primary school case study examples

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Making Learning Relevant With Case Studies

The open-ended problems presented in case studies give students work that feels connected to their lives.

To prepare students for jobs that haven’t been created yet, we need to teach them how to be great problem solvers so that they’ll be ready for anything. One way to do this is by teaching content and skills using real-world case studies, a learning model that’s focused on reflection during the problem-solving process. It’s similar to project-based learning, but PBL is more focused on students creating a product.

Case studies have been used for years by businesses, law and medical schools, physicians on rounds, and artists critiquing work. Like other forms of problem-based learning, case studies can be accessible for every age group, both in one subject and in interdisciplinary work.

You can get started with case studies by tackling relatable questions like these with your students:

• How can we limit food waste in the cafeteria?
• How can we get our school to recycle and compost waste? (Or, if you want to be more complex, how can our school reduce its carbon footprint?)
• How can we improve school attendance?
• How can we reduce the number of people who get sick at school during cold and flu season?

Addressing questions like these leads students to identify topics they need to learn more about. In researching the first question, for example, students may see that they need to research food chains and nutrition. Students often ask, reasonably, why they need to learn something, or when they’ll use their knowledge in the future. Learning is most successful for students when the content and skills they’re studying are relevant, and case studies offer one way to create that sense of relevance.

Teaching With Case Studies

Ultimately, a case study is simply an interesting problem with many correct answers. What does case study work look like in classrooms? Teachers generally start by having students read the case or watch a video that summarizes the case. Students then work in small groups or individually to solve the case study. Teachers set milestones defining what students should accomplish to help them manage their time.

During the case study learning process, student assessment of learning should be focused on reflection. Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick’s Learning and Leading With Habits of Mind gives several examples of what this reflection can look like in a classroom: 

Journaling: At the end of each work period, have students write an entry summarizing what they worked on, what worked well, what didn’t, and why. Sentence starters and clear rubrics or guidelines will help students be successful. At the end of a case study project, as Costa and Kallick write, it’s helpful to have students “select significant learnings, envision how they could apply these learnings to future situations, and commit to an action plan to consciously modify their behaviors.”

Interviews: While working on a case study, students can interview each other about their progress and learning. Teachers can interview students individually or in small groups to assess their learning process and their progress.

Student discussion: Discussions can be unstructured—students can talk about what they worked on that day in a think-pair-share or as a full class—or structured, using Socratic seminars or fishbowl discussions. If your class is tackling a case study in small groups, create a second set of small groups with a representative from each of the case study groups so that the groups can share their learning.

4 Tips for Setting Up a Case Study

1. Identify a problem to investigate: This should be something accessible and relevant to students’ lives. The problem should also be challenging and complex enough to yield multiple solutions with many layers.

2. Give context: Think of this step as a movie preview or book summary. Hook the learners to help them understand just enough about the problem to want to learn more.

3. Have a clear rubric: Giving structure to your definition of quality group work and products will lead to stronger end products. You may be able to have your learners help build these definitions.

4. Provide structures for presenting solutions: The amount of scaffolding you build in depends on your students’ skill level and development. A case study product can be something like several pieces of evidence of students collaborating to solve the case study, and ultimately presenting their solution with a detailed slide deck or an essay—you can scaffold this by providing specified headings for the sections of the essay.

Problem-Based Teaching Resources

There are many high-quality, peer-reviewed resources that are open source and easily accessible online.

• The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo built an online collection of more than 800 cases that cover topics ranging from biochemistry to economics. There are resources for middle and high school students.
• Models of Excellence , a project maintained by EL Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has examples of great problem- and project-based tasks—and corresponding exemplary student work—for grades pre-K to 12.
• The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning at Purdue University is an open-source journal that publishes examples of problem-based learning in K–12 and post-secondary classrooms.
• The Tech Edvocate has a list of websites and tools related to problem-based learning.

In their book Problems as Possibilities , Linda Torp and Sara Sage write that at the elementary school level, students particularly appreciate how they feel that they are taken seriously when solving case studies. At the middle school level, “researchers stress the importance of relating middle school curriculum to issues of student concern and interest.” And high schoolers, they write, find the case study method “beneficial in preparing them for their future.”

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Ofsted outstanding Case Studies Examples to show impact of teaching and learning

Subject: Whole school

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Other

Last updated

7 March 2018

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• Case studies

Supporting materials for curriculum, assessment, and evaluating learner progress

These supporting materials have been produced to support curriculum design within schools and settings. They build on the Curriculum for Wales guidance and new school improvement guidance, and set out practical support for curriculum development, quality assurance, and self-evaluation.

