HOUSTON, TX - Richard Brassard,DC, president-elect of Texas Chiropractic College (TCC), received the prestigious W. D. Harper Science of Existence award at the college's 2002 Homecoming. The award, named for the late Dr. William David Harper, a distinguished figure in the chiropractic profession and president of TCC from 1966-1976, recognizes excellence in leadership, ethics and professionalism.
Dr. Brassard expressed his gratitude: "What an honor to receive an award for doing something that I love. I'm grateful to the members of the board for their confidence in me and their continued support in my new role here at the college."
Dr. Brassard was named president-elect of TCC on Jan. 1, 2002, in anticipation of the impending retirement of Dr. Shelby Elliott, president of TCC since September 1990. Dr. Brassard becomes president of the college in 2004.
Dr. Brassard is a 1965 graduate of Palmer College. He has a practice in Beaumont, Texas, and has been associated with TCC since 1985. He has been active in chiropractic at the state and national levels. In August 2001, he was elected president of the ACA Council of Delegates.
NYCC Aggressively Recruits Fellowship Program New York Chiropractic College is actively promoting its fellowship program to develop chiropractic specialists to teach and conduct research at the college. The postgraduate educational opportunities include master's and PhD programs in nutrition, exercise physiology, health administration and radiology residencies.
Andrew Dunn,DC, was recently named a clinical fellow at the college's Chiropractic Health Center in Depew, NY. The fellowship allows Dr. Dunn to teach and work in a clinical setting. Dr. Dunn was the recipient of NYCC's "Student of the Year" award in 1998, and graduated at the top of his class in 1999.
Drs. John-David Cato (pursuing an MS in exercise physiology) and Doug Greco (an MS in neuroscience) have also received fellowships recently.
Fellows perform a minimum of 36 hours of service per week divided between teaching, research and the clinic. The fellows are required to maintain satisfactory progress in their degree programs and publish at least one article annually.
Parker Student Receives National Honor DALLAS, TX - At the annual ACA House of Delegates meeting on September 25, 2002, Parker College of Chiropractic student Janelle Whitehead was named national chairperson of the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA). Her task is to oversee the SACA at chiropractic colleges in the U.S. and Canada.
While in high school, Ms. Whitehead worked as a chiropractic assistant in her father's practice in Perryton, Texas. As a Rotary International exchange student, she studied in England. After earning a degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, she worked in a management capacity for Southwest Airlines. Ms. Whitehead anticipates graduating from Parker in 2004.
"Through chiropractic, I have the priceless gift of optimal health and a life of opportunities," explained Ms. Whitehead. "Giving back to the chiropractic profession is the least I can do for this special gift."
Mr. Whitehead's life motto is expressed by the words of Reverend W.A. Nance: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
ACF/ACAuxiliary Scholarships Awarded The board of directors of the American Chiropractic Foundation (ACF) of the American Chiropractic Association has recognized the recipients of the 2002 ACF/ACAuxiliary scholarship awards.
The awards provide financial support to Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) students with a demonstrated need. The ACF scholarship committee recommended 12 students to receive this year's awards, based on outstanding academic achievement and involvement in SACA.
- $2,500 - Lisa Olszewski, Palmer College of Chiropractic
- $1,750 - Haifa Abouassi, Texas Chiropractic College; Roger Ellis, Palmer College
- $1,000 - Melissa Loidot and Rebecca Jensen, Northwestern Health Sciences University; My-Le Tran, TCC; Gregory Bauer, Mark Grisko and Ellenita Salko, New York Chiropractic College; Rebecca Shacker, Western States Chiropractic College; and Andrew Dykeman and Dianna Welty, Logan College of Chiropractic
Ms. Olszewski's award is dedicated to the memory of Olivia Lynn Pyne, who was killed in a tragic accident last summer. Pyne was the daughter of long-time ACA member and Palmer College alumnus Dr. Warren Pyne Jr.
"The students are the future of chiropractic, and it is important to recognize their academic excellence in this profession," noted Dr. James Edwards, ACF president and ACA board chairman.
The ACF and ACAuxiliary will team up to present a new group of scholarships to be awarded in September 2003. The application deadline, criteria and other pertinent information will be sent to the colleges and SACA chapters in early spring.
A Half-Century of Healing Scottdale, Pennsylvania chiropractor Dr. Ralph Geary celebrated his lifelong goal of 50 years in practice the first week of October.
Dr. Geary, who says he has not strayed from his chiropractic career because of his "love of the profession," first became interested in chiropractic when a DC treated him following a fall from an apple tree. The DC encouraged Geary to follow in his footsteps. Dr. Geary graduated from Logan College in 1952, and has practiced ever since.
Dr. Geary has been a longstanding member of the International Chiropractic Association and the Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association. He has spent the majority of his career practicing from his home office in Scottdale, offering 24-hour coverage. After recovering from a heart attack in 1999, however, he started seeing fewer patients as his son, Daniel, began to take over the practice.Many things have changed in the chiropractic profession, according to Dr. Geary, who remembered when visits cost $1.50 and few people knew about alternative medicine. Yet his passion for offering chiropractic treatment has not changed. His son perhaps sums him up best when he proclaimed, "I always thought if I could be half a person, half a chiropractor, half a dad as my dad, I'd still be a pretty good person."
