January 2005

WCA announces 2005 Awards

The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) announced the recipients of its annual Chiropractic Awards, given to honor individuals who have advanced the cause of chiropractic around the country and the world.

Chiropractor of the Year: Yannick Pauli, DC

Not only is Dr. Yannick Pauli one of the most active members of the WCA International Board of Governors, he's one of the most widely traveled. A 1999 graduate of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, he began his chiropractic career by helping introduce the profession to the people of Lima, Peru. While there, he delivered chiropractic care to several orphanages in Lima and participated in various chiropractic humanitarian mission trips in Panama and the Peruvian Provinces. He is presently in private practice in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he runs a family wellness‑oriented office, specializing in the care of children suffering from ADHD, learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.

His dedication to bringing chiropractic wellness care to people throughout the world made him an ideal choice to represent the WCA during the World Health Organization [WHO] Consultation On Proper Use of Traditional Medicine and Complementary Medicine by Consumers, which was held in Milan, Italy, Dec.1‑3 2003. As the WCA liaison to the WHO, he keeps his eye on the progress of chiropractic around the world and stays alert to any efforts to undermine the profession or limit it solely to neuromusculoskeletal therapy.

His "high touch" approach to helping patients is matched by his "high tech" expertise of chiropractic science. Pauli serves on the Research Committee of the Council on Chiropractic Practice (CCP), as well as its Technique Committee, representing NSA/Torque Release, and is an associate editor of ‑‑ and contributing author to ‑‑ the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR).

Pauli has post‑graduate training in applied kinesiology, nutrition, chiropractic pediatrics and chiropractic neurology. He is certified in pediatrics by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, and in the chiropractic diagnosis and management of ADHD, and learning and behavioral disorders by the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies.

He is also the founder and current president of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association, and lectures at the Swiss Chiropractic Institute on the neurology of the chiropractic adjustment and on the philosophy of chiropractic. He also made presentations at the Swiss Chiropractic Association Continued Education Seminar on chiropractic tonal technique and psychoneuroimmunology of the patient‑practitioner healing encounter.

"I know of few individuals who have accomplished so much so quickly in their careers," stated Terry A. Rondberg, DC, WCA president. "Dr. Pauli's efforts in the global arena have made a huge difference in the way WHO perceives chiropractic, and will be instrumental in preserving the unique character of chiropractic throughout the world."

Researcher of the Year: Bob Blanks, PhD

For more than a century, the harshest criticism leveled against chiropractic is that it is "unscientific." Bob Blanks, PhD is working to change that.

His JVSR papers alone have made a sizeable contribution to the wealth of information that will ultimately validate chiropractic as a key factor in health and wellness. Those papers include:

***  "A Retrospective Assessment of Network Care Using a Survey of Self‑Rated Health, Wellness and Quality of Life" ‑‑ the largest, multi‑center study in the history of chiropractic, addressing health‑related quality of life.

***  "A Study Regarding Measures of General Health Status in Patients Using the Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique: A Follow Up Study"

***  "Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Disease Severity Based on Multivariate Analysis of Patient Polysomnographic Records"

***  "Cervical Angles in Sleep Apnea Patients: A Retrospective Study"

His papers have also been published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, and in the book, "Progress in Oculomotor Research, Neuroanatomy of the Oculomotor System."

Dr. Blanks is professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Florida Atlantic University and a past professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine. He spent two years at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany and two years in the Department of Anatomy at Harvard Medical School. He serves on the Advisory Board of the International Spinal Health Institute and is a Board Member of the CCP.

"Seldom do we see non‑chiropractors express such a strong dedication to our profession," stated Matthew McCoy, DC, editor of the JVSR and a member of the WCA Board of Directors. "His unimpeachable credentials and meticulous attention to scientific methodology gives his chiropractic research a level of credibility that makes it acceptable not only to all DCs, but to all health care providers and researchers. We are proud and privileged to honor him with this award."