4. Case studies

This section brings together numerous published case studies and examples of how schools and settings have approached curriculum development.

Assessment and progression (YouTube)

Curriculum for wales: towards september 2022: what you need to know and do.

A selection of videos highlighting different schools’ approaches to curriculum design, progression and assessment.

Progression at Ysgol y Strade

Case study featuring Ysgol y Strade, looking at progression, as well as new curriculum elements including description of the school’s introduction of lifelong learning skills.

Bontnewydd Primary School describe their new approach to assessment and progression

The Head and Deputy Head at Ysgol Gynradd Bontnewydd Primary School describe approaches to pupil assessment and progression that they have introduced to work alongside the Curriculum for Wales.

How transition is supporting progression: Fitzalan High School and cluster schools

Supporting materials for transition. This supporting material shows how a range of transition ‘ bridges ’ can support transition arrangements across the 3 to 16 continuum.

How transition arrangements support progression in the Jubilee Park Primary School cluster

Transition arrangements used by the Bassaleg School cluster are described by two primaries in the cluster, Jubilee Park Primary School and Pentrepoeth Primary School. They show how their evolved form of transition supports progression between phases.

How learner review meetings support progression at Jubilee Park Primary School

Learner review meetings at Jubilee Park Primary School take place across the school year, also linking from year to year. They take a broad view of the individual child and support progression within and across years.

Cluster working and transition

Ysgol y wern describes its approach to transition ( welsh only with english subtitles ).

Staff at Ysgol y Wern describe how they prepare learners for High School alongside their cluster partners.

Leaders view: developing curriculum (Welsh only with English subtitles)

Team view: developing curriculum (welsh only with english subtitles).

Ysgol Llanhari share the 3 to 16 school journey of curriculum design. The school share their perspectives from senior and middle leadership on what has helped shape their thinking, including stakeholder engagement to drive their vision for Curriculum for Wales.

Sharing information with parents and carers

Ysgol merllyn - case study on sharing information with parents and carers on learner progression.

Case study on how Ysgol Merllyn, a primary school in Bagillt, Flintshire approaches sharing information on learner progression with parents and carers.

Ysgol Calon Cymru (Secondary) - Case study sharing information with parents and carers on learner progression throughout the school year

Case study on how Ysgol Calon Cymru, a  bilingual secondary comprehensive school with campuses in Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells, Powys, approaches sharing information on learner progression with parents and carers.

Ysgol Min y Ddôl case study (Welsh only with English subtitles)

New case study films: curriculum, transition, assessment and progression.

Even as the curriculum resource review work continues at pace, some great new material is being added. Jubilee Park Primary School describe their approach to transition. Fitzalan school explain their approach to curriculum design, progression, assessment, pupil progress meetings and quality assurance.

Jubilee Park Primary School

Developing our approach to transition at Jubilee Park Primary School.

Fitzalan High School (video 1)

How has curriculum design been developing at Fitzalan High School.

Fitzalan High School (video 2)

Developing a shared understanding of progression at Fitzalan High School.

Fitzalan High School (video 3)

Pupil progress meetings at Fitzalan High School.

Fitzalan High School (video 4)

Developing approaches to assessment at Fitzalan High School.

Fitzalan High School (video 5)

Developing quality assurance processes at Fitzalan High School.

Written case studies

Supporting learner progression.

A selection of written reflections from schools on their approaches to updating parents and carers on learner progress.

Assessment-related professional learning journeys

Gilwern primary: developing purposeful assessment in line with the curriculum for wales.

Through this playlist, in line with the ' supporting learner progression: assessment guidance ’ , Gilwern demonstrate how they aimed to ensure assessment was an ongoing process embedded in their day-to-day practice.

This playlist will guide you through the bespoke activities Glan Usk used with staff and other stakeholders in order to refine their approach to assessment and progression.

Bishop Hedley

Bishop Hedley used three key elements when they considered how to drive improvement in their school. This included:

• curriculum (what is taught and why)
• assessment (success of learning and progression towards this) (slide 8)
• pedagogy (techniques used to deliver the curriculum)

National professional enquiry project (NPEP)

Assessment and progression domain.

This includes a range of schools sharing their experiences while taking part in the NPEP. These experiences could provide you with a helpful reference regarding: how you may wish to develop formative practice; communication/engagement with learners/parents and between learners; collaboration with other schools and transition; and understanding and planning for progression (within your school and across clusters).

