NCMIC Foundation recognizes McAndrews Award winners

On March 27, the NCMIC Foundation named three 2025 winners of the George P. McAndrews, JD, and Jerome F. McAndrews, DC, Memorial Research Fund Award: Ryan Burdick, Michele Maiers and Peter Wayne.

NCMIC officials presented the awards at the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Educational and Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC), held March 20-22 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Who are the McAndrews brothers?

The NCMIC Foundation created the George P. and Jerome F. McAndrews Memorial Research Fund to honor the McAndrews brothers’ longtime support of the scientific and practical advancement of the study of chiropractic. The award recognizes 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 in chiropractic practice
Interact professionally with other individuals and groups involved in relevant research and application

The Pioneer Award

The George P. and Jerome F. McAndrews 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:

Michele Maiers – Memorial Research Fund Award

Michele Maiers serves as the Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) in Bloomington, Minnesota. In this capacity, she teaches courses such as “Doctoral Seminar I: Research” and focuses her research on nonpharmacological interventions for musculoskeletal conditions, particularly in the context of healthy aging. Her work emphasizes spinal manipulation, exercise, and self-care strategies aimed at improving back pain and overall well-being in older adults.

Beyond her roles at NWHSU, Maiers is a codirector at the RAND Corporation’s Center for Collaborative Research in Complementary and Integrative Health, where she facilitates research activities across various institutions and develops strategies to advance the center’s mission.

Additionally, she has served as president of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). In recognition of her contributions, the ACA established the Michele Maiers NextGen Member of the Year Award to honor early-career DCs who demonstrate professional leadership.

Ryan Burdick, DC – Memorial Research Fund Award

Ryan Burdick, DC, currently works as an independent research consultant and grant writer for organizations or institutions aiming to improve the health of their communities through the opioid settlement fund.

He coauthored the RAND Corporation’s publication “Alternatives to Opioids: A Missing Piece of the Strategy.” He has additional experience in healthcare policy at the local and federal levels. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University’s School of Medicine, where he focused on analyzing musculoskeletal pain disorder cases in the US healthcare system, including the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Burdick holds a doctor of chiropractic degree from Cleveland University–Kansas City.

Peter Wayne – Pioneer Award

Peter Wayne is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, serving as director of research for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and currently as Interim Center Director. His research focuses on the clinical impact of mind-body and integrative medicine practices on chronic health conditions, exploring their physiological and psychological mechanisms. He has been a principal or coinvestigator on more than 25 National Institutes of Health-funded studies, contributing to clinical trials on tai chi for balance disorders, heart failure, osteoporosis and depression, as well as acupuncture for stroke-related paralysis, hypertension and cancer treatment side effects.

With more than 40 years of experience in tai chi and mind-body practices, Wayne has played a key role in developing reliable integrative medicine interventions for clinical trials. He authored The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi (2013), which received an Award of Excellence in Medical Communication. Additionally, he is deeply committed to education and mentorship, serving as Associate Director for the NIH-funded Harvard Medical School Research Fellowship in Complementary and Integrative Medicine. He has also received an NIH K24 mid-career mentoring award.Wayne Wolfson, DC, president of NCMIC, said the 2025 recipients have furthered the chiropractic profession both academically and reputationally.

“Chiropractic care advances through the dedication of researchers like Drs. Burdick, Maiers and Wayne, whose work strengthens the foundation of our profession,” said Wolfson. “Their commitment to scientific inquiry allows us to enhance our techniques, validate our methods and solidify chiropractic’s essential role in modern healthcare. The NCMIC Foundation is honored to present them with the McAndrews Award and welcome them into a distinguished group of past recipients.”

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.

About the NCMIC Foundation

As part of NCMIC’s long stance of supporting complementary and alternative approaches of healthcare in clinical practice, research and academia, NCMIC founded the NCMIC Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization. Since its founding in 2003, the NCMIC Foundation has collaborated with organizations, institutions and doctors worldwide to fund chiropractic research that is comprehensive, as well as far-reaching. Visit ncmicfoundation.org for more information.