ASRF Annual Report 2023 - 2024

Momentum in Motion: Expanding Our Impact, Securing Our Future.

President’s Report: Growing Together to Create a Sustainable Legacy.

Having stepped into the role of ASRF President in the 2020-21 financial year, it has been my absolute pleasure to see the Foundation go from strength-to-strength, with the support of the ASRF Board and team, who have an ongoing passion for funding and sharing chiropractic research with our community. With the steady growth of our team after a re-structure several years ago, we’ve had increased capacity to create income from events and resources, which has allowed us to approve funding for more research projects from the 2022 Grants Round than we’ve been able to in a single year, for several years. This is an achievement that we’re very proud of.

Having been in the role of the ASRF President for the past 4 years, it has been so inspiring to see the steady advancement of the Foundation, with the expansion of resources for our Members, alongside the funding of some amazing research. Our Strategic Plan for 2023-24 was centred around increasing the ways in which we are able to expand our impact, while ensuring the ongoing financial sustainability of the Foundation.

The Foundation’s Mission is two-fold, with the equally important goals of funding research, while continuing to grow the ways in which we communicate research insights to our Members, communities and peak bodies. To this end, we have continued to add to the suite of research-focused resources, via the introduction of some new exclusive Member’s benefits, as well as the launch of our ‘ASRF Research to Reality Project’, which is investigating and collating much of the ASRF-funded research from the past to the present. For our Members, we aim to provide clear and tangible value from their membership, while creating a significant impact on the global chiropractic research body.

Additionally, we continue to grow our presence in the chiropractic community, via our social media platforms and our ‘ASRF Research for Practice Podcast’, all of which are gaining traction and engagement. This is so important to the Board and team of the Foundation, as we understand that research needs to be shared and understood to have an impact. We are proud to be among the leaders in the community in this movement towards empowering Chiropractors to communicate important research to their practice members and teams.

Alongside our research and communication activities, we teamed up with The Philosophy Symposium in July 2023, for a fantastic event. We were also thrilled to award the 2024 ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’ to a very deserving leader of the community – Dr Malcolm Rudd – at our DGE Perth event in early 2024.

“We are so proud to honour those who contribute so profoundly to the ASRF and our wonderful profession”.

As a non-profit organisation, we are supported through the generosity of our Members, Donors, Commercial Supporters and Fundraisers, so I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who contributes to the important work we do, including our exceptional Board Directors and team members.

We look forward to the coming year, where we continue to grow our impact and maintain a solid and resilient future for the ASRF.

Dr Ryan Seaman, President

Key Achievements

Awarded the 3rd annual ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’ to Dr Malcolm Rudd, for his outstanding contributions to the ASRF and chiropractic research.
Funded the 3rd annual ASRF Case Report Project, which resulted in another 16 case report submissions on the effects of chiropractic care on things like stress, immunity and adaptability.
Launched our new ‘ASRF Funded Research’ webpage, featuring all of our research projects back to 1991, including various outcomes from each project.
Launched the ASRF Research to Reality Project – a retrospective deep-dive into our funded research projects back to 1998.
Continued to grow our global reach and our research-based communications and resources, through social media, our podcast, e-Newsletter and member-specific updates.

Research Highlights

In the past year, we have approved some exciting projects through the 2023 ASRF Grants Round:

Psychoneuroimmunology as a framework for studying the effects of chiropractic care in an obese population. Chief Investigators: Dr Tyson Perez & Dr Phillip Tomporowski – Life University and University of Georgia.

The primary aims of the proposed proof-of-concept trial are centred around examining the feasibility of conducting a prospective, chiropractic intervention study on an obese population living in and around Athens, Georgia. This includes evaluating various implementation outcomes including recruitment, adherence, tolerability, retention, acceptability, and data fidelity. As a secondary aim, we will assess the potential effects of removing vertebral subluxations via chiropractic adjustments on psychological, neurological, and immunological functioning. The results of this trial will inform the design of a future randomised, controlled trial (RCT) that has an increased focus on effectiveness outcomes. Grant Value: $10,000

Exploring the neurophysiological effects of chiropractic care on preterm infants. Chief Investigator: Dr Jenna Duehr – New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

Chiropractic care is frequently utilised by infants and children for wellbeing and various health concerns. Considering the utilisation and apparent benefits of chiropractic care for infants, but the significant lack of research exploring the mechanisms and neurophysiological effects of chiropractic adjustments on infants, it is necessary to explore these potential effects further. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) utilising Electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) to measure changes to the central and autonomic nervous system (ANS) following chiropractic care in preterm infants. Preterm infants are at a heightened risk of developing deficits in neuromotor development and cognitive and executive functions and thus are an important group to investigate potential benefits of chiropractic care. Grant Value: $9,960

