ASRF Annual Report 2024 - 2025

Beyond Borders: A World-Leading Research Foundation

President’s Report: Building on Strong Foundations, Expanding Global Impact.

Growing and maintaining a research foundation over 48 years is an enormous undertaking, and one that I am so proud to be a part of. Our passion for funding and sharing chiropractic research is as strong today as it has been throughout the history of the Foundation, and with our 50th anniversary headed our way in 2027, it has been a time of reflection for the Board of Directors and the ASRF team.

The 2024–25 Strategic Plan focused not only on securing the Foundation’s operational and financial stability, but also on expanding our global impact – driving research further and faster across a range of digital platforms and in-person at events worldwide. We have continued to create and share research resources and content for our Members and beyond, with the aim to ensure that ASRF-funded and facilitated research is able to be utilised in practice, to showcase the science behind our amazing profession. In this way, we strive to provide significant value to our Members, helping us to remain an important part of their practice, and thereby ensuring continued support and income for the Foundation.

Additionally, we have invested time and resources into our operational mechanisms – streamlining our technology and updating our policies and procedures, as a way to ensure that the Foundation endures and functions smoothly into the future. Along with this, we continue to explore and implement ways to grow our membership base, which is essential to our ongoing financial stability. While we are no longer currently holding our own events, we are endeavouring to attend events both at home and internationally, to showcase our work and bring more members onboard. We’ve seen significant success in this area over the past year, and have been excited to welcome many new members onboard.

We funded $48,000 worth of research in the 2024 Grants Round – 2 major studies (one being as systematic review), and a pilot study. It was wonderful to receive a number of excellent applications from across the world. As always, we would love to be able to fund all of the study proposals we receive, though our priorities are to balance our desire to fund significant amounts of research, while maintaining fiscal responsibility. We also continue to invest in our ‘ASRF Research to Reality Project’ and the ‘ASRF Case Report Project’, with the former focusing on investigating and collating much of the ASRF-funded research from the past to the present, and the latter assisting Chiropractors around the world to publish their own research. Both projects are seen by the Board as vital investments that fit perfectly with our two-fold Mission, which focuses on both funding research and educating our communities and beyond.

Along with our research and communication activities, we were so proud to award the 2025 ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’ to the wonderful Dr Brad Glowaki, honouring his support of the ASRF and his contributions to the chiropractic and research communities.

In closing, I’d like to take a moment to warmly thank our Members, Donors, Commercial Supporters and Fundraisers, who support us to do the work we do, as well as acknowledging our amazing volunteer Board of Directors, and our incredible staff members.

“It takes a community of dedicated people to make the Foundation’s work possible,
and I’m deeply honoured to stand alongside them”.

Dr Ryan Seaman, President

Key Achievements

Awarded the 2025 ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’ to Dr Brad Glowaki, for his outstanding contributions to the ASRF and chiropractic research.
Funded the 4th annual ASRF Case Report Project, which resulted in another 10 case report submissions exploring the effects of chiropractic care on Quality of Life and Functional Outcome Measures across the human lifespan.
Held another successful ‘Spinal Research Hero Month’, raising funds for our newly-created ‘ASRF Paediatric Research Fund’.
Created a wide range of chiropractic research resources, including releases from our ASRF Research to Reality Project – a retrospective deep-dive into our funded research projects back to 1998.
Continued to grow our global support-base, 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 2024 ASRF Grants Round:

The effects of chiropractic adjustments on sleep quality in chronic snorers: A pilot study. ($9,967)

Chief Investigator: Dr Beau Woods. Australian Chiropractic College.

Co-Investigators: Dr Nitika Kumari (NZCC), Dr Imran Niazi (NZCC), Dr Heidi Havaak (NZCC), Associate Professor David White (AUT & BioDesign Research Hub).

Nasal congestion is a major risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing, ranging from snoring to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). Around 30% of the population experience chronic snoring, the earliest and most common symptom of OSA. Resultant poor sleep quality is strongly associated with poor mood control and many serious health conditions, such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. To date, there are only two case studies that have demonstrated chiropractic care is associated with improved OSA and sleeping problems. Thus, it might be possible that subluxation-based Chiropractic care can impact the nasal cycle and sleep quality. This pilot trial will enable us to calculate effect sizes and understand the logistics required to inform a future Randomised Controlled Trial, particularly around recruitment, data collection and analysis.

Reproducibility of Sagittal Cervical Spine Alignment on Serial Radiographs: A Systematic Review of the Literature. ($12,240)

Chief Investigators: Dr Joe Betz and Dr Deed Harrison. Chiropractic BioPhysics® NonProfit.

