The recipients of the Distinguished Service Award are:
- Frank Farkas, DC
- James Glisson, DC
- Dennis L. Jones, DC
- Ed Williams, DC
Drs. Farkas and Jones currently serve in the Florida House and Senate, respectively; Farkas chairs the House Health Care Committee, while Jones is the Senate Majority Leader. Dr. Glisson served in the Florida Legislature from 1968 to 1978, and has received numerous honors from professional and civic organizations. Dr. Williams is a former chief executive officer of the FCA, and currently coordinates many of the association's lobbying activities.
"Our profession has been blessed by the services of Drs. Jim Glisson, Dennis Jones, Frank Farkas and Ed Williams," said Board Chair Wayne C. Wolfson, DC. "Each of these honorees has played a significant role in the advancement of the chiropractic profession and the newly established institution at Florida State University. The Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine is pleased to present the inaugural award for distinguished service to these individuals who are committed to public protection and excellence in the field of chiropractic."
"These gentlemen are the embodiment of public service," added Dr. John Agwunobi, secretary of the Florida Department of Health. "I salute them for their dedication to the people of our state, and commend the board for acknowledging them with this well-deserved award."
NHSC Student Loan Program Allocated $3 Million
A legislative directive intended to provide $3 million for chiropractic participation in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) student loan program is now in the final stages of consideration by Congress, thanks to a lobbying campaign led by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC). If approved, the directive will ensure that doctors of chiropractic are represented appropriately in the NHSC's ongoing chiropractic demonstration.
Under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services, the NHSC allows selected health care professionals engaged in the delivery of primary care services to be reimbursed for student loans in return for establishing and maintaining their practices in "medically undeserved" areas. Although a variety of health care professionals were eligible to participate, chiropractors were excluded from the program until last year. Under ACA-backed legislation, chiropractors were permitted to participate in a three-year pilot program, with the results to be used as consideration for making DCs permanent program participants.
In 2003, Congress provided $3 million for the program; however, only a portion was used for the chiropractic demonstration. To secure fair treatment for doctors of chiropractic already in the NHSC program, as well as those interested in applying, ACA sought out the support of Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who pledged his commitment to fixing the NHSC program. As a result, a report has been added to an existing appropriations bill, S 2810, which requests that the Health Resources and Services Administration use the funds available to conduct another chiropractic demonstration and report the findings to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
For more information on the NHSC and S 2810, visit www.acatoday.com/government/nhsc.
DC Accepts Invitation to Become Scientific Reviewer
John C. Lowe, MA, DC, has accepted an invitation to become an official scientific reviewer on the international reviewers panel of Medical Science Monitor, an international, peer-reviewed journal for experimental and clinical science.
He is believed to be the first chiropractor to serve on the reviewer's panel in the journal's history.
Mark R. Graczynski, MD, PhD, Medical Science Monitor's executive publisher, invited Dr. Lowe to join the panel in August, after reading an article Dr. Lowe authored in the journal Medical Hypotheses. As a member of the international reviewers panel, Dr. Lowe will review selected scientific manuscripts submitted for publication within his fields of his expertise, including thyroidology, metabolism, and pain physiology and management.
"Being invited to join MSM's review panel is a huge compliment, of course. But more important to me, the invitation adds to the mounting and encouraging evidence that political barriers to DCs are melting away. As a representative DC, I'll make the most of this opportunity," said Dr. Lowe.
SACA Update: Officers Elected, Scholarship/Award Recipients Announced
A new team of officers was recently elected at the annual meeting of the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) in St. Petersburg, Fla. The organization's new officers are:
- Derek Dyer, National University of Health Sciences - National Chairperson
- Eddie Leonard, Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida - National Vice-Chair,
- Julie Kruse, Palmer College of Chiropractic West - National Legislative Chair
- Tony Wangerin, Northwestern College of Chiropractic - National Vice-Legislative Chair
- Andrew Cohen, Palmer College of Chiropractic West - Immediate Past National Chair
In addition to electing officers, several award and scholarship winners were recognized. The SACA chapter from the National University of Health Sciences was named Chapter of the Year, while Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida was named Most Improved Chapter. Individual members were also recognized for superior leadership and service. Marc Persson from the New York Chiropractic College was presented with the Excellence in Leadership award; Andrew Cohen was named SACA Member of the Year; and David Haas and Brianne Hanson, both from Northwestern Health Sciences University, each received a Legislative Advocacy Award. The American Chiropractic Foundation/ACAuxiliary also presented its annual scholarships to 14 chiropractic students, with awards ranging from $750 to $1,750.
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
.