March 21, 2017—The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) presented its 2017 Annual Awards during its annual House of Delegates meeting last week in Washington, D.C. ACA’s Annual Awards are presented to chiropractors and other individuals in recognition of exceptional service, achievement and/or leadership to the chiropractic profession.
“ACA’s Award recipients have made significant contributions that will yield benefits to the profession and the patients it serves for many years to come,” said David A. Herd, ACA president, DC. “These awards celebrate individuals who exemplify all of the principles of great leadership and dedication to chiropractic.”
The association’s highest honor, the Chiropractor of the Year Award, was presented to Anthony Lisi, DC, director of chiropractic services for the Veterans Health Administration. He is also associate professor of clinical sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic and assistant clinical professor at the Yale Center for Medical Informatics. Lisi was instrumental in the establishment and implementation of the first federally funded chiropractic residency training program in the VA. The residencies, now in their second year, provide chiropractic graduates with advanced clinical training in complex cases, knowledge of hospital practice, policies and procedures, and opportunities to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in team care.
Scott Haldeman, DC, MD, PhD, clinical professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of California-Irvine, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. In addition to his groundbreaking work in chiropractic research and guidelines development for conditions such as low back pain and neck pain, Dr. Haldeman founded the non-profit World Spine Care organization in 2008 to bring sustainable, integrated and evidence-based spinal care to underserved parts of the world. The group aims to create a world in which everyone has access to the highest quality spine care possible.
Other 2017 ACA Annual Award recipients include:
• Timothy Stark, DC, MPhil, Director of the Human Performance Center at Northwestern Health Sciences University, of Bloomington, Minn.: Academician of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual for his efforts in advancing the profession through academic or educational excellence.
• Jan Hartvigsen, DC, PhD, Head of Research in the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark and Senior Researcher at the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics: Researcher of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual for developing, refining and/or expanding the body of knowledge in chiropractic.
• Michael Jacklitch, DC, of Wahpeton, N.D.: Delegate of the Year Award, and Thomas Augat, DC, of Brunswick, Maine: Alternate Delegate of the Year Award. Both awards recognize exceptional service, achievement and/or leadership to the profession, as well as exemplary membership recruitment and communication efforts.
• Kathy Boulet, DC, of Lewiston, Maine: Flynn-Lynch Award, which recognizes an outstanding member of the ACA Council of Delegates with no more than five years experience on the Council.
