Tom Oswald, University Relations, (517) 355-2281 or oswald@msu.edu
11/11/2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Jason Woolley, a former Michigan State University hockey player who now plays for the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres, has donated $115,000 to the university's College of Osteopathic Medicine to be used to fund a unique laboratory.
The gift supports the college's Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Laboratory, a newly opened facility that gives medical students the opportunity to hone their osteopathic manipulative medicine skills.
Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) is a hands-on procedure that is used by osteopathic physicians to diagnose, treat or even prevent illness. By manipulating the body's musculoskeletal system, and the use of other conventional methods, the physician is able to deal with any numbers of injuries and illnesses.
The gift from Woolley and his wife, Danica, was given in appreciation of the "compassion and professional care" Woolley received from Lynn Brumm, a retired professor in the college's Department of Family and Community Medicine who treated him and several of his Buffalo Sabres teammates for a variety of hockey-related injuries.
As a Spartan hockey player and throughout much of his professional career, Woolley, like many players, has suffered a number of injuries, including some that were considered career threatening.
In a 1999 interview with The Toronto Sun newspaper, Woolley said of Brumm: "The doctor is unbelievable. Seven years ago when I was at Michigan State I suffered a torn abdominal muscle. I thought my career was in jeopardy. That wasn't the case, thanks to Dr. Brumm."
A defenseman, Woolley played for MSU from 1989 through 1991 and was a member of the Spartans' 1990 Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship team. From 1991 through 1992 he was a member of Team Canada.
Before coming to Buffalo in 1997, Woolley played for Pittsburgh, Florida and Washington.
The OMM facility includes a number of improvements for the teaching of osteopathic manipulative medicine, including electronic treatment tables, Internet access, under-floor wiring and the ability to project digital slides, video and audio.
The lab also can be used as a videoconferencing center for teaching manual medicine to students and physicians in other locations.