Annual Report 2008-2009 - Australian Spinal Research Foundation

Our mission is to fund research and disseminate knowledge that furthers
the understanding, development and effectiveness of chiropractic care.
President’s Report
I am very pleased to present a report
detailing another positive year
for the Australian Spinal Research
Foundation (Spinal Research).
Our ability to deliver on our mission
and fund chiropractic research is
dependent upon available funds.
One year ago, it had become clear
that our world was
heading into an
economic crisis.
The likelihood of a
negative return on our investments, coupled with
our desire for expansion, pointed clearly towards
a very challenging year. The Board was united in
meeting this challenge head on and pushing ahead
with our initiatives. This report demonstrates
success in doing so. We have weathered a storm and
we are well placed to match funding levels from
previous years. The achievements have come from
the work of a group of extraordinarily committed
and dedicated people. Joining the Board in this
past year were Drs Rosemary Keating and James
Carter. Many of you will know these two chiropractors and will
share my enthusiasm that the Board has had such an injection of
experience and wisdom.
During the past year we have further refined our ‘distributed
leadership’ model – a model whereby Board members are charged
with specific responsibilities and are accountable to the full Board
for developments and outcomes within their portfolio. The success
of this operating model is evident across many facets of our
activities as motivated and focused Governors are empowered to
contribute within their fields of expertise.
Our protocols for assessing research grant
applications have continued to be refined under
the direction of Dr Ray Hayek. The Research Report
details the activities over the last year including
the research projects we have funded. They are an
exciting continuation of the direction high quality
chiropractic research is taking. I thank all the
researchers who apply to us for grants. Whether
they are the successful applicants or not, all of
them have vision of contributing in a unique way to the knowledge
of what we do as chiropractors. This is inspiring and continues to
give us impetus to increase our capacity to fund.
Integral to fulfilling our mission, and ultimately realising our vision,
is the nurturing of our relationships with key groups and individuals
in our profession. This is vital for us to nourish
our decision-making with knowledge at the very
frontier of our discipline and to grow our sphere
of influence. We need to increase our base of
support and then leverage that support through
coordination and collaboration of effort. We see
meaningful collaboration not as a means to an
end, but as an integral and enjoyable step on the
pathway to success for our profession.
To that end, the following activities took place
over the last year:
• Associate Professor Barbara Polus presented
aspects of her research to the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
and, at length, to the Board. This was very illuminating
as Barbara showed us work she has been doing to develop a
model of vertebral subluxation, which lends itself to laboratory
investigation.
During the past year we
have further refined our
‘distributed leadership’
model – a model whereby
Board members are
charged with specific
responsibilities and are
accountable to the full
Board for developments
and outcomes within their
portfolio.
Integral to fulfilling our
mission, and ultimately
realising our vision, is the
nurturing of our
relationships with key
groups and individuals in
our profession.
We see the need, and the
possibility, for a different
scenario in which budding
researchers are identified
and kept within the fold
to pursue their research
careers - their ideas being
shaped from within the
chiropractic worldview.
• Associate Professor Philip Bolton and Dr Heidi Haavik Taylor
presented to the delegates at the Dynamic Growth Congress,
and participated in a meeting with our Executive and Associate
Professor Barbara Polus, aimed at crystallising our aspirations
and opportunities for the future.
• Dr Tony Rose represented Spinal Research at the Adelaide Spinal
Research Symposium. This symposium was a multidisciplinary
event with chiropractor Dr Chris Colloca presenting his research
alongside many others, mostly surgeons.
• Dr Martin Harvey and I spent a day with Associate
Professor Philip Bolton at the University of
Newcastle. Many thanks to Philip for facilitating
this day and his continued generosity in lending
his expertise and support to our developing
research initiatives.
• Associate Professor Barbara Polus presented
just a taste of her research at the Dynamic
Growth Experience in Melbourne.
In the coming year we will launch an extensive
research initiative. It will address the deficiencies
we have identified in the chiropractic research
arena worldwide and, in doing so, will lay the
platform for a new and exciting era for research.
One of the key deficiencies has been the distinct lack of a career
path for researchers. They have effectively had to be self sufficient
in terms of obtaining funding and paving their own pathway. The
cost of this deficiency to our research effort over the decades is
incalculable. There are those that have come through it and shone
brightly by being very strong in their conviction and drive. Yet,
they are so few in number, the output is limited. Many researchers
have felt it necessary to go outside of our profession to gain higher
qualifications and experience with many of them not fully coming
back.
We see the need, and the possibility, for a
different scenario in which budding researchers are
identified and kept within the fold to pursue their
research careers - their ideas being shaped from
within the chiropractic worldview. Mentoring and
fellowship must come hand-in-hand with financial
support, from the undergraduate level, through
post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels,
with researchers maintaining meaningful contact
with the profession, including through forums like
Dynamic Growth. Over time, the result needs to be the creation of
a more robust research culture within our profession, with a strong
connection between the researchers and their vision and the real
world imperatives of clinical practice.
Concurrent with the launch of the research initiative will be a
major fundraising program to support it. The two
endeavours must go hand in hand: the inspiration,
vision and integrity of one driving the support for
the other.
Fundraising over this past year has ridden on the
back of our events. Thanks to everyone involved,
the Dynamic Growth Congress, the Dynamic Growth
Experiences and the Parker Seminar (the planning
and organisation of which was conducted during
the year under report) have all been financially
successful. When planning and marketing these
events, we were very mindful of the pervading
financial climate and we had some trepidation. Thankfully, the
events have been supported at a level even greater than before
and chiropractic research will be the benefactor. To Drs Tony Rose,
Martin Harvey, Gary Smith and the DGE Convenors in each State,
we are extremely thankful for your enormous effort and skilful
execution in putting the events together.
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