Research that reflects real-world massage therapy practice happens where care is delivered: in clinical and community settings rather than in laboratory environments. Hear from researchers as they share current practice-based studies conducted in hospitals and community care settings. Explore how this research translates into meaningful patient outcomes and actionable insights for massage therapists.
- Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) for Chronic Pain - Kathryn Hansen, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC
- Massage Therapy During Chemotherapy Infusion - Christy DiCristofano, BCTMB
- Abdominal Myofascial Release for Pediatric IBS - Tiffany Silliman Cohen, LMT, CPMT, BCTMB; Alain J. Benitez, MD, MSTR; Robin Miccio, MS, LMT, CEIM
The Massage Therapy Foundation’s International Massage Therapy Research Conferences (IMTRC) are designed to bring together an engaged massage therapy-focused community of thought leaders, educators, clinicians, and researchers as well as other allied health practitioners to discuss recently completed and ongoing massage therapy research. This session was originally presented at IMTRC 2025. For more information, please visit the Massage Therapy Foundation.
At the conclusions of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Learn about research in clinic settings
- Learn about research in community settings
- Learn about current research being conducted
- Learn how to engage in clinical research
Kathryn Hansen, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, is the Director of Integrative Health Programming at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt. She received her PhD from Vanderbilt University in Nursing and attended the Boulder College of Massage Therapy. She is an integrative nurse practitioner, health services researcher and massage therapist. She works to improve access to high quality integrative health care through policy, education and research.
Christy DiCristofano, BCTMB, is an oncology massage therapist with 14 years of experience, specializing in palliative care, oncology, and hospice massage. She currently works at City of Hope, building on previous roles at Northwestern/Palos Hospital and University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital. Her passion lies in integrating massage therapy into healthcare settings, particularly infusion therapy, to improve patient well-being and outcomes.
Tiffany Silliman Cohen, LMT, CPMT, BCTMB, is a full-time hospital-based massage therapist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), specializing in pediatric and infant massage. Since 2016, she has focused on advancing pediatric massage therapy both inpatient and in the community. Tiffany trained at Touchstone Healing Arts Massage School in Vermont in 2012 and has since owned and operated her own practice, working with adults and children before going into hospital-based massage work full-time in 2019.
Alain J. Benitez, MD, MSTR, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, and the Director of Clinical Research for the Lustgarten Center for GI Motility at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Benitez’s diverse scientific background includes behavioral and integrative health research, microbiome and metabolomic analysis, and evaluation of bowel motility in children.
Robin Miccio, MS, LMT, CEIM, is a Massage Therapist and the Program Manager of the Integrative Health Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). With over 14 years’ experience in therapeutic massage, Robin has treated a wide range of conditions in both adults and pediatrics. Robin holds a Master of Science in Integrative Health and Wellness and has a passion for further integrating massage into medical settings.
Course Expiration
Please note that you must complete each AMTA online learning course and pass the exam one year from the date of purchase. If you do not complete the course and pass the exam within one year, you will be required to re-purchase the course.
Online courses expire one year from the date of purchase. When a course expires, you will no longer have access to the course materials and will be required to re-purchase the course.
Course Approval Code(s)
LCEU0004839
Copyright
This course contains information that is proprietary. None of the material contained within this course may be used without the express written permission
of AMTA unless otherwise indicated in the course. As a reminder, before practicing any new modalities or techniques, check with your state’s massage therapy
regulatory authority to ensure they are within the state’s defined scope of practice for massage therapy.
Refunds
Online courses are non-refundable. AMTA will not cover fees incurred from duplicate payments, insufficient funds, stopped payments or credit/debit cards over
credit limits.