ASRF Annual Report 2021 - 2022

A year of commitment, reconnection and growth.

President’s Report: A Year of Growth and Reconnection

The ASRF has had another amazing year, including celebrating our 45th Anniversary! The Board of Directors of the Foundation never cease to amaze me with their generosity, in volunteering so much of their time and energy. I would like to sincerely thank them for all that they do. I would also like to acknowledge our amazing staff members, who do all of the behind-the-scenes work, but get very little recognition.

This year was approached with vigour. We had a desire not only to produce a large amount of science, to further the understanding of chiropractic and of the Vertebral Subluxation, but we also wanted to deliver more research and resources to our Members than ever before. We did this first of all with our ASRF Case Report Project, which produced 30+ case reports that were published and indexed via the Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal. Not only this, but we saw the return of the much-loved DG events, with the introduction of Dynamic Growth 2.0. We’ve created multiple DG Online events for Chiropractors, CA’s and Students, and most importantly we saw the return to live events, starting with Dynamic Growth Experience in Melbourne, and with more events to come across 2022-23.

This past year has also seen a lot of collaboration with external organisations and groups, in order to provide more value for our Members and increase opportunities for the growth of Chiropractic, here in Australia and around the world. Though these partnerships, we aim to continue to support the collective desire to unite the profession around the world, and bring more research and value to our membership and communities.

The Foundation has had a very successful fundraising year. With the help of our Spinal Research Heroes and Sponsors, Spinal Research Hero Month raised enough money to fund the 2022 ASRF Case Report Project. The generosity of our Members, Donors and other supporters, along with fundraising from events and products, has allowed us to fund some fantastic research, with three new studies being approved in the 2021 Grants Round. We’re also really excited to see many of our tribe beginning to get back out into their communities to conduct spinal health check and health education events as fundraisers – it’s refreshing to see people connecting again in so many ways!

As we forge forward into the new financial year, we are reviewing our Research Agenda. We plan to deliver even more high-quality research, and make it easier for our Members to share the science of chiropractic with their communities. Our aim is to continue to add to the global body of high-quality chiropractic research, and to provide the science that will not only protect the scope of chiropractic, but advance the knowledge and understanding of how chiropractic and the subluxation effect the lives of our people.

To our Members, I hope this excites you as much as it does us. And to those who aren’t yet Members, but feel as passionate about chiropractic and research as we do, I invite you to join today, and help us continue to showcase all that is amazing about our great profession.

I’d like to close by thanking our Members, Donors and Commercial Supporters for their continued support – we truly appreciate your commitment.

Dr Ryan Seaman, President

Key Achievements

Celebrated our 45th Anniversary, including the introduction of the first annual ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’, which was awarded to Dr Martin Harvey, for his significant contributions to research and the ASRF.
Launched the inaugural ASRF Case Report Project, which produced approximately 30 Case Reports on the effects of chiropractic care on things like stress, immunity and adaptability.
Held a successful Spinal Research Hero Month, raising funds for the 2nd annual ASRF Case Report Project, which will result in a many high-quality case reports being published and indexed.
Created a series of online and in-person events, with the launch of Dynamic Growth 2.0, including Dynamic Growth Online events and Dynamic Growth Experiences, with more to come in 2022-23.
Continued to develop our relationships with key like-minded organisations around the world, including the Australian Chiropractic College, New Zealand Chiropractic College, International Federation of Chiropractors and Organizations and United Chiropractic Association, amongst others.

Research Highlights

In the past year, we have approved some exciting projects through the 2021 ASRF Grants Round:

Investigating the immune status of new and long-term chiropractic patients– Dr Heidi Haavik, New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

Basic science evidence suggests that chiropractic adjustments modulate immune mediators in healthy individuals in the short term and cortisol levels in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. However, clinically relevant research has not yet been done. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is an association between regular chiropractic care and immune status. Two groups, one that has received regular chiropractic care over the past 12 months and one that has not, will complete self-reporting questionnaires and blood analyses relevant to assessing their immune status. The results of this observational case-control study will help inform the design of future experimental trials.

Automated pupillometry to assess the effects of chiropractic care on the autonomic nervous system: A feasibility study– Dr Imran Amjad, New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

The pupil diameter, controlled by sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation, is a direct reflection of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. This study aims to investigate the clinical feasibility of using pupillary activity measured with a cost-effective eye tracker as a measure of ANS function in people under chiropractic care. Computerised pupillometry is a low cost, non-invasive objective measure that could potentially be a useful outcome measure for chiropractors in practice to assess nervous system function in their patients.

The effects of chiropractic adjustments on prefrontal cortex activity and acute stress: A pilot study – Dr Nitika Kumari, New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

Chiropractic adjustments have a positive impact on various aspects of central and autonomic nervous system function, in particular, a single session of chiropractic adjustments has been shown to alter pre-frontal cortex (PFC). However, how chiropractic adjustments impact PFC activity under stress has not been explored. This proposed pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial using mobile functional near-infrared spectroscopy to understand the effects of chiropractic adjustments on PFC activity during a stressful activity. This study will help us to refine the study protocol and understand how chiropractic adjustments influences acute stress and PFC activity.

