The Jerome F. McAndrews, DC, Memorial Research Fund was created by the NCMIC Foundation to honor Dr. McAndrews’ longtime support of the scientific and practical advancement of the study of chiropractic. It provides an award to a worthy research recipient who has demonstrated exceptional ability to:
- Advance research and the exchange of scientific information
- Promote high ethical standards in research and/or practice
- Contribute to practical applications to chiropractic practice
- Interact professionally with other individuals and groups involved in relevant research and application
The Jerome F. McAndrews, DC, Memorial Research Fund Pioneer Award, recognizes veteran researchers who have left a mark on the chiropractic profession through their research. This year’s winners include:
- Scott Haldeman, DC, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), FCCS(C), FAAN, is clinical professor in the Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, and visiting professor at Southern California University of Health Sciences.
Dr. Haldeman is the founder and president of World Spine Care, a non-profit organization endorsed by the Decade of the Bone and Joint, an initiative of the WHO, helping people in underserved regions of the world who suffer from spinal disorders. He is past president of the North American Spine Society, the American Back Society, and the North American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. He served on the executive council of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and was appointed International Ambassador for the Decade of the Bone and Joint. He currently chairs the Global Spine Care Initiative to develop evidence-informed, practical, and sustainable, spine health care models for communities around the world.
- Gert Bronfort, DC, PhD, is a professor in the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Research Program at the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. Dr. Bronfort has been a leader in research investigating conservative and integrative care for disabling and costly musculoskeletal pain conditions and has formed numerous regional, national and international partnerships to conduct innovative, high-impact, patient-oriented research. He has led numerous federally funded randomized clinical trials investigating manual therapies, exercise and self-care and has authored several high-profile systematic reviews. Dr. Bronfort is a longstanding and active member of the Cochrane Collaboration’s Low Back Pain Editorial Group as well as the Cervical Overview Group. He has served on several national and international committees including the advisory council for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the World Health Organization and the US Health Resources and Services Administration’s Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages.
- Roni Evans, DC, MS, PhD, is the director and an associate professor in the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Research Program at the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. Dr. Evans is a clinical research scientist whose work has been largely in the area of comparative effectiveness research, investigating non-drug approaches for individuals struggling with musculoskeletal pain, including manual therapies, exercise, self-management and other complementary and integrative approaches. She has been an investigator of several randomized clinical trials funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Her current research focuses on facilitating health and wellbeing behaviors, including physical activity and pain self-management with an emphasis on engaging populations typically underrepresented in complementary and integrative health research.
She is currently the principal investigator of a NCCIH funded community-based study examining a behavioral based mindfulness intervention for mid-to-older age adults and is also the co-investigator responsible for the design and development of integrated supported self-management approach in the PACBACK trial, one of the largest clinical studies of acute low back pain to date. Dr. Evans is also an active mentor for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students interested in pursuing a research career in complementary and integrative therapies, pain management and healthy behaviors. She currently serves on the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health.
The Jerome F. McAndrews, DC, Memorial Research Fund Award is given to a rising star in the profession who has demonstrated their dedication to furthering the profession. This year’s winner was:
- Stephanie Sullivan, DC, serves as the director of the Life University Dr. Sid E. Williams Center for Chiropractic Research (CCR). Her responsibilities include mission driven leadership and advancement of the CCR, research compliance, and the conduct of chiropractic research. Utilizing her background in banking, marketing, and management Dr. Sullivan has worked to increase the number of research projects conducted at Life University as well as raise the rigor of studies to include high-impact clinical trials. Dr. Sullivan is also a neuroscience Ph.D. graduate of the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute at the University of Georgia. Her research focus includes development of the Well-being and Health Expression Evaluation List (WHEEL), sensory gating, cognitive efficiency and the effect of chiropractic and applied clinical neuroscience care on brain-body neuroplasticity.
Dr. Wayne Wolfson, president of NCMIC, said Drs. Haldeman, Bronfort, Evans and Sullivan represent the best of the best in the profession, and each deserves to be recognized for their contributions.
“As the profession continues to grow, and as research continues to shine a light on the effectiveness, safety and cost efficiency of chiropractic and alternative health care methods, we are proud to see the development of the kind of leaders who are taking chiropractic to the next level,” said Dr. Wolfson. “Drs. Haldeman, Bronfort and Evans have shown us that years of hard work and dedication to furthering chiropractic can yield incredible results, and DCs like Dr. Sullivan demonstrate where we’re headed. All four of these individuals are deserving of the McAndrews Award and we’re pleased to welcome them to an elite group of past McAndrews Award winners.”
About NCMIC
NCMIC was formed in 1946 by a group of doctors of chiropractic with the express purpose of offering malpractice insurance to DCs when no one else would. Delivering on its promise, “We Take Care of Our Own, ®[1]” NCMIC has grown to become the largest provider of chiropractic malpractice insurance in the nation and has expanded its offerings to include business and personal insurance, equipment loans, credit card processing, business credit cards, and premium financing. With more than 75 years of experience and an “A” (Excellent) rating from industry analyst A.M. Best[2], NCMIC is a company that DCs can rely on today and in the years to come. For more information, please visit ncmic.com.
[1] “We Take Care of Our Own” is a registered service mark of NCMIC Group, Inc., and NCMIC Risk Retention Group, Inc.
[2] Industry Analyst A.M. Best ratings range from A++ to S. See www.ambest.com.