Workshops and activities

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School Architecture: 70 Examples in Plan and Section

• Written by María Francisca González
• Published on October 08, 2023

For architects, schools are often complex structures to design. They must provide a variety of spaces for education, and also consider sports and recreational activities. But beyond its size or surface, the greatest challenge is to design an area that fosters a positive pedagogical environment for children. Below, a selection of +70 school projects with their drawings to inspire your proposals for learning campuses.

Lishin Elementary School Library / TALI DESIGN

Ratchut School / Design in Motion

Skovbakke School / CEBRA

Schoolgarden “De Buitenkans” / RO&AD Architecten

Glassell School of Art / Steven Holl Architects

Astronomical Park of Zhenze High School / Specific Architects + Unit Architects

Secondary School in Cabrils / Josep Val Ravell + Arnau Solé Simón

School of Alfa Omega / RAW Architecture

School Extension La Fontaine / LT2A

School in Port / Skop

The French International School of Beijing / Jacques Ferrier Architecture

Fênix / Arquitetura Nacional

Marlborough Primary School / Dixon Jones

Hangzhou Gudun Road Primary School / GLA

Agricultural School Bella Vista / CODE

Daishan Primary School / ZHOU Ling Design Studio

Ivanhoe Grammar Senior Years & Science Centre / McBride Charles Ryan

Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School / Chiangmai Life Construction

Elite English Training School / B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio

Ruyton Girls' School / Woods Bagot

Bio-climatic Preschool / BC architects

BAPS Swaminarayan Girls Residence School / Kapadia Associates

Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School / FAX ARCHITECTS

The Saint George College’s Gymnasium / Gonzalo Mardones V Arquitectos

Oak House High School Building / Trasbordo Arquitectura

Music School / BAROZZI VEIGA

Tjørring School / FRIIS & MOLTKE Architects

Xiashan Primary School / STI Studio from the Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University

Primary School Gartenhof / BUR Architekten

Collège Maxime Javelly / Céline Teddé & Jérôme Apack architectes

Bedales School Art and Design / Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

BuBaO Sint-Lievenspoort / evr-Architecten + Callebaut Architecten

Tiantai No.2 Primary School / LYCS Architecture

Eco Moyo Education Centre- Classroom and Library / The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

Axis Pramiti / The Purple Ink Studio

Akademeia High School in Warsaw / Medusagroup

Primary School La Couyere / Atelier 56S

Schools in Africa and mango trees / WAYAiR Foundation

Copenhagen International School Nordhavn / C.F. Møller

School Campus De Vonk - De Pluim / NL Architects

Simone Veil’s group of schools in Colombes / Dominique Coulon & associés

Blue School Middle School / PellOverton Architects

School Jean-Monnet / Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architects + CDA Architectes

Lycee Schorge Secondary School / Kéré Architecture

Montserrat Vayreda School / BAAS Arquitectura

Tanpo Solar School / Csoma's Room Foundation

COF Outreach Village Primary Schools / Studio FH Architects

St. Nicholas School / aflalo/gasperini arquitetos

Highgate Primary School / iredale pedersen hook architects

Bann Huay San Yaw- Post Disaster School / Vin Varavarn Architects

InsideOut School / Andrea Tabocchini & Francesca Vittorini

Augustinianum / architecten|en|en + Studio Leon Thier

Extension of the Charlie Chaplin School Complex / SAM architecture

School of Arts Calaisis / ARC.AME

Cascade High School Expansion / Neumann Monson Architects

Chiryu Afterschool / MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO

Dos Plátanos School / Murmuro

Min Tu Won School / Orbe Architecture + Estudio Cavernas + INDA + W.E. Wattanachote + Lasavanic

Children Village / Rosenbaum + Aleph Zero

Animo South Los Angeles High School / BROOKS + SCARPA

New Jerusalen de Miñaro Primary School / Semillas

Maria Montessori Mazatlán School / EPArquitectos + Estudio Macías Peredo

120-Division School / WAU Design

Lanka Learning Center / feat.collective

Rehabilitation of an old School for the Flamenco Interpretation Center / García Torrente Arquitectos

Singapore International School of Bangkok - Phase II / Plan Architect

School and Community Center “B³ Gadamerplatz” / Datscha Architekten

School Hoek / ebtca architecten

Hall of Literature & Garden at Taizhou High School / Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT

Rural School Alto del Mercado / Ana Elvira Vélez + Juan B. Echeverri

After-School Care Centre Waldorf School / MONO Architekten

Editor's Note:  This article was originally published on October 14, 2018, and updated on September 14, 2020.

