It’s been one year since the American Chiropractic Association released its Choosing Wisely list, which features recommendations designed to help patients start conversations with their chiropractors about appropriate care. In an era of evidence-based care and shared decision making, patients need this type of information to have meaningful discussions with their doctors that lead to better care and, ultimately, better outcomes.

Although the culture of health care is shifting and complementary and alternative options are being implemented in hospital and primary care settings, many allopathic practitioners are not necessarily familiar with chiropractic. My biggest take-away from being exposed to interprofessional collaboration on a day-to-day basis in the VA is the need for chiropractors to prepare answers to questions regarding what chiropractic care is, common conditions seen, neurophysiological effects of treatment, and the incidence of adverse events.

The World Health Organization (WHO) held its 71^st Assembly May 21-26, 2018 at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health, and uses the annual Assembly to set norms and standards for ethical and evidence-based healthcare policy. I had the honor of attending the Assembly this year as part of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) delegation. Over four days of plenary sessions, committee meetings, and technical briefings, I observed an impressive breadth and depth of operations at WHO—and a chiropractic profession that is primed for more meaningful engagement with the broader public health community.

It was at the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference that VA resident Stephanie Halloran, DC, began to appreciate the necessity of communicating chiropractic clearly and accurately to outside audiences. Today, she presents information on chiropractic, both formally and informally, to addiction/pain fellows, neurosurgeons, and internal medicine residents within the VA’s integrated healthcare setting. Each presentation Dr. Halloran gives, as well as the many she attends in the VA, helps her to become a better communicator. 

At the 2018 National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC), the newly formed ACA Commission on Diversity presented its first report to attendees at the House of Delegates meeting. The commission is a task force whose function is to “help ACA achieve a deeper understanding of diversity issues in chiropractic generally and ACA specifically. The commission is charged with generating a strategic road map for ACA's Board of Governors, outlining ways ACA can become more diverse, improve the practice success of our women and minority members, serve diverse populations within the American population better, as well as other diversity issues of which ACA leadership should be aware.”