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."
VA Announces Five Chiropractic Residency Sites
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has named the five VA medical facilities and affiliated chiropractic colleges that will participate in VA's chiropractic residency program. They are:
VA Facility | Academic Affiliate | Residency Director |
VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven, Conn. | University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic | Anthony Lisi, DC |
VA Western New York Healthcare System Buffalo, N.Y. | New York Chiropractic College | Andrew Dunn, DC |
Canandaigua VA Medical Center Canandaigua, N.Y. | New York Chiropractic College | Paul Dougherty, DC |
VA St. Louis Healthcare System St. Louis, Mo. | Logan University College of Chiropractic | Pamela Wakefield, DC |
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Los Angeles, Calif. | Southern California University of Health Sciences, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic | Valerie Johnson, DC |
The program will begin in July 2014 and provide advanced clinical training in complex case management, allowing recent graduates to increase their scope and depth of clinical knowledge, experience and acumen. Residents will be mentored by senior VA doctors of chiropractic who are leaders in integrated chiropractic practice. These clinicians will share their expertise in patient care, academics and research to provide a robust educational experience.
"This is a win-win for the American veterans who are desperately in need of the services provided by doctors for chiropractic for their often complex neuromusculoskeletal ailments and for the DCs who will grow from their VA residency experiences," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. "The hospital-based training program will expand participants' ability to collaborate with other health care professionals and prepare residents for future positions with VA, other health care systems or in academic settings."
Detailed application information will be provided by each program later this month. Selection will be a competitive process considering factors such as chiropractic college transcripts, additional professional experiences, letters of recommendation, and telephone and/or on-site interviews.
Source: American Chiropractic Association