July 20, 2022 (Falls Church, VA) Dr. Selina Sigafoose-Jackson, President of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), recently announced that James L. Chestnut MSc, DC, CCWP would receive the ICA Chiropractic Pioneer Award 2022 for Significant Lifetime Contribution Advancing the Field of Evidence-Based Chiropractic and Lifestyle.  The Pioneer award is given only to those who have made meaningful contributions to the scientific and/or clinical advancement of the chiropractic profession. Dr. Chestnut is being honored for his significant lifetime contribution advancing practitioner knowledge and clinical implementation of Evidence-Based Chiropractic and Lifestyle Education.

Dr. Chestnut is the founder and lead faculty member of the ICA’s Council on Evidence-Based and Lifestyle certification program, which replaces the former ICA Wellness Council, founded by Dr. Chestnut in 2004.  In addition to receiving his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2000, Dr. Chestnut holds a Master of Science in exercise physiology with a specialization in neuromuscular adaptation, a Bachelor of Education, and the Evidence-Based Chiropractic and Lifestyle Practitioner certification from the ICA.

Dr. Chestnut has lectured to both practitioners and the public around the world on the scientific evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness and safety of chiropractic, the neurophysiological effects of VSC/motion unit dysfunction and chiropractic adjustment, the validity and logic of the chiropractic health paradigm, the evidence of the primary causal impact of lifestyle on health, and the clinical implementation of evidence-based assessment and care. Dr. Chestnut is a recipient of the ICA “Researcher of the Year” for 2005, “Educator of the Year” for 2007, the Stuart Rynsburger Award for Outstanding Service to Chiropractic from the United Chiropractic Association in the U.K. for 2016, and the Canadian Chiropractic Scientist of the Year Award from Life University in 2020.

In making the announcement, Dr. Sigafoose-Jackson said, “The evidence is clear: globally, 80% of chronic diseases are related to lifestyle, and as chiropractors we have an integral role in helping curtail this epidemic of preventable illness and suffering. Dr. Chestnut has taken a leading role in post-graduate education for doctors of chiropractic in this important field.”  

The ICA is hosting a webinar with Dr. Chestnut on August 22, 2022: “The Importance and Relevance of Lifestyle with Respect to Baseline Health, Immune Function, and Current and Future Pandemics.” See more information and register here.

The ICA is the oldest continuously active international chiropractic organization in the world. Founded in 1926 by Dr. B.J. Palmer, the ICA represents the chiropractic community, and supports and advances the interests of chiropractic, chiropractors, and the patients they serve through advocacy, research, and education.

Throughout its long history, the ICA has continued to educate and inform the public, other health care professions, and health policy makers on the principles and definitions of chiropractic to foster clarity for a broader understanding and acceptance of the profession as a distinct healing philosophy, science, and art. To learn more about the ICA, please visit, https://www.chiropractic.org.

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