ECU Award to Dr. Vassilis Maltezopoulos

The ECU Award prize winner

Dr. Vassilis Maltezopoulos was presented with the "ECU Award" at the ECU Convention gala dinner in Amsterdam. The ECU Award is the highest and most prestigious prize that the ECU can present. Dr. Maltezopoulos received a standing ovation from the audience. Dr. Vassilis Maltezopoulos has been the Academic Organizer of the ECU Convention since year 2000. After graduating from medical school, he went to the AECC where he graduated in 1989. He is a practicing chiropractor and lives in Glyfada which is a suburb to Athens, Greece. He has three children, and he is married to Vivi. -The academic program of the ECU Convention improves year by year; much because of the effort of Vassilis Maltezopoulos. I know how much work and how much time it takes to put it all together. The standing ovation you received today is well deserved. The ECU Award is a sign of the our appreciation to you and for the job you have done for us all, said ECU President Øystein Ogre in his speech.

Stepping down; -yes! Retirement; -no!!

Dr. Kenneth Vall

Kenneth Vall might be stepping down as Principal of the AECC, but that doesn’t mean he is retiring from the chiropractic profession. “I’m going to maintain some connection with the profession, and be involved in certain areas of responsibility,” Kenneth explains and eagerly talks about the future of the AECC, which he is confident will be managed well by his successor and current vice-principal, Haymo Thiel. “We are facing many challenges,” he says, but in order to handle these, AECC has formed what Kenneth calls the “2020 vision”, which is a plan designed to improve the education and expand AECC graduate’s repertoire. “Essentially, We want to create a graduate that’s much more ready to enter professional status as a chiropractor.”  Kenneth explains that students will spend more time in the AECC clinic, and learn how to run a business and interact with other health care professionals.

The most important image maker for Chiropractic

Dr. Vassilis Maltezopoulos

“The ECU Convention is one of the most important professional image makers for Chiropractic in Europe,” says Dr. Vassilis Maltezopoulos, and guarantees a good academic program. “It is important to always make sure that it maintains a high scientific profile and high academic and educational standards, as well as it allows all aspects of the profession to be heard.” In his twelfth year as Academic Organizer, Vassilis can assure that his experience will benefit the upcoming ECU Convention, and he emphasizes the importance the convention has for European chiropractic.

Harassments continue in South-Korea

Dr. Taeg Su Chong

In July last year I wrote the following her on this blog:  "In South Korea we have an unacceptable situation. Chiropractors are being harassed by governmental authorities, fined, prosecuted and thrown in jail.The World Federation of Chiropractic has now taken an initiative to donate funds to the Korean Chiropractic Association (KCA). That is good, and we support that initiative. However, that is not enough. Getting an end to the harassment of our colleagues does not only call for a legal solution. We also need to see a political initiative taken. Every South Korean embassy in countries where chiropractic is present, should be visited by the national chiropractic association and a formal protest should be made against how South Korean authorities are treating are fellow colleagues. We, as a profession, should make it known that the world find it unacceptable that chiropractors, with a formal college degree, are being sentenced to jail for practicing chiropractic." The situation in South-Korea has not changed this last year. There have been no political initiatives taken, only legal actions. In my opinion, it is about time the chiropractic profession world wide stand up to this kind of Governmental behavior and speak out. This is unacceptable!! The world community does not accept this kind of conduct from a democratic nation like South-Korea.

Still possible to sign up for the ECU Convention, says Gitte Tønner

Gitte Tønner

With the ECU Convention in Amsterdam soon at hand, head of the organisation committee, Gitte Tønner, guarantees it will offer good educational opportunities. “This year, I believe more than ever, we're looking to our colleagues outside chiropractic,” Gitte says, and refers to the representatives from other professions that will attend the convention. “We are aiming for interdisciplinary development and mutual understanding; also we have our usual round of 'what's going on in research at this moment' and deliberately placed it in the beginning of the convention for maximum exposure.”