Representatives of WHO and Life College at WHO's two-day Back-Pain Symposium. First row: Sid Williams, DC; Nell Williams, DC; N.G. Khaltaev, MD; Medhat Alattar, MD, DC; J.
The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a two day Back Pain Symposium November 11-12 at Life College. MDs from around the world joined chiropractors to discuss joint-venture research into the effectiveness of chiropractic care for low back pain.
Representing WHO at the symposium were seven rheumatologists, hailing from Russia, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, and the US. Among the WHO representatives was Dr. N.G. Khaltaev, acting chief of diabetes and noncommunicable diseases for the organization. He is responsible within WHO for the study of low back pain, a physical ailment that has worldwide repercussions. Dr. Khaltaev visited Life in the summer to set up the Back Pain Symposium. Representing Life College in the discussions were Life President Dr. Sid Williams; Dr. John Grostic, director of the Sid Williams Research Center; Dr. Gary Auerback, president of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC)'s executive council and director of Life's Office of International Health; and Dr. Medhat Alattar, director of Life Around the World.
Dr. Khaltaev said he was optomistic after the meeting and commented, "This was the first step in the development of a comprehensive approach to low back pain treatment."
Georgia Special Olympics Honors Georgia Chiro. Association
In front of a crowd of 400 Georgia Special Olympics (GSO) volunteers, representatives of the GSO honored the Georgia Chiropractic Association (GCA) with a distinguished service award for "outstanding organization." Drs. Marvin Hames and Patrick Sallurolo accepted the award on behalf of the association.
The distinguished service awards of the Georgia Special Olympics are presented annually in 12 categories. The outstanding organization award goes to "... the best example of year around voluntary effort or support from a civic or professional organization which serves to improve the quality of a special olympics program ..."
The GCA was praised for its history of volunteer and fundraising work at both the local and state levels. The citation accompanying the award recognized the GCA as a "good friend to the special needs athletes within the program."
Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD
Chiropractic Represented at Health Research Funding Meeting
Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD, of the Palmer College of Chiropractic Institute of Research and Graduate Studies, attended a meeting hosted by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin on funding for health research. The meeting, held in Des Moines in November, included a roundtable discussion presented by health care professionals, researchers from Des Moines hospitals, and representatives from the University of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Senator Harkin presented his proposal to collect one percent of monthly health insurance premiums to place them in a special fund for health care research. His proposal emphasizes a broader scope for health care and other nonmedical health-oriented research, including chiropractic. Some one-hundred groups are supporting Sen. Harkin's proposal, and it will be presented during the current session of Congress.
Dr. Hawk, the sole representative of chiropractic at the meeting, commented, "Right now, smaller groups and groups considered 'alternative' have very slim chances of receiving any funding for research. Increased funding means chiropractic would have a fighting chance to receive grants."
Thanks for Giving
The student council at Palmer College of Chiropractic (PCC) worked with the local Salvation Army to provide Thanksgiving food baskets to 100 needy families in the community. Each basket contained a turkey and 15 nonperishable canned and boxed goods. Palmer students, faculty, and staff donated food items to the drive. "It was a fantastic turnout," said Jeannie Allshouse, first vice president of the student council. "We had triple the amount of food we had last year. We also received donations that helped cover the cost of the turkeys." Student council members delivered the baskets to families before the holiday. "I think it shows that Palmer students are interested in giving something back to the Davenport community," said Bob Peterson, PCC student council president.
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