A Call for Global Unity Building the profession A t this period in time, our leaders are faced with challenges that are, on some lev- els, eternal but, at the same time, are stark identifi ers of our era. Most astonishing is the sheer number and magnitude of issues that all leaders – whether they are heads of corporations, countries, religious groups, political parties, sectors of societies, professions or committees – are faced with. All fi nd themselves in demand to “fix” prob- lems that have been in the making for decades, if not centuries. Amassing the resources required to achieve solutions is a task in itself, but more fundamental, is arriving at an agreement of what “fi xing” actually means. Deep faultlines, within most groups, make this latter task daunting. Furthermore, leaders must work hard, in the face of depleted enthusiasm – that sense of “why bother to turn a tide that is already upon us” that per- vades our societies – to inspire folks to dare to, in fact, believe that tides can turn. But effective leaders can rally their followers – and those who form the circles in which their group will serve and grow – to understand that the challenges of our age require vision, faith, time, and teamwork if they are to be overcome. Within chiropractic, a leader, who has dedicat- ed himself to addressing the profession’s challeng- es on a global scale, has emerged and is working tirelessly to fulfi l his commitment to make chiro- practic accessible to people in all countries, and in all sectors of society. This leader is Dr. Efstathios Papadopoulos, a DC from Cyprus, and current president of the World Federation of Chiroprac- tic (WFC). Dr. Papadopoulos knows well the ar- eas where the profession is challenged, both geo- graphically and philosophically, and understands the paradigm shifts that must occur within, and around, chiropractic in order for it to flourish in health-care systems around the world. He is now applying his knowledge and experience to the goal of bringing a unified, stan- dardized and recognized profession onto the world stage of health and wellness. Canadian Chiropractor (CC) caught up with Papadopoulos at the WFC 10th Biennial Dr. Efstathios Papadopoulos at the World Federation of Chiropractic 10th Biennial Conference in Montreal, Quebec, May 2009. Conference in Montreal this past May. Despite his dizzying schedule, he was more than happy to address Canadian DCs and discuss his views and goals for the profession. in time? CC.: Globally, what do you feel are the profession’s greatest challenges, at this point Papadopoulos: First and foremost, we need to concentrate on global expansion of the profession, while maintaining one international identity. The public identity of the chiropractic profession, if it is to be effective and successful, should be similar in all countries. This expansion will require various things. First, we need to undertake the global standardization of chiropractic education un- der the umbrella of the Councils on Chiropractic Education International (CCEI). In Europe an effort to accomplish this was initiated on April 1, 2009 under the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). To learn more about this, I would encourage chi- ropractors to visit www.cen.eu. We need to standardize clinical guidelines also. Second, I think the numbers of chiropractic practitioners must be increased in those countries where they are low. This can be achieved by increasing enrolment in existing chiropractic schools, and I estimate that we will need approximately 20 new university- 16 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | JULY/AUGUST 2009 Continued on Page 35 www.canadianchiropractor.ca feature
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor July/August 2009: Page 16
