Diplomate of Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures

Kudos and a collective "Hi Pi" to the ICA’s Council for Upper Cervical Care and especially to our own Drs. Julie Mayer Hunt and Bo Rochester for the January inaugural of the Diplomate of Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures advanced degree program. The DCCJP is a 306 hour advanced degree program that has been in development since the Council was created in 2008. Twenty five monthly seminars over a three year period are required to complete the degree.

Thirty upper cervical doctors from the United States, Canada, Japan and Korea have enrolled in the landmark program that seeks to enhance our beloved sub-specialty with a detailed curriculum reviewing the latest information in anatomy, neurology, biomechanics and cervical imaging. Literature reviews, subluxation theories and research methods round out the first year, while year two and three concentrate on exposing enrollees to the various orthogonal and articular techniques.

The classes are held in Rosemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago, and the first meeting was christened by the inimitable, ever charismatic and passionate, Dr. Casey Crisp. Dr. Crisp’s unconventional style put all at ease and set the tone for the group. He helped define the mission of the program as promoting the advancement of upper cervical chiropractic by providing the participating doctors the knowledge to document and advance our work. If learning anatomy can be fun, Dr. Crisp is the one to teach it.

March and April brought Dr. Marc Lamantia to the "windy city" with a blizzard of the latest information on neurology. Dr. Lamantia gave an in-depth expose of the central nervous system focusing on the neuroaxis and cranial nerve function. His command of this most difficult and essential subject made all in attendance proud to be a chiropractor and prouder still to be an upper cervical chiropractor.

Dr. Kirk Eriksen spoke at the June class with his candid and passionate approach to the history of upper cervical and the foundations of subluxation theories. As the author of two textbooks that include much of the covered material, the Council certainly picked the right doctor to give the presentation. Dr. Eriksen was able to amalgamate the relevant anatomy, biomechanics and neurology given previously while providing new information to illuminate the "Big Picture" and the importance of the upper cervical spine. Dr. Eriksen will be back to present, Review of the Literature, in August, the subject of his book, Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex.

This impressive group of upper cervical doctors includes certified upper cervical practitioners, instructors, board members and technique presidents past and present. VIP Orthospinology members pursuing the degree include Drs. Opal Garmen, Jeff Scholten, Keith Denton, Patricia Gregg, Mellissa Licari, Julie Hunt, Roderic Rochester, Christine Theodosis and Craig York.

The remarkable dynamic within the group is the atmosphere of complete respect and open communication amongst the participants both in and out of the classroom. The camaraderie present among the matriculates enhances the understanding of our respective approaches and breaks down perceived and learned misconceptions. Ideally, these inter-procedural exchanges will eventually lead to a mutual respect and more joint research projects such as the Safety and Efficacy Study, as well as further advancements within all the participating UC procedures.

Hopefully, this class is only the beginning of many to come with the second class scheduled to begin in January 2015. Please consider enrollment, for doctors equipped with the knowledge and credentials to teach and research upper cervical procedures will lend greater legitimacy to upper cervical chiropractic worldwide

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