In addition to our annual Grants Program, our inaugural ASRF Case Report Project in 2021 has been a huge success. Funded through our ASRF Hero Month, the first of what will now be an annual project, has resulted in 30+ Case Reports, which is an incredible addition to the global body of chiropractic research:

– 7 pieces on chiropractic, stress and immunity.
– 7 pieces on chiropractic and adaptability.
– 1 student-led literature review on immune function.
– 1 piece on Motor Neurone Disease.
– 1 student-led literature review on paediatrics, to be released in October 2022.
– 4 case-series’, spanning 19 case reports, to be released in October 2022.

We now have the pleasure of exploring and developing the brilliant new case studies that have come in through the 2022 project. Exciting stuff!

Treasurer’s Report: Long-Term Sustainability, Through Innovation and Growth

I was pleased to join the ASRF Board in October 2021, in order to support the Foundation’s long-term goals of sustained revenue growth, by bringing a financial set of expertise to the table. I’m a passionate advocate of Chiropractic care in my own life and community, as well as an avid lover of numbers, so it was a smooth transition to slot into the role of Treasurer.

The Board are optimistic that we are seeing a positive shift in the challenges we have experienced around income growth, bought about by the pandemic, with more of our community beginning to invest financially in research again, and with many venturing out into their communities to spread the word about chiropractic and raise funds. This has resulted in increased income through the success of our Spinal Research Hero Month, as well as via Community Health and Education Events and an increase in client advertising, through our Communicate Program.

It’s a pleasure to share that the Foundation’s revenue increased in the 2021-22 Financial Year, and we’ve managed to fund more research year-on-year, while continuing to retain healthy and necessary financial reserves that ensure longevity for the ASRF.

In terms of revenue streams, we are now back to being able to deliver chiropractic events, which has been a vital source of income in years gone by, but which were necessarily on-hold for the past couple of years, due to the pandemic. In addition, we have grown and maintained a wonderful group of commercial supporters, both through our Commercial Supporter Membership program, as well as through the sponsorship of events. We continue to add to our suite of resources and products through our Resource Store, which contributes to our goals around chiropractic education, while bringing in important funds for research.

A fundamental element of our Mission is the education of chiropractors, communities and peak bodies on the effectiveness of chiropractic care. In order to do this, we added to our Communications Team earlier in 2022. While communications expenses have increased in the past couple of years, it has allowed us to reach a far-broader audience, and in doing so, grow our supporter base. This is all a part of our strategy to bring about consistent, sustainable financial growth for the ASRF.

This coming financial year, we aim to see a significant increase in funds raised through events, as well as growing our membership and supporter bases. We continue to innovate, plan and maintain responsible financial practices, so that the ASRF will continue for the next 45 years and beyond!

Ms Kora Drage – Treasurer

Research Report: 45 Years of Commitment and Passion

In this our 45th year, the ASRF remain committed to producing high-quality chiropractic research. We continue to explore ways to not only increase the amount of research that we fund and/or facilitate, but to find channels to bring that research to our members and the global chiropractic community, in ways that help communicate the efficacy and importance of chiropractic in healthcare.

We are continually delighted by the enthusiasm from the researchers, who make it their life’s work to bring the very best science to our profession. And we are so grateful to those members, donors and commercial supporters that contribute important funds towards this vital work.

As noted in the Research Highlights above, we have had some amazing applications in the past year and I am certain these will lead to some exciting publications. And while some of the projects funded through the 2020 and 2021 grants round have experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now starting to see some interesting research output, which we are excited to share with our tribe over the next few months.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal and its Editor, Professor Phillip Ebrall. The APCJ has been fundamental in the creation and execution of the ASRF Case Report Project, which is allowing us to publish many brilliant Case Reports, Case Series’ and Literature Reviews, all of which add to the ever-growing body of important, global chiropractic research.

Additionally, I would like to make special mention of our Clinical Advisory Panel and Research Committee members, without whom we would be unable to discover and fund world-class chiropractic research. We deeply appreciate their commitment and efforts.

Dr Sinan Ali, Board Director and Research Agenda Working Committee Chair

Commercial Supporters 2020-21

We acknowledge and sincerely thank our Commercial Supporters for their contribution to chiropractic research. The companies below are our Commercial Supporters from 2020-21 Financial Year. To see current Commercial Supporters and more information about the companies, see here.

Premium Commercial Supporters

Commercial Supporters

Austbrokers Countrywide Insurance Brokers

Foundation Board 2021-22

The Foundation’s Board ensures that we fulfil the purpose for which we were established. They do this through maintaining strategic direction, culture, ethics and policy. In addition to funding approval for all research studies, the Board are responsible and accountable for the Foundation’s financial management, human resources, operational duties and compliance with all legal, financial and ethical obligations.

All members of the Board are volunteers who freely donate their time, energy and professional expertise. Board members and roles listed below are those serving in the 2021-22 Financial Year, as of 30th June, 2022. The current ASRF Board are listed here.