Exploring the Impact of Chiropractic Care on Patient Stress Levels, Immune Function and General Adaptability: Insights from Patient Perspectives. Chief Investigator: Dr Tanja Glucina – New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

Neuroscientific studies provide valuable insights, but not all chiropractors and patients engage with this research. Many prioritise real-life experiences of others who have improved their health through similar approaches. Recognising the need for patient-centred approaches, this project explores patient perspectives and attitudes regarding the impact of chiropractic care on immune function, stress, adaptability and resilience. Utilising qualitative and mixed methods, this project aims to enhance the understanding of chiropractic practice from the patient’s viewpoint, contributing to rigorous research focused on vertebral and health outcomes. Ultimately, the goal is to make chiropractic care more accessible and relevant, strengthening its position in healthcare. Grant Value: $18,093 (funding for first year).

Investigating the Predictive Relationship Between Level and severity of Vertebral Subluxation and Stress Using AI-Techniques. Chief Investigators: Dr Imran Amjad and Dr Imran Khan Niazi – New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

This Research aims to investigate the impact of Vertebral Subluxation, or dysfunction, on stress levels. The study will utilise machine-learning models and time series analysis to predict stress based on subluxation severity and to analyse its evolution over time. Participants underwent chiropractic sessions, with stress levels gauged using Heart Rate Variation (HRV), sputum, and hair cortisol. Key outcomes will determine whether chiropractic care influences stress levels and elucidate the relationship between subluxation and stress. The integration of Artificial Intelligence into chiropractic research aims to provide personalised interventions and deepen the understanding of patient care. Grant Value: $19,947.52 (funding for the first year).

Research Report: Delivering More Research – Driving Global Growth

Over the past 2 years, in my role as Head of the ASRF Research Portfolio and our Research and Working Committee, it has been my great pleasure to see the ever-growing impact of the impressive amount of research that the Foundation has been able to bring to our global audience.

In the past year we have not only provided funding for four exciting research projects, through our annual Grants Program, but also for the ASRF Case Report Project and the new ASRF Research to Reality Project, which is consolidating much of our funded research from the past 26 years, ensuring we leave a lasting legacy for our community.

“Excitingly, we have seen a steady increase in the number of global submissions for research funding,
furthering our growing recognition as a respected global research organisation”.

In the 2023 Grants Round, we received 7 Expression’s of Interest, all of which were invited to submit full proposals, resulting in 2 projects being fully-funded, and 2 being partially-funded. We look forward to some exciting outcomes from those projects. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our Clinical Advisory Panel and Research Committee, who have committed their time and expertise to support our work.

Over the past year, we have worked hard to increase the amount of research resources we are providing for our Members and community, in order to support our tribe to share and utilise important research within their practice. To this end, we have revitalised our ASRF Funded Research webpage, to include information on outcomes of the research we have funded, back to 1991. This has been a valuable reflection project and knowledge resource, and a great springboard to the ASRF Research to Reality Project. Our aim is to ensure that the research that has been done is seen, understood and used to support our important work as Chiropractors.

We look forward to making an even greater impact in the year ahead!

Dr Matthew Doyle, Board Director and Research Agenda Working Committee Chair

Research Report: Enhancing our Impact, for a Sustainable Future.

The past year has been exciting in many ways, as we continue to look for ways to grow our impact, while ensuring the financial sustainability of the Foundation. While our revenue and operating profit figures were lower than the previous year, we funded more in research, and our profit was higher than budget.

“We have continued to invest in ways in which we can increase our research outputs, as a way of reaching our Strategic Plan goals related to education and financial stability”.

In order to achieve these goals, we have steadily begun to grow our team again, after a downsizing in 2016. The team now comprises of some core employees, alongside some contracted communications and writing specialists, who help transform our funded research into resources for our chiropractic community. This in turn attracts more members, donors and fundraisers to the work that we do, building a dedicated base of financial supporters. Likewise, we continue to maintain a significant amount of loyal Commercial Supporters, whose investment with us adds to our financial stability.

Some other important finance-related elements of our Strategic Plan include our focus on building our membership base, through continued improvement in our member benefits, alongside pro-actively attending various events across the sector, to connect with our tribe and build our brand.

We look forward to the coming year with great optimism, and thank all of our Donors, Members and other supporters for the contributions to the future of the ASRF.

Ms Kora Drage, Board Director and Treasurer

Thank you to our amazing Members, Donors, Fundraisers and Sponsors!

Commercial Supporters

We acknowledge and sincerely thank our Commercial Supporters for their contribution to chiropractic research. The companies below are our Commercial Supporters from 2022-23 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

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 current as at October 2024 (prior to the 2024 AGM).