Adequate reliability of spinal displacement analysis on sagittal cervical radiographs is essential for chiropractors to use Xray for the detection and quantification of the biomechanical component of subluxation in clinical practice. Sufficient reproducibility of radiographic imaging (patient positioning, equipment positioning, etc.) of the spine is necessary to have scientific validity of the biomechanical component of subluxation. Non-reproducible methods of obtaining X-rays for this analysis could lead to unreliable measurements, incorrect care, and invalid measures of clinical outcomes. This project is a systematic review of the literature that will methodically explore the state of literature and collate the literature on the repeatability of obtaining sagittal spine radiographs.

Investigating the Predictive Relationship Between Level and severity of Vertebral Subluxation and balance Using AI Techniques. ($25,947)

Chief Investigator: Imran Amjad and Co-Investigator: Imran Khan Niazi. New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

This research aims to investigate the impact of Vertebral Subluxation, or dysfunction, on static and dynamic balance. The study will utilise machine-learning models and time series analysis to predict static and dynamic balance parameters based on subluxation severity and to analyse its evolution over time. Participants underwent chiropractic sessions, with static and dynamic balance parameters gauged using the Gait & Balance Mobile App. Key outcomes will determine whether chiropractic care influences balance and elucidate the relationship between subluxation and balance. The integration of Artificial Intelligence into chiropractic research aims to provide personalised interventions and deepen the understanding of patient care.

Research Report: Grounded in Science: Advancing Subluxation Research Globally

The past year has been exciting for our Foundation, as we continue to move towards creating a lasting legacy of chiropractic research around the globe. We’ve seen a steady growth in the number of international applications in our annual Grants Round, and were thrilled to have funded 3 projects in last year’s round, out of 11 Full Grant Applications that were submitted. The quality of the submissions was impressive, and we look forward to seeing impactful outcomes from the approved studies.

We were also delighted to fund a further 10 case reports, which add to an impressive collection of reports already published though the ASRF Case Report Project. In addition, we continue to fund the ASRF Research to Reality Project, which is designed to examine and consolidate much of the research funded by the Foundation from the past 27 years. This body of work is being released to our Members over time, culminating in an Anthology piece to be released in our anniversary year in 2027 – it’s something we’re very proud of.

An important element of our Mission is to bring research to our Members and their communities. This ongoing and evolving process creates research resources that break down the existing research into collateral that can be shared widely. In doing so we aim to grow our global reach and membership base. In addition, we now have all of our research listed on our website, where updates on projects can be found, and a search function is available to assist users to find key words within the listed projects.

One noteworthy highlight is an update from New Zealand College of Chiropractic on a study funded in 2021: Effect of chiropractic adjustment on prefrontal cortex activity and acute stress using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS): A pilot randomised controlled trial. (Chief Investigator – Dr Nitika Kumari). Following the MAST stress test, the chiropractic group exhibited a significantly attenuated stress response compared to the control group. The fNIRS data showed the chiropractic group demonstrated stable or reduced prefrontal cortex activation post intervention, consistent with enhanced neural efficiency and resilience. We look forward to seeing the manuscript, which will be published in early 2026.

Additional exciting findings have come from the study: Feasibility of using the Gait&Balance app in chiropractic clinics for measuring balance in older adults (Dr Usman Ghani – New Zealand College of Chiropractic). The study shows that there was a progressive decline in DASS-21 anxiety scores over the 8-week period, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in step length variability, measured using the Gait & Balance app. These early trends support the hypothesis that chiropractic care may contribute to improvements in both emotional well-being and functional gait stability over time.

With each study funded and each insight shared, we are strengthening the scientific foundations of chiropractic and advancing subluxation research on a truly global scale.

“It’s our privilege to play a part in building a body of subluxation focused research that advances the profession and the potential benefits to human health expression globally”.

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

Treasurer’s Report: Enhancing our Impact, for a Sustainable Future.

The Foundation remains in a strong financial position, with healthy reserves that provide stability and security for the years ahead. This year we expanded our operational commitments and invested further in our people and research activities, strengthening our capacity to confidently fund research and advance our mission into the future.

While we experienced a modest loss this year, we remain focused on the bigger picture, which means that we continue to be prudent while funding and distributing research, as well as investing in future-proofing the Foundation through strong governance and operations. I’m confident that these investments will continue to strengthen our impact in the years ahead.

One of our priorities this year was to invest in converting the multitude of studies and case studies that we have funded over many years, into resources for our Members and the broader chiropractic community, as well as for practice members. This is part of our plan to add value to our offerings to Members, whose support is at the heart of all that we do, and I’m optimistic about that investment too.

“I’m proud of how we’ve balanced investing in the Foundation with careful stewardship of our resources. It means we’re building resilience and strong governance, so we can confidently continue advancing our mission for years to come”.

I’d like to finish by thanking our Members and Donors for their continued support and investment in our work – together we are creating a body of global research that is leaving a significant legacy for the future.

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 2024-25 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 2025 (prior to the 2025 AGM). For the most current listing, go here.