National University faculty and students gathered with other experts from around the world in Washington DC, March 15-18 for the DC2017 conference.

The conference was a first-time combination of three major chiropractic conferences organized by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) and the Association for Chiropractic Colleges (ACC). Over 1,500 chiropractic physicians attended the conference to learn and collaborate about the latest in research and the future of the profession.

Chris Arick, DC, MS, NUHS assistant dean of chiropractic medicine, who presented at the conference, said that there was a considerable amount of emphasis on evidence-based care.

“There is a great deal of research and development happening now within the chiropractic medicine profession and it is an exciting time to be a part of the latest work,” Dr. Arick said.

One of the popular topics discussed was the opioid epidemic in the United States. Today, medical doctors have been reassessing how they prescribe painkillers given their unintended side effects. During the conference, U.S. Chief Nursing Officer Rear Admiral Susan Orsega specifically talked about the role of chiropractors in delivering natural solutions.

Other prominent speakers at the conference included Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan and Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio), along with National University’s own faculty members. A total of ten NUHS faculty members, research staff and several alumni and students attended the conference and presented on various topics, including:

Orthotic use for chronic low back pain

Research Professor Jerrilyn Cambron, DC, MPH, PhD; Clinical Research Coordinator Jennifer Dexheimer, BS, LMT; Clinical Practice Professor Manuel Duarte, DC, MSAc, DABCO, DACBSP; and others:

A case report on bladder infection and urinary retention in neurogenic bladder

NUHS Family Practice Resident Amanda Bose, DC, ND and Chief Clinician Julia Liebich DC, ND, MS.

Associations of Blood Lead and Cadmium Levels with Bone Mineral Density in Men Aged 50 and Older

MPH Research Resident Dana Madigan, DC, MPH; Instructor Yuri Korvatko, DC; and others

Quality assessment of case reports on a technique website

Drs. Dana Madigan and Jerrilyn Cambron

Use of shoe orthotics within chiropractic physician offices

Drs. Cambron, Dexheimer, Duarte and other

A workshop on the necessity of mentoring for leadership and impacting the profession from within

NUHS Associate Professor Kristina Petrocco-Napuli, DC, MS; NUHS Alum Karen Bobak, DC; and others.

A talk on the challenges and opportunities in chiropractic medicine and women’s health

Dr. Petrocco-Napuli.

A case study involving a spinal cord malformation presented in a chiropractic medicine office

Chris Arick, DC, MS; Heather Miley, DC, DACBR, MS.

A research study on the relationship between quality assurance methods used by the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology and its objective structured practical examination

Dr. Miley.

Building chiropractic research capacity for the chiropractic medicine profession: an international survey

Editor of NUHS Journals Claire Johnson, MSEd, DC, DACBSP; Gregory Cramer, DC, PhD and others.

Zygapophyseal joint (Z joint) cavitation and crepitus research

Dr. Gregory Cramer and NUHS alumnus Matt Budavich, DC.

Much of the research presented at the conference will be written into papers and published in major academic journals.

“Conferences like these are how the field progresses,” said Gregory Cramer, DC, PhD, NUHS dean of the department of research, who presented at the conference. “It also gets the word out to other medical communities about exciting new research.”

In addition to research presenters, many National University students attended the conference, including a total of 12 students from the Lombard, Illinois campus and 8 students from the NUHS- Florida site. Florida students also had the chance to meet with their congressman Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg Florida. They discussed anti-trust laws, insurance, expanding chiropractic medicine within veteran’s affairs and a bill to allow chiropractic physicians into the National Health Services Corps in order to help with our increasing student loans.

NUHS DC student Jennifer Razey said the conference not only helped get her excited about her future profession but also provided a valuable networking opportunity. “The DC trip provided us the unique opportunity to meet students from chiropractic schools across the country, doctors from across the world and make lasting professional relationships with both,” she said.

Dr. Arick added that he hopes to continue to collaborate with other chiropractic programs in the U.S. and internationally, as well. “We hope to continue to work with other universities and disciplines to promote chiropractic medicine and integration into patient care for more populations,” he said.