriptive pain and trying to develop a treatment plan for them. It's helped not only with my OMM but also with my clinical awareness and patient advocacy. I can now see what works, what doesn't work, and what most people need to receive.”

OMM Scholars also help with the OMM lab for first-year students, providing them with a leadership role that better prepares them for residency. Most scholars are interested in using manipulative medicine in their future practice, and OMM is used daily at Harvest Health.

“If you come in with a cold, we can use our hands to massage the sinuses to move fluid and clear congestion. It takes less than two minutes,” said Long. If you have pneumonia or fluid in the lungs, we can treat it with our hands and clear the airways and secretions. We also treat plantar fasciitis and migraines by identifying and treating asymmetries and imbalances.

Dr. Long is now developing an ultrasound curriculum for the OMM Scholars at Harvest Health. This technology allows her patients to receive imaging in the office and reduces transportation limitations and cost barriers to accessing this easy, noninvasive diagnostic tool.

“Because these students will use ultrasound in residency, it's an important tool for them to know. I want to teach them to look for gallstones, inflammation and veins during a blood draw. It can be applied so broadly,” said Long.

Through Harvest Health and her work at PCOM South Georgia, Long is bringing together patient care, medical education, and community outreach, giving both her patients and future physicians opportunities to learn, grow, and receive care close to home.

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