International Leadership Award: Asher Nadler, DC

Although chiropractic has made tremendous progress in many nations of the world, it is not yet a licensed profession in Israel. This hasn't stopped Dr. Asher Nadler from working to educate that country's health care officials and the public about the need for subluxation correction.

As President of the Israel Doctors of Chiropractic, Dr. Nadler has been aggressive in his efforts to make sure the true identity of chiropractic is not lost in Israel, and that people there have the right to receive subluxation correction care from a chiropractor. He knows that one way to secure chiropractic's role in Israeli health care is to make sure everyone realizes it is not a medical treatment.

"By embracing chiropractic as a separate and distinct health discipline, which offers the unique, non‑duplicating service of analyzing and adjusting vertebral subluxations ‑‑ not as a subset of medicine or as competitive with medicine ‑‑ the health authorities in Israel would be more receptive to chiropractic," he explained. "In fact, MDs would be supportive of our subluxation‑based practice objective, knowing that we are not the chiropractors that want to sneak in the back door of medicine, by performing full‑body diagnosis or duplicating their services."

The impact Dr. Nadler has had on chiropractic has gone far beyond Israel's borders. His work has helped to explain chiropractic to health officials in other nations, and inspired other members of the WCA International Board of Governors to remain strong in their chiropractic principles despite local opposition from more medically oriented DCs.

A 1998 Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College graduate, Nadler is in private practice and a member of the CCP Peer Review Committee. He is director of Bayit Vegan Wellness Center in Jerusalem, and serves on the Ministry of Health, State of Israel, Advisory Committee on Chiropractic Legislation.

"Dr. Nadler has the invaluable ability to work locally but maintain a global perspective," stated Christopher Kent, DC, a member of the WCA Board of Governors and the organization's liaison to the United Nations. "His international leadership skill is a vital factor in the success of the WCA as a global organization."

This is the first year the WCA has presented an International Leadership Award.

Outstanding Service: Brian Stenzler, DC

No matter how many members an organization has, there are always a few "go‑to guys" who can be depended upon to volunteer whenever a need arises. In the WCA, Brian Stenzler, DC, tops the list. Dr. Stenzler's work as a member of the WCA International Board of Governors has involved projects as varied as the effort to secure a U.S. postage stamp honoring chiropractic to helping organize the Joint Legislative Action Day held by the Chiropractic Coalition.

As co‑chair of the WCA Legislative Committee, he's demonstrated a remarkable ability to work with key government officials and other chiropractic leaders. He's living proof that one can seek consensus and work cooperatively while remaining true to one's principles.

Although able and willing to view issues from other viewpoints, he is a staunch supporter of subluxation‑centered chiropractic. "When it comes to certain issues, there is a line that should not be crossed and compromises that should not be made," Stenzler stated.

That combination of cooperative spirit and unwavering principles has made him a leader not only in the WCA but in the New York Chiropractic Council, which awarded him its coveted Beacon Award in 2003. A 1998 Life College graduate, Stenzler was selected from the more than 6,000 licensed doctors of chiropractic in New York State and became the youngest recipient of this honor.

In 2001, Stenzler was recognized by the American Red Cross for assisting in the relief efforts at New York's Ground Zero. He provided chiropractic services to thousands of relief workers at the site, and assisted the New York Chiropractic Council with the coordination of schedules for other chiropractors around the country to serve chiropractic at the respite sites.

Stenzler has a family practice in Great Neck, NY with his partner Daniel Matzner, DC, and recently opened a second practice in Lake Grove, NY with his other partner, Gregg Baron, DC.

"When reviewing nominees for the Outstanding Service Award this year, we had many excellent individuals to consider,"Dr. Rondberg explained. "So many people have contributed so much to our organization and our profession. But we all agreed that Dr. Stenzler's work has set a new standard, raising the bar for service. No single person is indispensable to an organization like the WCA, but Dr. Stenzler comes close!"