The Department of Defense (DoD)'s Defense Health Program for fiscal year 2010 includes, for the first time, a Chiropractic Clinical Trial Award "intended to support the rapid implementation of clinical trials that examine the effect of chiropractic clinical treatment either exclusively or as an adjunct to other treatments on health concerns relative to the Warfighter [member of the Armed Forces], including non-surgical orthopaedic injury, pain management, smoking cessation, injury prevention, and enhancing fitness for duty." The $7.5 million funding opportunity is being supported by FY 2010 Defense Health Program funds.
According to the program announcement, the award, executed by the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, "has been created to provide for and report on clinical trials to assess chiropractic treatment on service member groups of the Armed Forces." The program announcement also notes that only "[i]ndependent investigators from the National Institutes of Health or an independent academic institution" are eligible to apply for the research funds. Undoubtedly one or more chiropractic colleges are already preparing to submit an application.
July 16, 2010 is the deadline to submit a letter of intent (pre-application); the application submission deadline is Aug. 2. For more information about the award including complete pre-application and application submission requirements, click here.
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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