Northeast College announces Fall 2023 Ceremony Week speakers

Northeast College of Health Sciences has announced Harlan Pyes, founder and president of Harlan Health Products, as the keynote speaker of the College’s Fall 2023 Transitions Ceremony on Nov. 30, and James “Jamie” Forster (D.C. ’85) as the commencement address speaker for its Fall 2023 Commencement event on Dec. 2.

Owner of Forster Chiropractic LLP, with three offices located in Brooklyn and Long Island, Forster also works to educate health care practitioners about the importance of an integrative approach to determine both the root cause of each patient’s condition and to identify the best collaborative treatment.

Self-proclaimed to be taught by the best, Forster earned his doctorate from the College in 1985 and was tutored by his father, the late Arnold Forster (D.C. ’60), one of the originators of applied kinesiology, who graduated from Atlantic States Chiropractic Institute, which merged with Columbia Institute of Chiropractic in 1919 to form what is now known as Northeast College of Health Sciences.

After graduation, (James) Forster went on to tour the U.S. and Europe as the personal chiropractor to the punk rock band the Ramones. He also regularly speaks about the benefits of chiropractic and nutrition at health care and educational institutions across the country.

After earning a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Syracuse University, Harlan Pyes worked in a private cardiac rehabilitation facility. His responsibilities included conducting cardiac stress tests, as well as administering exercise training programs for a wide variety of post-cardiac incident patients.

An American College of Sports Medicine member, Harlan began selling chiropractic equipment in 1984, utilizing his knowledge of anatomy and physiology to serve clients. In 2003, Harlan opened Harlan Health Products, Inc., which quickly rose to become a leader in chiropractic equipment and supplies, primarily serving New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

In April of 2017, Harlan was granted an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the American College of Chiropractors and was extended honorary membership in that society. He is one of only a few non-chiropractors in the history of the American College of Chiropractors to receive this honor. He has presented for the New York State Chiropractic Association, the Association of New Jersey Chiropractors and several physical therapy schools. Pyes regularly presents post-grad education courses for Northeast College about topics including laser therapy and shockwave therapy. He and his son, Lloyd, are often seen at the College’s Levittown Health Center, providing instruction on the use of a variety of modalities.

Ceremony Week at Northeast College

Transitions Ceremony marks seventh-trimester chiropractic students’ shift to the clinical phase of their education, includes the awarding of traditional white clinical coats and will be on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at 12:15 p.m. The culmination of the College’s Ceremony Week, the Commencement Ceremony features the presentation of degrees to doctor of chiropractic and Bachelor of Professional Studies program graduates and will be on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, at 10 a.m. Both ceremonies will be held on the Seneca Falls campus in the Standard Process Health and Fitness Center. The highly anticipated week of events also includes the College’s Commitment to Excellence Pledge event for new chiropractic students in their first trimester.

For more information, visit NortheastCollege.edu/commencement.