Selim Sheikh, DO, is a Family Medicine Doctor at the Osher Center at University of Utah. He specializes in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), hands-on modalities used to treat neuromusculoskeletal conditions. 

From a young age, Dr. Sheikh has always believed there must be a better way to provide health care in the U.S. His adolescent experiences at the doctor’s office left him wanting more, and this inspired him to become a doctor. As a Pakistani-Chinese-American, he was aware of millennia-old healing traditions and wanted to honor those traditions and his heritage in his study of medicine. “Modern medicine is quite new compared to the traditional therapies that have been practiced for thousands of years. It would be arrogant to ignore all that wisdom,” said Dr. Sheikh.  

Dr. Sheikh appreciates practicing a minimalist, low-tech approach to medicine. “There is a misconception that if you’re working with your hands, you’re not a ‘real doctor,’” said Dr. Sheikh. But his clinical approach involves taking medical history, reviewing medications, discussing lifestyle changes, and more. 

“If you were to take away all the ‘modern tools’ of medicine, with my hands and my eyes and by listening to the patient, I can diagnose and provide treatment. If we were stranded in the woods, I could help them,” said Dr. Sheikh. “This approach to medicine is timeless. As long as human bodies are still human bodies, we can still do something to help people.” 

Dr. Sheikh is co-presenting with Ben Smith, LMT, at the 2025 Osher Collaborative Virtual Symposium, “Reimaging Your Health Journey with Integrative Care,” on Friday, October 24. Their presentation, “How Can Manual Therapy Help with Chronic Pain?” will cover how massage therapy and osteopathic manipulative treatment are helping patients feel instant and lasting pain relief without the use of opiates.  

“Being a part of the Collaborative is like tapping into an overflowing well of expertise and experience,” said Dr. Sheikh. “If I’m trying to improve some area of clinical care, there’s a good chance someone else has already done it. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”