Student Experience

The American Chiropractic Associations’ annual conference was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. We connected with Caitlin Jones to give us the scoop on her experience.

By: Caitlin Jones, DC and sports medicine student

With everything going virtual, the American Chiropractic Association’s annual conference ENGAGE 2021 was no different. In past years, people would fly from all over the country to Washington, D.C. for a long weekend conference to meet with their representatives on Capitol Hill to advocate for the chiropractic profession and take pictures in the middle of the night at the Lincoln Memorial. Though I missed the opportunity to meet and network with chiropractic physicians and students in person, I was still able to make those meaningful connections virtually! There was a mix of pre-recorded sessions and Zoom discussions. For me, being the legislative representative for the UWS Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) chapter, it was wonderful because I was still able to watch the cool sessions that I normally would have missed for a very long business meeting. And trust me, I really did not want to miss Dr. Howard’s session on “Treating a concussion beyond the adjustment in a chiropractic practice!” I was even able to watch it a week after the conference since we have access to the sessions for a whole month. Next on my list is to check out Dr. Ortega’s session titled “Reframe the brain to rethink the pain” – yes please!

Though we missed out on my favorite part of advocating on Capitol Hill, they still held a discussion giving everyone an update on the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act. We were able to gain some additional support before the new Congress took over, which means that this year we should have an easier time moving this legislation forward. I am honored to announce that I was selected to be the vice legislative chair for SACA National Executive Board (SNEB), so you will definitely hear more about our progress! The ACA is currently working on reframing the bill, but it still keeps to the core of updating Medicare from the 1972 limitations on chiropractic physicians – which still states chiropractor as “he” – that’s how outdated it is. If you want to keep up to date with what the ACA is advocating for – check out www.ACAtoday.org.

UWS SACA Chapter of the Year

The UWS Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) chapter was named the 2020 SACA Chapter of the Year during the 2021 American Chiropractic Association (ACA) ENGAGE conference presented virtually this year.

“We are truly honored to be recognized as the 2020 SACA Chapter of the Year,” said Danielle Pettet, past SACA president. “All SACA chapters were faced with many challenges this year, so to be selected for this award is quite the honor. Despite the online environment, we were able to boost our UWS SACA membership and host several successful fundraisers and virtual events. All of these things were made possible by our amazing SACA members and club advisor, Dr. Gary Schultz, who stuck with us during these uncertain times and kept the SACA spirit alive at UWS.”

Through the challenges faced this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, being able to think creatively and keep engagement up with members was critical in keeping members connected. The executive board created many well-attended virtual events to help keep a sense of normalcy and community.

“Working with this SACA executive board has been the antidote to 2020,” said Dr. Schultz. “Each member of this team has embodied leadership, positivity, good humor, creativity and persistence. They truly have been an inspiration both personally and professionally. To be honest, it really was not the least bit surprising to see them awarded SACA Chapter of the Year. I am so very proud of them and the hard work they have put in this year.” Though there were a number of amazing things about ENGAGE this year, my favorite part actually had to do with the UWS community. Though we missed out on socializing in person, eating some great food and exploring my old stomping grounds (I lived in the D.C. area for 12 years), the UWS SACA Chapter was named the 2020 SACA Chapter of the Year! I was honored to be able to work with Danielle Pettet, Leah Dash, Carlee Thomson, Kailey Koopman, Katrina Parsley and Sierra Zinke under the guidance of Dr. Gary Schultz. It was a tough year with COVID changing all of our initial goals, but our wonderful UWS community helped us by attending our events and keeping us motivated. Thank you all so much! 

SPP-CMHC Students Serving as AASP Student Delegates

Brooke Rundle and Bernadette Correa are two students in the sport and performance psychology (SPP) doctoral program, focusing their studies with the clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) specialization. Both Rundle and Correa were named to the student delegation of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). We connected with them both to learn more about the importance of their participation in AASP from a personal and professional lens.

Brooke Rundle

What does it mean to you to be chosen as a student delegate for the AASP?

Through my personal experience as a professional athlete and now as a mindset coach for collegiate volleyball teams, I have witnessed how stereotypes associated with

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gender identity and sexual orientation have a significant impact on athlete performance and retention. LGBTQ+ youth are twice as likely to drop out of sports compared to their heterosexual peers and over 80% of LGBTQ+ athletes have witnessed or experienced homophobia and transphobia in sports. And yet, less than ten percent of the Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPC®) listed in the AASP member directory identified LGBTQ+ as a specialization. I applied to become a student delegate for the Social Justice Initiative of AASP to provide more support, resources and mentors to the LGBTQ+ community.

In what ways will this experience help your education as well as future career pursuits?

In the short time that I have been involved, I have already met several amazing students at universities across the world with like-minded goals. It is exciting to connect with students that share a passion for social justice and are willing to put in extra work to make AASP and the field of sport and performance psychology more inclusive and equitable.

What are the main duties you will be attending to as student delegates?

The AASP Student Delegate Social Justice Initiative collaborates directly with the AASP Diversity Committee. As the co-chair of the Student Delegate Social Justice Initiative, I am responsible for attending AASP student delegate meetings and contributing to social justice initiatives involving the AASP annual conference, website or other AASP related events and content. Bernadette Correa

What does it mean to you to be chosen as a student delegate for the AASP?

I applied to be a student delegate so I could become more involved in AASP and try to give a voice to online learners. For me, being chosen to be a student delegate is the beginning of building my professional presence within the field of SPP. I am excited to have the opportunity to do this as a student.

In what ways will this experience help your education as well as future career pursuits?

I see this experience as an opportunity to connect further with people in the field of SPP. I see it as an opportunity to be a leader and a chance to learn from professionals while helping students. For me, this is the beginning of my involvement in SPP outside of the classroom and the possibility of future opportunities in AASP and SPP in general.

What are the main duties you will be attending to as student delegates?

Each student delegate is assigned to one or two initiatives and possibly serves as the chair of an initiative. I applied to be involved in the Conference Planning Initiative and together we will work with the Conference Planning Committee (made up of professional members) to help plan the annual conference. This year’s conference is currently a hybrid of online and in person. The in-person sessions will take place October 6-9, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.