American Chiropractic Association announces 2021 Annual Awards winners

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) presented its 2021 Annual Awards last week during its annual meeting, ACA Engage, recognizing chiropractors and other individuals for their exceptional service, achievement and/or leadership within the chiropractic profession.

ACA’s highest honor, the Chiropractor of the Year Award, was presented to Karen Konarski-Hart, DC, of Little Rock, Ark. Konarski-Hart has served in ACA leadership for more than 20 years, completing a total of nine years on the association’s board of governors. In addition to her participation on key committees focusing on public health, diversity, Medicare and policy review, among others, she has worked tirelessly to advance the chiropractic profession in the area of disaster relief and readiness on both the state and national levels by lecturing and training chiropractic physicians for emergency response.

The Carr Family of Beadle County, S.D., collectively received ACA’s Humanitarian of the Year Award for stepping up as leaders in their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three members of the family were appointed as medical directors to the Beadle County COVID-19 Task Force early in the pandemic, leading to the family’s participation in establishing a call center and drive-through testing site in their community. The Carr family practice includes doctors Joe, Wayne, John, Josh and Taylor Carr, and associate Scott Hartung.

Daniel Haun, DC, of Chesterfield, Mo., received the Academician of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals for their efforts to advance the profession through academic or educational excellence. He is director of resident and fellow education, an assistant professor, and faculty member of the Department of Radiology at Logan University College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Mo.

Kenneth A. Weber, II, DC, PhD, of Palo Alto, Calif., received the George B. McClelland Researcher of the Year Award, recognizing an individual for developing, refining and/or expanding the body of knowledge in chiropractic. Weber is a postdoctoral researcher and instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. He also teaches in the Department of Neuroscience and Clinical Neuroscience at Parker University in Dallas, Texas.

Margaret Freihaut, DC, of Fenton, Mo., received the Delegate of the Year Award, and Sam Mark, DC of Scottsbluff, Neb., received the Alternate Delegate of the Year Award. Both awards recognize members of the ACA House of Delegates who have demonstrated exceptional service, achievement and/or leadership.

Daniel Schatzberg, DC, of Media, Pa., received the Flynn-Lynch Award, which recognizes an outstanding member with no more than five years of experience serving in the house of delegates.

ACA Engage is the premier national conference for doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic assistants and students. It has a long history of bringing together industry leaders from all across the country to meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill and advance pro-chiropractic legislation. The conference also features a robust education program (CE credits available), speeches from respected thought leaders and panel discussions that delve into topics of importance to the chiropractic profession.

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 chiropractors, who understand that it takes more to be called an ACA chiropractor. We are leading our profession in the most constructive and far-reaching ways — by working hand in hand with other health care professionals, by lobbying for pro-chiropractic legislation and policies, by supporting meaningful research and by using that research to inform our treatment practices. We also provide professional and educational opportunities for all our members and are committed to being a positive and unifying force for the practice of modern chiropractic. To learn more, visit acatoday.org.