The NCMIC Foundation has named four individuals as the 2024 winners of the George P. and Jerome F. McAndrews Memorial Research Fund Award.
The awards were presented to Drs. Ian Coulter, Miron Stano, Cynthia Long, and Katherine Pohlman at the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Educational and Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC), held March 21-23, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego, California, noted a NCMIC press release.
The George P. and Jerome F. McAndrews Memorial Research Fund was created by the NCMIC Foundation to honor the McAndrews brothers’ longtime support of the scientific and practical advancement of the study of chiropractic. It provides 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 George P. McAndrews, JD and Jerome F. McAndrews, DC Pioneer Memorial Research Award recognizes veteran researchers who have left a mark on the chiropractic profession through their research. This year’s winners include:
Ian Coulter, PhD, is co-director of the RAND Research Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Center, a senior health policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, professor emeritus at UCLA, and a research professor at the Southern California University of Health Sciences. He has more than 40 years of experience conducting both qualitative and quantitative research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and integrative medicine (IM) and has published over 200 articles and books. Recent NIH grants include the context effects on the health encounter, a Center of Excellence grant to study the appropriateness of care in CAM, a grant to study the use of Crowdsourcing with CAM patients, a DoD grant to conduct comparative effectiveness trials of chiropractic in military facilities and evaluation of the creation, implementation, and evaluation of health policies in Health Affairs. Coulter was successful in securing a gift to create the endowed RAND/Samueli Chair in Integrative Medicine and a gift to establish the RAND Center for Collaborative Research in Complementary and Integrative Health.
Coulter holds a doctorate in sociology from the London School of Economics & Political Science, and a master’s and bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Canterbury. He also received an honorary doctorate in humanities from the Southern California University of Health Sciences; was a Pew Fellow at the RAND/UCLA Center for Health Policy Study from which he received a certificate in health policy analysis; and has a diploma in educational management from the Institute of Educational Management, Harvard University.
Miron Stano, PhD, conducts research in managed care, the professional services market, and cost evaluation. His research has been supported by the Health Care Financing Administration, the Health Resources Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Michigan Health Care Education and Research Foundation. His article, “Individual Health Accounts: An Alternative Health Care Financing Approach,” (Health Care Financing Review, 1981) introduced the concept of medical savings accounts. Other publications include The Economics of Health and Health Care, 7th edition (Prentice-Hall, 2013) co-authored with S. Folland and A. Goodman, and many articles in journals such as the RAND Journal of Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Journal of Human Resources, Economics Letters, Medical Care, Inquiry, Health Policy, American Journal of Managed Care, and Journal of Health Policy, Politics and Law. Stano served as associate editor of the American Journal of Managed Care and as a research consultant to various organizations including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, Wayne State University School of Medicine, and the U.S. General Accounting Office. He has also served as an expert witness in antitrust cases involving the healthcare professions.
Cynthia Long, PhD, PStat, is a professor and dean of research at Palmer College of Chiropractic, and director of the Office of Data Management & Biostatistics at the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research. Long holds a master’s degree in statistics, and a doctorate in biostatistics, and is an accredited professional statistician. She has more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles, serves on NIH Special Emphasis Panels and editorial boards of several journals, is co-director of the Inter-Institutional Network for Chiropractic Research, serves as a research advisory board member of the RAND REACH Center, and recently completed a three-year term as an elected member of the American Statistical Association board of directors.
The George P. McAndrews, JD and Jerome F. McAndrews, DC Memorial Research Award is given to a rising star in the profession who has demonstrated their dedication to furthering the profession. This year’s winner was:
Katherine (Katie) Pohlman, DC, MS, PhD, is the director of research at Parker University and an inaugural fellow of the Chiropractic Academy of Research and Leadership (CARL) program. She is the current vice president of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Council on Women’s Health and has served as vice president of the ACA’s Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics. Pohlman received her Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree and master’s in clinical research from Palmer College of Chiropractic and her doctorate in pediatrics from the University of Alberta.
Pohlman joined Parker University in 2015 with nine years of prior experience as a research manager and scientist, including being the first project manager for the Palmer Center of Chiropractic Research. In that position, she managed several federally-funded research studies, including the largest randomized controlled trial in the military for chiropractic, which was awarded by the Department of Defense. As lead study coordinator, Pohlman also has directed the world’s largest study evaluating patient safety among spinal manipulation therapy providers, which comprised a series of projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her research interests have focused not only on study methodology, but also on the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care in special populations including individuals suffering from chronic pain, children, and pregnant/post-partum women.
Wayne Wolfson, DC, president of NCMIC, said Coulter, Stano, Long and Pohlman represent the best of the best in their fields, and each deserves to be recognized for their significant contributions to the advancement of chiropractic.
“Chiropractic care thrives on a foundation of progress, and that progress is built by the tireless efforts of researchers like Drs. Coulter, Stano, Long, and Pohlman,” said Wolfson. “Through their hard work and dedication, we can continue to refine our practice, validate our techniques, and secure chiropractic’s rightful place as a pillar of modern health care. The NCMIC Foundation is proud to recognize them with the McAndrews Award and to welcome them to an elite group of past winners.”
