Terry R. Yochum, DC, DACBR, became the first chiropractor accepted to the International Skeletal Society (ISS).
A press release tells the story, “Renowned medical radiologist Dr. Harold Jacobsen was impressed with the answers Dr. Terry R. Yochum threw out in an open quiz forum at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago. The year was 1982. Who was this young upstart? Jacobsen asked afterward, “Do you do bones, boy?” But when Dr Jacobsen learned that Yochum was a chiropractic radiologist — not a medical radiologist — he responded, “What went wrong, son.” Though Jacobsen’s reaction was not unusual, Yochum was not deterred and continued to attend lectures as a guest at their annual meetings.
To present a paper at the elite International Skeletal Society, he would need to become a member. Yochum did not feel that was a real possibility for him or any other chiropractor. He put the possibility on a backburner until Dr. Mark Schweitzer encouraged him to rethink the idea. At his encouragement, Yochum submitted the application documents in November 2019. Less than 30 days later, he was informed that his application had been accepted and he was granted full membership.
The feat of becoming the first chiropractor ever to be admitted to the ISS took initiative more than luck. It was achievable because chance favors the prepared mind. With changes of attitude beginning to take place in the allopathic profession, Yochum feels that now is the time for those in the profession to seek memberships, leadership, degrees and recognitions they had not thought possible. As the famous chiropractor, Dr Joseph Janse said, “Nothing is impossible, some things just take a little longer.”
Yochum lives in Colorado and can be contacted at Dcrad099@rmcrc.com.
