Homecoming
Over 225 alumni, staff, students, and friends of the college attended Life's Homecoming and Festival '96 at the Claremont Resort & Spa on Oct. 19th.
Dr. Abigail Irwin, a 1986 Life West graduate, was presented with Life West's "1996 Alumna of the Year" award during the homecoming dinner. The award is for outstanding personal and professional accomplishments and dedication to the community, chiropractic profession, and the college.
Abigail Irwin, DC, CCSP, DACBSP, Life West's "1996 Alumna of the Year."
Dr. Irwin has served on the postgraduate faculty at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, and Northwestern College of Chiropractic. Her practice is in Oakland, California, where she specializes in treating sports injury, especially those of women athletes. She has contributed a chapter to the forthcoming book, The Conservative Management of Sports Injuries.
Dr. Irwin treated Panamanian Olympic athletes at the Summer Games in Atlanta. "Not all countries have resources like the U.S. to provide medical 'dream teams' for all their athletes' medical needs," explained Dr. Irwin about her involvement with the Panamanians. "We were recruited to volunteer our services to their athletes."
She related the story of an African runner who injured his knee. The runner didn't think he could compete, and the prognosis was for surgery. He sought chiropractic care the next day. "He was running fine and smiling a lot," Dr. Irwin recalled, and he brought in several of his teammates for chiropractic evaluations.
Steven Funk, a Life West junior intern, was selected by the Alumni Association as LCCW's "1996 Student of the Year," based on his solid academic standings and the numerous contributions he has made to the community, chiropractic profession, and the college.
Steven has previously been given awards for "Chiropractic Excellence," and a "Certificate of Merit" from Life West's Student Council.
Steven is an active member and organizer of several campus organizations, including the Christian Chiropractic Club, which he founded and served as president for four quarters. He is also a non-commissioned officer in the California Air National Guard, which involves serving 100 days a year. He has been a reservist for almost nine years and is stationed with the 129th Search and Rescue Squadron at Moffett Air Field.
The Whittier Chiropractic Health Center on the LACC campus was a drop-off point for the U.S. Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots, Nov. 26 through Dec. 13. The health center also sponsored a food drive through Dec. 31st.
People who brought a new, unwrapped toy(s) or nonperishable food items (valued at $10 or more) to the center received a complimentary chiropractic examination and treatment.
LACC's health centers in Glendale and Pasadena also participated in the holiday donations.
On November 2nd, Cleveland Chiropractic College Los Angeles (CCCLA) interns gave screening examinations to over 400 youngsters participating in the Students Run L.A. marathon. The event began with six students in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1987 running a marathon with their teacher; it has since expanded to over 1,000 participants. Children in the program, aged 9-19, run a full marathon distance (26.2 miles).
Jamie Bassel, Gregory Vanvakaris, Stephen Shaw, and Robert Patterson organized and coordinated this year's exams. Full-time clinical faculty supervised 64 interns from trimesters 9-10, and 52 students representing trimesters 1-8.
"This program was an outstanding public service, offering screening exams for participants who otherwise might have had none," said Dr. Michael Birozy, clinic director. "I am also proud of the number of faculty and students who volunteered their time to make this event a success."
| Michael Pangelinan | Tamara Bonza |
| Branda Hibly | Wendy Leventhal |
| Ji Lee | Rafael Rios |
| Anthony Werbelow | Martha Garcia |
| Gagik Alvandy | La Rita Gibson |
| Luke Cohen | Michael Dorausch |
| Radu Ioan | Gun-Hun Kim |
| Johnny Mansour | Jeanne Ames |
| Danielle Tompkins | Jamie Bassel |
| John Bergman | Leticia Chavoya |
| Orit Chavoinik | Amy Andrews |
| Jeremy Eisenstein | Thomas Reed |
| Gregory Vanvakaris | Fateh Badr |
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
