NYCC Well Represented at Engage 2021, Student and Alumni Recognized for Leadership

This year's American Chiropractic Association (ACA) annual conference Engage 2021, normally held in Washington, D.C., went virtual. Among the nearly 500 healthcare professionals participating in February's online event were 16 New York Chiropractic College students, as well as faculty members, including NYCC's President Dr. Michael Mestan, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jean-Nicolas Poirier and Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement Dr. Todd Knudsen.

NYCC's SACA provided scholarships for six students to cover fees to attend both the conference and meetings of the Student ACA (SACA). The conference featured ten educational sessions presented by industry leaders about a range of significant healthcare topics. One of the sessions, about effective Medicare billing, was presented by Dr. Bill Lauretti, NYCC professor of chiropractic and SACA advisor. He also facilitated a "Lunch and Learn" session and helped organize the annual Faculty ACA business meeting. Lauretti's educational session, as well as the others, is now available on demand through the ACA website.

"I'm disappointed we weren't able to make our annual trip, but with the COVID crisis and all that is happening in Washington this year, it's all for the best," said Lauretti, who for the past 14 years has accompanied NYCC students to the event. He was pleased that ACA was able to provide an online forum for Engage 2021.

Lauretti said students will also still have the opportunity to lobby Congress on behalf of patients and the profession to advocate for Medicare coverage for chiropractic services as ACA plans to provide virtual lobbying sessions for students during the next couple of months.

NYCC Student Named National Chair of SACA at Engage 2021

In addition to being well represented at the virtual event, the ACA also shared significant news about NYCC community members. The big news included the announcement of Ary Laudeman (D.C. '21), in her 8th trimester at NYCC, as the new SACA National Chair.

"Ary is a great leader for both students and the profession of chiropractic," Dr. Lauretti said. "This is a significant accomplishment and Ary carries on a decade-long tradition of NYCC students holding leadership positions within the SACA National Executive Board."

Also announced at Engage was the election of NYCC alumnus Dr. James Walters (D.C. '19) to the Leadership Team of ACA NextGen, ACA's group of early-career practitioners, and NYCC alumnus Dr. Brendan McCann (D.C. '15) as the winner of an ACA NextGen Outstanding Service Award.