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Behaviour , Dealing with Challenges , Leadership

Behaviour review: a primary school case study.

The Head Teacher of a primary school in the West of England reported that the she was spending too much time responding to a handful of pupils presenting challenging behaviour. Daniel Sobel reflects on his time at the school.

When I visited the school I found that the climate for learning was very positive. Staff relationships with the pupils presenting challenging behaviours were strong, with the warmth they displayed towards them being tangible. The staff are well aware of the needs of the pupils and successful approaches to help them (e.g. the SENCO talked about providing choices to get to a desired outcome for pupils who need to have some sense of control). On the day of the review teachers participated positively in training on Attachment Disorders.

Two of the five pupils who presented the biggest challenges showed me around and were brilliant ambassadors for the school as they spoke so highly about the support they received.

The key question for the school then was this: How to create greater capacity within the staff team to support pupils during crisis (so that the Head Teacher could spend more time focused on raising the attainment of pupils in the school)?

Whilst the school budget was not healthy, the key agreed task for the school was to review the roles and responsibilities of support staff in order to consider developing a pastoral support team approach. This would enable the school to ‘play to strengths’ in the current team and ‘protect’ an element of the Head Teacher’s time.

Our approach to leading behaviour reviews is largely a supportive and positive one because we recognise the demands on teaches and school leaders.

Here’s what we focus on when leading Behaviour Reviews

• What the school is currently doing well;
• Whole school developments, what is happening in classrooms and the extent to which  individual pupils’ needs, interests, aspirations and motivations are accommodated; and
• Devising with the school simple support plans and ways to record the impact of interventions.

Some tips on what to look for

What follows cannot be a definitive list as every school is unique and faces a range of challenges. However, after doing lots of these there are some fairly common themes.

There is often a pattern of behaviour for cohorts and individual pupils. It is a good idea to look for it. Are there times during the week or the day when negative behaviour incidents peak? Are there particular subjects where the difficulties are greatest? Do some teachers find a cohort easier than other teachers? If we can spot this we can learn and share. A little while ago I was in a secondary school speaking to a large number of ‘challenging’ students. I asked them what their favourite subject was. Remarkably most of them said Geography. When I explored further it was the teacher they were talking about. They said he was respectful towards them and never shouted. Incidentally, his results were pretty good too – dispelling the myth that teachers have to be harsh to get the best results.

This leads nicely to the next question: What are the attitudes of the teachers like towards pupils who face the greatest challenges? How do they speak to the pupils? What is their tone? Do they aim to create a positive climate in their classroom? Is the starting point developing and maintaining good relationships with the pupils? The Geography teacher cited above was brilliant at this!

Positive language and tone is so important. I have heard different teachers asking students to remove a cap or take their coat off and get dramatically different results. They use the same words but it is the manner in which it is said and how it is received that is vital. I have seen a simple request escalate into a major incident in seconds because of a negative tone of voice.

Do staff in the school really listen to students about the roots and triggers for their behaviours?

Working on the premise that all behaviour is a form of communication it is important to find out more about it. Crudely, students misbehave for two broad reasons: to get away from something or seek attention. If we can find out more about this the easier it is to help them devise their own coping strategies. It is impossible here to cover all reasons and strategies but take the pupil who is finding the work difficult. Their esteem may be rock bottom and they might feel highly embarrassed about being seen to be not getting it in front of their peers. They will do all they can to get away from the classroom. So, the thing to do here is pitch the learning activity to match their need and level of ability. Another pupil who might have attachment difficulties, and finds the world a frightening and unpredictable place, may try to exert some control of a situation. In this case try to provide some choices for them – not whether to complete the task or not but perhaps where they sit or how they complete the task. For some pupils being offered to write with a pen or a pencil can make a huge difference!

Are there some environmental or organisational aspects that are contributing towards negative behaviour?

How do pupils move around the school? Are there some ‘road blocks’ in places? Are there sight-lines in all social spaces? How ‘kind’ is the environment for pupils who may suffer from ‘sensory overload’ at times due to lots of noise?  Can some pupils leave a lesson a few minutes early in order to avoid situations to help them? I have found a good way of identifying these issues is to take a walk around the school with a pupil and provide them with a rating score system or similar.

Are there plans for the most challenging pupils that set small steps of success for them?

Simple targets and regular rewards can be highly effective especially if they are shared widely and all staff that support the pupil know what the plan is. This is an opportunity to find out from the pupil what their motivations and interests are. Rewards do not need to be big or expensive. I know a pupil who was really keen on his local football team. His reward was not a match day ticket but 10 minutes each day talking with a school administrator (who he had a great relationship with!) who also followed the team.

