The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) presented its 2025 Annual Awards last week during its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The awards recognized doctors of chiropractic and other individuals for their exceptional service, achievement and leadership within the chiropractic profession.
Marcus Nynas, DC, of Billings, Montana, received ACA’s highest honor, the Chiropractor of the Year Award, for his service to the chiropractic profession through leadership and involvement in critical policy areas such as Medicare and payer equity. Nynas, who was elected ACA president on January 25, served as ACA vice president since 2023. He previously served as the association’s Montana delegate for nine years and chaired both ACA’s Payment Policy Committee and Medicare Advisory Board, working to improve payer relations and patient access to chiropractic services.
Chiropractic military spouses were collectively recognized this year with the Humanitarian of the Year Award. These individuals, despite challenges inherent to military life, have pursued their chiropractic careers while their spouses serve on active duty worldwide. Chiropractic military spouses often fill an essential gap in care for members of the military and their families. In addition to volunteer work at the request of their spouse’s command, many have officially approved home-based businesses within their on-base housing while others have participated in healthcare research on military bases.
William Reed, DC, PhD, of Birmingham, Alabama, received the George B. McClelland Researcher of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals for developing, refining and expanding the body of knowledge in chiropractic. Through the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he is director of the PhD program in rehabilitation science, Reed serves as principal investigator for an NIH-funded Force-Based Manipulations Research Network (FORCENet), a multidisciplinary effort to advance understanding of how forces such as those used in spinal manipulation can be optimized for better patient outcomes.
Michael Schneider, DC, PhD, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received the Academician of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual for advancing the profession through academic or educational excellence. Schneider is a researcher and professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He played a key role in developing the school’s new Doctor of Chiropractic program—the first of its kind at a research-intensive public university—and will serve as its director while leading chiropractic research and postdoctoral researchers.
David Paris, DC, MS, DACRB, of Redding, California, and Kathryn Kennedy, DC, of South Burlington, Vermont, received the Delegate and Alternate Delegate of the Year Awards, respectively. Both awards recognize members of the ACA House of Delegates who have demonstrated exceptional service, achievement and leadership.
Mia R. Ortega, DC, DIANM, MAEd, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, received the Flynn-Lynch Award, which recognizes an outstanding member with no more than five years of experience serving in the House of Delegates.
About the American Chiropractic Association
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is the largest professional chiropractic organization in the United States. ACA attracts the most principled and accomplished doctors of chiropractic, who understand that it takes more to be called an ACA chiropractor. The organization leads the profession by collaborating with other healthcare professionals, lobbying for pro-chiropractic legislation and policies, supporting meaningful research and using that research to inform treatment practices. ACA also provides professional and educational opportunities for its members and is committed to being a positive and unifying force for modern chiropractic. Visit acatoday.org.
