West alumni receive awards from Canadian national governing sports organization

Brad Yee, D.C. (’91), and Bill Jacobs, D.C. (’97), graduates of Palmer College of Chiropractic’s West campus in San Jose, California, recently received special awards honoring their 20 and five years, respectively, of distinguished service as Fellows of the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences (RCCSS©), the national governing organization for sports chiropractic in Canada.

The service awards were presented at the 2017 Western Canada Sports Chiropractic Conference, held March 25-26 in Vancouver, B.C., and recognize distinguished (RCCSS©) Fellows for outstanding dedication to their patients, athletes, community, the chiropractic profession, and for advancing the specialized field of sports chiropractic in Canada.

Earning the status of RCCSS© Fellow requires completion of a five-year postgraduate program, which entails more than 1,000 hours of study and care in the specialized field of clinical sports care, research, and publication, culminating with the requirement of passing the Fellowship Exam.

Fellows of the RCCSS©, established in 1984, have been working with Canada’s elite athletes for more than two decades. Since the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, the Fellows have been part of the Core Health Care Team for Canada’s Olympic athletes.

Serving elite athletes has led to affiliations with many institutions and associations, including the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Sports Centres. Fellows of the RCCSS©, are also members of the Service Provider Expert Group that advises the COC on healthcare policy development and provider selection for various International Games.

“Dr. Tom Souza (Palmer West dean of Academic Affairs) was one of my mentors as a chiropractic student, and he was the driving force that inspired me to continue my postgraduate studies in sports science,” said Dr. Yee, who served as president of the Palmer West Associated Student Government (ASG); has maintained a practice at the Chiropractic and Rehabilitative Exercise Clinic (CARE) in Vancouver, B.C., for more than 25 years; and earned his RCCSS© Fellowship in 1996.

Dr. Jacobs practices at Sumas Mtn. Chiropractic and Wellness Clinic in Abbotsford, B.C., with fellow Palmer West graduate Todd Marshall, D.C. (’99), who was recently elected vice president of the RCCSS©, and presented the service awards to the two honorees.

“It was an honor to receive a five-year service award at this year’s annual RCCSS© Conference,” said Dr. Jacobs, who served as vice president of the inaugural Palmer West student chapter of the ACA Sports Council, formed in 1994, followed by a term as Sports Council president in 1995.

“As the other recipients and I reminisced about our starts in this fine profession, the topic of Palmer West and its ACA Student Sports Council came up repeatedly. Drs. (Edward) Feinberg and Souza, among others, instilled a passion and commitment to excellence that I still carry with me today in my sports chiropractic career.”

“It was special presenting the awards to two of my fellow Palmer West alumni – and I credit the success we have achieved in practice to the fundamental education we all received,” said Dr. Marshall, who played on the ice-hockey team at Palmer West as a student, and also is a Fellow of the RCCSS©.