Is communication with the families of the most challenging pupils positive?

In my experience the last thing families need is a daily call to say their child has been misbehaving. They need to be kept informed of course but try to share the successes rather than the failures. This builds a positive relationship and engages families in the process. Families want to help and they can be key to success.

When pupils have been excluded is there a reduced timetable in place and a clear re-integration plan?

Success is often greatest when pupils can return (even for a single lesson) and experience success. This can breed further success as it can motivate the pupil, the staff and the pupils’ family. Lessons can be built up over time. Listening to the pupil is key here to involve them in the return-to-school process. I wonder if they would like to attend a Geography lesson?

A Framework

Below is a suggested framework to guide your conversations with pupils, staff, leaders and parents. We cover all aspects of a school that influence the behaviour of pupils and create the right ‘conditions for learning’.  

What do we know about schools where they get it right more often than they get it wrong?

• First and foremost they ‘get’ troubled young people. They appreciate that such young people “are distinguished by their regrettable ability to elicit from others exactly the opposite of what they really need”. (L Tobin)
• They work hard at working WITH parents and families!
• Teachers reinforce consequences for the things young people get right as well as when they get it wrong. They help young people understand their responsibilities, make the right decisions and not blame others.
• Their feedback is specific (e.g. you made the right choice there by walking away from that situation, I like the way you asked me for help with that first task in the lesson earlier, etc.). This also helps decision making.
• Staff don’t let troubled young people push their buttons – they maintain control and don’t ‘lose it’. They maintain professional responses rather than emotional ones.
• Teachers use ‘time in’ rather than ‘time out’. Banishing young people may only compound any sense of worthlessness. Imagine how being sent away might affect someone who has already been rejected and abandoned numerous times in their life. The message of keeping them close is that whilst their action is unacceptable they are not.
• During a crisis time staff remind them of when things went well to give them a broader perspective of the situation.
• Staff help young people express their emotions so they don’t have to rely on negative ‘acting out’ behaviour.
• Staff carefully watch and listen to the young people. By doing this schools can predict ‘flash points’ and prevent them.
• Young people are prepared for change and transitions. This reduces stress and anxiety.
• Lessons are suitably differentiated so that learning is matched to needs, interests and aspirations.
• Teachers provide choices to young people. This is not of course whether to complete the task or not but to offer a choice of tasks or ways of doing it.
• Teachers develop and use peer support networks. This benefits all young people with regard to personal development.
• Above all, schools that are successful with the most troubled young people are great at building relationships with them. Students are treated respectfully and are championed.

Michael Purches

Michael Purches has nearly two decades of experience heading special needs schools and has led numerous multi-school projects. Michael heads Inclusion Expert’s Northern Region team.

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• Knowledge Base
• Methodology
• Case Study | Definition, Examples & Methods

Case Study | Definition, Examples & Methods

Published on 5 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 30 January 2023.

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organisation, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating, and understanding different aspects of a research problem .

Table of contents

When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyse the case.

A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.

Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.

You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:

• Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
• Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
• Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
• Open up new directions for future research

Unlike quantitative or experimental research, a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.

If you find yourself aiming to simultaneously investigate and solve an issue, consider conducting action research . As its name suggests, action research conducts research and takes action at the same time, and is highly iterative and flexible. 

However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience, or phenomenon.

While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

• Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
• Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
• Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions

To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.

There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews, observations, and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data .

The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.

In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.

How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis, with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results , and discussion .

Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyse its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).

In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.

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McCombes, S. (2023, January 30). Case Study | Definition, Examples & Methods. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/case-studies/

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Michigan State University

College of osteopathic medicine, msu omm clinic continues to serve, expand 40 years later.

MSU Health Care Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine comes from humble beginnings, but has grown to accommodate a hefty caseload. What started during the 1980s in the basement of Lansing General Hospital’s professional building eventually expanded to the third floor of the hospital. It later moved to MSU’s Clinical Center before settling at its current location at 4660 S. Hagadorn Road, Suite 500.

“The numbers are daunting,” said Reddog Sina, D.O., assistant professor of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, who is board-certified in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (NMM/OMM), and sees patients daily at MSU Health Care OMM. These are busy days at the clinic. In 2023 alone, the clinic had 33,550 appointments. Patients range from newborns to centenarians seeking non-surgical treatment for a wide range of arthrodial and neuromuscular conditions including feeding issues, torticollis, neck pain, back pain, joint and muscle pain, headaches and temporomandibular joint dysfunction (commonly referred to as TMJ).

