NYCC Receives Over $1M in Fed. Research Grant Funds

New York Chiropractic College was awarded a federal grant of over one million dollars from the Department of Health and Human Services. The funding comes under the auspices of the department’s Health Resources and Services Administration’s Chiropractic Demonstration Project Grant Program. The research project, entirely funded by the federal government, will provide $1,124,244.00 over the next three years to perform this multi-site randomized clinical trial. The research will be conducted in conjunction with the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and private practices in the Rochester area. Dr. Frank J. Nicchi, president of NYCC, said, “The award will generate important data benefiting the millions of Americans who experience debilitating back pain. We are honored to have been selected to work with the Canandaigua VA to carry out this important project.”The study will compare two different treatment modalities for patients suffering from chronic lower back pain. The treatment modalities which will be utilized are spinal manipulative therapy and active exercise therapy. Dr. Paul Dougherty, NYCC Associate Professor and principal research grant investigator, will be utilizing a “prediction rule” to attempt to identify those patients who best respond to particular treatment modalities. ”The research will help doctors predict patient responsiveness to treatment and help determine who should be referred for spinal manipulation or for active exercise therapy.” The project will be carried out within VA clinics and in several private chiropractic and physical therapy outpatient facilities throughout Rochester. One of the strengths of this project has been the interdisciplinary cooperation with all professions represented in the study design and implementation of the project including chiropractors, physical therapists and medical physicians. Patients for the study will be recruited beginning March 2007.