Pinnacles of Excellence, 2012

Across our nation, health care has been a major consideration this past
year, encountering scrutiny on provincial and national levels.

Across our nation, health care has been a major consideration this past year, encountering scrutiny on provincial and national levels. In the midst of this – perhaps because of it – the profession of chiropractic continues to grow, expanding its utility and scope of relevance through research and education initiatives while individual clinicians ramp up their exposure within their own communities, and beyond, through national and international involvement in outreach initiatives, elite athletic events and much more.

Also competing at the Olympics this year was Toronto chiropractor Dr. Josh Binstock.  He and his partner, Martin Reader (right), are shown here. Advertisement

Once again, the achievements and efforts of chiropractors in Canada are too numerous to mention, but with the help of our partners, friends and readership, Canadian Chiropractor brings you a cross-section – if not a comprehensive listing – of the best and the brightest of 2012 with our annual Pinnacles of Excellence. This is our way of recognizing the accomplishments of the profession and of individual DCs in Canada over the past year, and of saying congratulations, not only to the individuals and groups on this list, but also to all of you for your roles in bringing chiropractic to as many Canadians, and peoples of other countries, as possible. 

DR. ALLAN GOTLIB AND THE ORDER OF CANADA
Garnering, by far, the biggest response and the most comments from those we polled is Dr. Allan Gotlib’s appointment, in June 2012, as a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of research in the chiropractic profession and to interprofessional integration.

Dr. Allan Gotlib, DC

Allan Gotlib, DC, is a graduate of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) and was a practising chiropractor in Toronto for a number of years. He became the editor of the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association (JCCA). He is also the Director of Research Programs for the Canadian Chiropractic Association and the Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF). Dr. Gotlib’s dedication to furthering research and interprofessional collaborative efforts for the profession of chiropractic has fuelled his efforts to establish chiropractic research chairs in major universities in every province across the country. Because of this, DCs have been able to realize new and previously unfathomed opportunities to develop and disseminate health knowledge to benefit the health of all Canadians.

Over the years, Dr. Gotlib has received many provincial and national awards for his work within, and on behalf of, the profession, and he considers this latest achievement an extraordinary privilege. He says, “Canada gives its citizens one of the world’s most precious gifts – freedom! I am also thankful to all of my colleagues, chiropractic organizations, government agencies and universities that I have worked with over the years. And I want to thank our most precious assets – our researchers! They should be continually acknowledged and cherished for their steadfast commitment to our profession!”

This Pinnacle was submitted by a number of DCs, but credit goes to Dr. Don Nixdorf of Richmond British Columbia, and Mohamed El-Bayoumi, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, for simultaneously being the first to do so.

AN OLYMPIC MEDAL?  NOT TOO SHABBY!
Congratulations goes to  Melissa Tancredi for her role on the Canadian woman’s soccer team that took Bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London England!

Melissa Tancredi

Tancredi is also a chiropractic student – she is completing her studies at Logan College of Chiropractic. She has plans to practise in Canada, specializing in working with elite athletes. 

“I would like to emphasize,” Tancredi told Canadian Chiropractor in an interview featured in the October issue, “that chiropractic is highly respected and has a very strong impact on athletes in every level of sport.  I’m pursuing this field because I believe it is a true honour to be able to positively affect the lives of people through the implementation of a balanced, drug-free, healthy lifestyle.”

Thank you to Dr. Anthony Lombardi of Hamilton, Ontario, for submitting this Pinnacle.

PROVINCIAL GROUPS AND INTRA-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION
Three provincial chiropractic associations have come together this year to bring important messaging to the public.  

The British Columbia Chiropractic Association and WorkSafe BC have teamed up with the Chiropractors Association of Saskatchewan (CAS) and WorkSafe Saskatchewan as well as with the Manitoba Chiropractic Association, Workplace Safety and Health Division (WSHD), and the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) to extend the impact of the BCCA’s successful Think Twice, Lift Once campaign to the public in these provinces. 