Through it all, MSU Health Care OMM has stayed true to its mission “to maintain a model of osteopathic medical practice, provide leadership in the transformation and promotion of osteopathic principles, and contribute to osteopathic philosophy’s biological, behavioral and clinical science foundation.”

Medical Practice

After being referred by their primary care providers, patients with wide-ranging conditions seek treatment at MSU Health Care OMM. “Our patients are already under the care of a primary care provider, and we are consulted for our expertise in neuromusculoskeletal medicine,” said J’Aimee Lippert, D.O., who is one of the clinic’s physicians, as well as the interim chair and an associate professor for the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. “We emphasize to patients that maintaining good contact with their primary care provider is important – we value that relationship! When a patient is referred to OMM, it is because of our expertise in the optimal function of the neuromusculoskeletal system.”

Once referred, patients at MSU Health Care OMM receive care that considers more than their signs and symptoms. “Learning OMM teaches trainees to palpate (examine through touch), and osteopathic physicians are the doctors that palpate. Touch is incredibly sensitive, and can be trained to differentiate very different tissue conditions that aren’t obvious by only using observation,” Dr. Sina explained. “We learn to look at our patients through the physical, spiritual and mental approaches to their lives. Our practice helps to integrate those things.”

Educational Outreach

At MSU Health Care OMM, outreach comes in the form of medical education. In addition to undergraduate and D.O. students from MSU, the clinic hosts high school students, visiting undergraduate and medical students and visiting residents. These opportunities demonstrate how osteopathic manipulative medicine works in real patient care. Dr. Lippert noted this experience is especially valuable for students.

“Those students who come to shadow us or do rotations in the clinic really get to see the power – the clinical impact of using our hands. They also have critical opportunities to apply their knowledge in clinical environments during primary care preclerkship courses, throughout clerkship rotations and during extracurricular and cocurricular experiences, such as Student OMM Clinic, Street Medicine and Sports OMT.”

Clinical Research

Doctors at MSU Health Care OMM often publish case studies that contribute to broader research efforts. In a recently published study , for example, Dr. Sina detailed how, in one adult patient experiencing sudden-onset hearing loss from no discernible cause, he used manipulative medicine to open up the patient’s eustachian tube, which connects the ear to the nasopharynx.

In addition to clinical studies, MSU Health Care OMM also produces original projects and quality improvement studies. Of special note is MSU’s Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Clinical Research (CNCR). This lab houses a special treadmill equipped with motion-capture technology to conduct gait research, as well as equipment for concussion research. The CNCR assists researchers in evaluating skeletal motion gait in individuals, which can then be compared to larger populations, such as people with chronic back pain. The lab’s state-of-the-art equipment also makes it a strong candidate for facilitating research partnerships.

Looking Ahead

MSU Health Care OMM is reputed to be the largest OMM clinic in the world. While it carries an impressive caseload, the clinic’s size also measures the fact that the osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal specialty – the doctors who focus on OMM – is among the smallest osteopathic specialties.

“We have the biggest clinic in the country, but as a specialty across the nation, we’re very small,” Dr. Lippert explained. “For many patients, this is all quite novel, and understanding how their body functions can be a new concept.”

Dr. Lippert explained that during an appointment, osteopathic doctors evaluate how a patient’s body moves, identify areas that are moving well and those that are not and connect that information to the patient’s work, hobbies and past experiences. Osteopathic physicians can then use osteopathic manipulative treatment to address areas of concern.

“The very idea that we can use our hands to improve function and mobility, which can help them breathe, circulate, think and perform better, is often a revelation,” said Dr. Lippert. “This message needs to be widely shared. We have a very real opportunity to share what osteopathic medicine contributes to the health of all communities, and we take that obligation and responsibility very seriously.”

The osteopathic medical field is growing. According to the American Osteopathic Association, nearly 149,000 osteopathic physicians were in practice in 2023 , which measured a 30 percent increase since 2018. Today, more than 11 percent of physicians are osteopathic doctors, and 25 percent of all medical students in the U.S. study osteopathic medicine.

Open for enrollment: MSU’s current osteopathic manipulative medicine/treatment (OMM/OMT) clinical studies

• Prospective participants: please contact [email protected]  
• Prospective participants: please contact [email protected]  
• Prospective participants: please contact [email protected]  
• Prospective participants: please contact [email protected]

By E. LaClear

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