NEW PRESIDENT FOR RCCSS(C) The Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences of Canada (RCCSS(C)) welcomes its new president, Dr. Glen Harris. The torch was passed from Dr. Greg Uchacz to Dr. Harris at the RCCSS(C) AGM, held on November 13, 2010, in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Harris, a long-standing, valued contributor to the activities of sport chiropractic in Canada, moves into the president position for the first time. Serving previously as first and second vice-president, secretary and member at large, Dr. Harris brings experience, a passion for involvement, new ideas and a fresh perspective on today’s environment for sports chiropractic in Canada to the position. Others selected to positions with the RCCSS(C) are Drs. Chris deGraauw (first vice-president), Scott Howitt (second vice-president), Cameron Borody (continuing as secretary) and Janice Drover (treasurer). A special presentation, including a plaque honouring his years in service to the RCCSS(C) and to sports sciences in Canada, was made to immediate past-president, Dr. Greg Uchacz, at the AGM. Congratulations to all new RCCSS(C) board members and best wishes to Dr. Uchacz for success in his future endeavours. NEW GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM AT CMCC The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) is pleased to welcome Patrick Loisel, MD, a pioneer in the field of work disability prevention, to its Graduate Faculty. Loisel is a medical physician-scientist trained in orthopedics and founder/director of the Work Disability Prevention CIHR Strategic Training Program at University of Toronto. Loisel will work with CMCC’s Division of Graduate Studies to design and implement a Work Disability Prevention program for chiropractors at CMCC, while continuing his research in the field. According to Loisel, while pain or another disorder may be the initial reason for disability, it is rarely what prevents the return to work. The reasons are complex and often involve multistakeholder issues that require correction at a number of levels. “The value in working with the chiropractic community is its holistic perspective when it comes to patient care,” says Loisel.“Often, the nature of a chiropractor’s work requires him or her to understand the patient’s lifestyle and environment to the degree that is optimal for successful disability prevention.” Loisel’s program within CMCC’s Division of Graduate Studies Will complement chiropractic education on the musculoskeletal system with specific theoretical and practical training in Work Disability Prevention. Components of the program will include, among other factors, workplace issues, ergonomics, the psychology of stress and case co-ordination. “It is extremely gratifying to welcome Dr. Loisel to CMCC. As one of the most respected subject matter experts within the field of Work Disability Prevention, we are truly fortunate to offer his program and expertise to our graduate students,” says Dr. John Triano, Dean of Graduate Education and Research Programs,CMCC. “I look forward to watching the evolution of CMCC’s program, in anticipation of the benefits that will be passed on to future patients, their employers and others affected directly or indirectly by this problem.” The annual cost of Work Disability is estimated at between $1 and $2 trillion worldwide. In Canada alone, the annual cost is estimated to be $30 billion. Loisel will retain cross appointments with the University Health Network and University of Toronto. INTERNATIONAL, INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE ON MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE The Canadian Contemporary Acupuncture Association (CCAA) has announced its first international interdisciplinary meeting to be held in Niagara Falls from May 3-6, 2012. Two years ago, graduates of the original McMaster Medical Acupuncture Program since 1998 (known as Contemporary Medical Acupuncture for Health Professionals), formed the Canadian Contemporary Acupuncture Association (CCAA), which already has several hundred members. This unique professional interdisciplinary association is devoted to the dissemination of the very successful contemporary neurofunctional model taught at the McMaster Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program. As part of these efforts, the CCAA is organizing an international meeting titled, “Contemporary Acupuncture Integration into Today’s Health Care.” Participation of prominent educators and proponents of the neurofunctional acupuncture model has already been secured, among them, Dr. Thomas Lundeberg from Sweden, Dr. Mike Cummings from England, and Dr. Claudio Couto from Brazil. Canadian experts will include Dr. Elorriaga, Dr. Ohson, Dr. Fargas- Babjak, a list of chiropractors including Dr. Mike Prebeg and Dr. David Salanki, and RMT Chris O’Connor. This exciting event will see the culmination of almost a decade and a half of hard work by the McMaster Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program devoted to the expansion and integration of a 100 per cent neurofunctional acupuncture model. For more information, or to register for this event, please visit www.contemporaryacupuncture.ca. CANADA’S FUTURE HEALTH LEADERS WORK TOWARDS SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION Canadian students from every healthcare discipline gathered in Toronto over the weekend of March 12-13 to strategize and share ideas on how improved collaboration and teamwork in healthcare could improve health outcomes for all Canadians.The event was a meeting of the National Health Sciences Students’ Association or NaHSSA. “NaHSSA was built on the belief that collaboration can improve the patient and healthcare provider experience,” said Luciano Di Loreto, president of the National Health Sciences Students’ Association and recent graduate of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). “As Canada’s future healthcare providers, we are passionate about shifting the healthcare system from one that focuses on uniprofessional patient care to one that focuses on interprofessional patient-centred care.” Each year NaHSSA holds an annual conference, bringing together students from occupational therapy, nursing, respiratory therapy, medicine, chiropractic, rehabilitation sciences, dietetics, and many more health care disciplines. The theme of the seventh annual conference was Crossing the Bridges of Socioeconomic and Cultural Diversity in Healthcare, and represented the participants’ growing awareness that cross-cultural diversity management in healthcare is extremely relevant to today’s professionals. This year’s conference, a joint venture hosted by the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, the University of Toronto, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and Ryerson University, included a workshop for student-run clinics, an interprofessional problem-based learning session, and the National Health Care Team Challenge where teams compete to provide an interprofessional plan of care based on an assigned case study. Each year at this conference, NaHSSA presents the Dr. John Gilbert Interprofessional Education Mentorship Award to an individual who has provided outstanding support to students advocating for interprofessional education and collaborative practice.NaHSSA is proud to announce that this year’s recipient is Dr. Scott Reeves. Dr. Reeves is the research advisor at the Centre for IPE and editor of the Journal of Interprofessional Care. Established in 2005, NaHSSA was the first interprofessional student association in the world. Students who are driven to improve education and healthcare continue to network through NaHSSA each year. To learn more about NaHSSA, please visit http://www.nahssa.ca. VITALITY AND CORE ALLIANCE Core Products is pleased to announce the appointment of The Vitality Depot as its exclusive importer and master distributor in the Canadian market. “This partnership strategically enhances the availability to the health care market for our entire product line,” says Phil Mattison, CEO of Core Products. “This new alliance will also increase our national brand recognition and greatly expand our patient education platforms.” Scott Spencer, CEO of The Vitality Depot notes "It is with great pleasure we announce the addition of the entire Core Products line to our family of products.This new opportunity fits into our business model perfectly and allows us to maintain our goal of bringing our valued clients the best in class products, value and technology.” Core Products International, Inc., was founded in 1988 with the idea that therapeutic products should “Make your life more comfortable.” Core has continued to expand their family of products and have introduced new concepts and technologies in the hopes of assisting health care professionals with tools to increase patient wellness. Some of Core’s products include extremity supports, orthopaedic pillows, backpacks and therapeutic belts. The understanding that Core Products is a North American-based manufacture adds great value and interest at all levels. The Core Product line will be available directly through Vitality Depot, or any authorized Vitality dealers from coast to coast. For more information about Core Products and/or The Vitality Depot, please visit www.vitalitydepot.ca