Lori Foster, executive director of the CAS, says, “This unique partnership allows provincial chiropractors’ associations, such as the CAS, that could not afford to develop and distribute the advertisement and other materials on our own, to run a highly effective public relations campaign province-wide. Through this partnership the important safety message promoted in the campaign receives wider coverage, and chiropractors, who are portrayed as experts concerned about safety, receive excellent public relations.”

MCA president, Dr. John Toth, notes, “The MCA received a tremendous response from both consumers and members. The program also helped to strengthen the relationship between the MCA and the WCB as they were able to promote Manitoba Chiropractors as one of their SAFE Momentum partners.”

This groundbreaking collaboration amongst provincial chiropractic associations signals a unity within the profession with respect to public messaging. Look for details of this teamwork amongst provinces in the next issue of Canadian Chiropractor!

Thanks go to Dr. John Toth of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Lori Foster of Regina, Saskatchewan, for submitting this Pinnacle.

CHIROPRACTIC RESEARCH CHAIRS IN CANADA
In 2012, three research professorships came on-stream in Canadian universities. These were at the University of Toronto, McGill University and Queen’s University, and represent a tremendous and unparalleled advancement for the profession! All three professorships are funded through partnerships between the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF) and the respective universities. 

Dr. Carlo Ammendolia
Dr. André Bussières

The University of Toronto awarded its CCRF Professorship in Spine, which has its home in the university’s Faculty of Medicine, to Dr. Carlo Ammendolia, DC, PhD. The University of Toronto is Canada’s largest university, and is recognized as a global leader in research and teaching. Dr. Carlo Ammendolia is a clinical epidemiologist and assistant professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and is also director of the Chiropractic Spine Clinic at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital in the Rebecca MacDonald Centre for Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases, where patients have direct access to chiropractic services in the hospital setting.

McGill University, also one of Canada’s leading universities, awarded the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation Professorship in Rehabilitation Epidemiology to Dr. André Bussières this year. The new McGill CCRF Research Professorship in Rehabilitation Epidemiology will have its home in the Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Bussières is near completion of his PhD training in population health at the University of Ottawa. His PhD research thesis focuses on knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) of clinical practice guidelines, and the overall goal of his thesis project is to establish a scientific rationale for interventions to translate research findings into clinical practice. He serves as a member of the JCCA Editorial Board and has written over 20 scientific and clinical articles and three book chapters. In addition, he was the principal investigator of three diagnostic imaging practice guidelines for musculoskeletal complaints in adults. Dr. Bussières was the recipient of the 2009 CCA Young Investigator Award, and has won a prestigious CIHR Fellowship Award in the Area of Primary Care, as well as the distinguished KT Canada Fellowship Award. He is also a full professor at the Université du Québec  à Trois-Rivières (UQTR).

The Queen’s University CCRF Research Professorship in Rehabilitation Therapy has its home in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy and is in the process of recruiting for the new Professorship.

Thanks go to Dr. Allan Gotlib for being the first to submit these Pinnacles of Excellence.

RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PARTNERSHIPS
The quest to expand the profession’s research and interprofessional initiatives is not limited to the CCRF’s groundbreaking work. 

Research at CMCC has taken on new levels of excellence in 2012.

In 2012, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $933,655 RO1 grant (their highest level of grant and the third NIH grant CMCC has received in five years) to CMCC researchers Drs. Howie Vernon, Jay Triano and Tony Tibbles. Their study aims to establish a manipulation control that will provide a baseline against which treatment outcomes may be measured.

 Also this past year, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and CMCC have established a joint research centre, the UOIT-CMCC Centre for the Study of Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, located at CMCC (CMCC’s third research centre). Dr. Pierre Côté is director of the centre, which is supported in part by a $2.8 million grant from the Ministry of Finance, Financial Services Commission of Ontario, to develop a Minor Injury Treatment Protocol.

Thank you to Dr. Jean Moss of Toronto, Ontario, for submitting these Pinnacles.

As if this weren’t enough, based on the success of CMCC’s original involvement at St. Michael’s Hospital, the school was invited, and has joined, the Academic Family Health Team (AFHT) at St. Mike’s. Under the new model, chiropractic interns work alongside physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, dietitians, social workers, primary care pharmacists and dentists. The AFHT model is one of four models presented to a joint health ministers’ conference as a potential model to be used across the country.

Thank you to Dr. Douglas Brown, also of Toronto, for being the first to submit this excellent Pinnacle.

MORE ON DCs AT THE OLYMPICS
Melissa Tancredi was not the only Canadian chiropractor competing at the Olympics in 2012.  Dr. Josh Binstock of Toronto (see photo on page 9) competed in the men’s beach volleyball events as a member of the Canadian Volleyball team.  He and his partner, Martin Reader, beat last year’s Canadian beach volleyball champions in a two-set match in front of a jammed Ashbridges Bay crowd in Toronto to realize the dream of playing in the Summer Olympic Games. 

Left to right: Strength coach Charles Castonguay, taekwondo athlete François Coulombe-Fortier and Dr. Nadia Richer.

Thank you to Dr. Gus Tsiapalis of Vaughan, Ontario, for submitting this Pinnacle.

Dr. Nadia Richer of Quebec City, Quebec (see photo on page 10), a 2001 graduate of the chiropractic program and 2004 masters of science in kinesiology at the UQTR, realized the dream of living her passion for sport chiropractic at the highest possible level. She was invited to be the chiropractor for the Canadian Olympic taekwondo team and proceeded to build around the athletes a multidisciplinary team consisting of a trainer, sport psychologist, strength coach and DC.

“Our little team was very well supported by the Canadian medical team,” notes Dr. Richer, “offering assistance at each step to make sure everything was perfect. I also offered my chiropractic skills while at the village and was able to help other Canadian athletes seeking chiropractic care. From LOCOG volunteers to other Canadian fellows, everyone was radiating excellence. That burst of energy will stay with me for a long time!”

Thanks for this Pinnacle go to Dr. Nadia Richer of Quebec City, Quebec, for submitting this Pinnacle.

Canadian Chiropractor congratulates all DCs who participated in the summer Olympic Games in London this past year! 

ON THE WEB
Chiropractors in Canada have been instrumental in establishing two landmark websites that went live in 2012.

Doctored debuted in Canada on Nov. 29.

The CCRF introduced its new website , bringing information about the chiropractic research chairs and professorships established through the work and support of the CCRF as well as other CCRF research activities by DCs across Canada. Visitors can also find information on the various research projects being carried out in world-class flagship research centres at universities across the country.

Kudos also, to Dr. Deborah Kopansky-Giles for her leadership role in the World Spine Day initiative, which included developing a website that also went live this year. In her June 2012 report to the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), Dr. Kopansky-Giles wrote that “the BJD has invited the profession of chiropractic . . . to assist in the development of a new World Spine Day (WSD) website and a toolkit containing resource materials.” She also noted, “The hope is for the website to be a resource for BJD National Action Networks (NANs) and other organizations and will include a toolkit with activities, educational resources and press releases – contributed by chiropractors – which can be used when planning and promoting WSD activities in your respective countries and world regions.” This initiative puts chiropractors in a leading role and recognizes them internationally as experts in spine health. To view the website, please visit www.worldspineday.org .

Thanks go to David Chapman-Smith of Toronto, Ontario, for submitting this Pinnacle of Excellence.

LIGHTS, CAMERA . . . DOCTORED?
2012 marks the release in theatres of the movie, Doctored, an informative documentary that highlights the struggles and benefits of chiropractic in health care today and throughout its history. 

Having had its premiere in New York City on September 21, the movie, directed by Jeff Hayes, features a number of Canadian DCs, including Dr. James Chestnut, as well as prominent chiropractic figures, such as David Chapman-Smith, from across the country. The movie’s Canadian premiere was on November 29 in Ottawa. For more information, including up-to-date screening locations and ticket sales, please visit www.doctoredthemovie.com .
Thanks for this Pinnacle goes to Dr. Gilles LaMarche, originally Canadian, and currently of Dallas, Texas.