Department of Physical Therapy Associate Professor Michael Schneider
The University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) has received international recognition for its bold moves in advancing health care. Department of Physical Therapy Professor Michael Schneider was awarded the Sheikh Zayed International Award for Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine for his academic expertise in chiropractic research and education. The award gives recognition to eminent TCAM (Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine) academics and scientists for their distinguished contributions to improve the quality of life for humanity, and who have contributed significantly in enhancing TCAM knowledge and practices around the world.
Schneider attended the ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in October to receive the award for his achievements implementing the Primary Spine Practitioner (PSP) certificate program, which has trained over 200 students since it began in 2018. Schneider practiced as a chiropractor for over 25 years before obtaining his PhD in rehabilitation science at SHRS and has been conducting physical therapy and chiropractic evidence-based research at Pitt for 15 years. He says that receiving the award “was international recognition for the Primary Care Practitioner program and how it blends the best of physical therapy and chiropractic care.”
Muhammad Raslan, MD, DC, chair of the award in the chiropractic category, explains why Schneider was chosen for the award, “The Sheikh Zayed award, named for the founder of the UAE, is the highest and most prestigious award for TCAM ever given in the Middle East and the Arabic countries. After reviewing all the nominees, the scientific committee found that Dr. Schneider should be the one receiving this award because of his many years of work in education and research in the chiropractic field. We were honored to see Dr. Schneider in UAE receiving this award.”
Schneider was nominated for the award by Gerald Nastasia, DC, of Dubai, UAE, former president of the Emirates Chiropractic Association and graduate of the Primary Spine Practitioner program’s first cohort. He specifically sought out the program because of Pitt’s top ranking in physical therapy and because the one-of-a-kind Primary Spine Practitioner program brings together physical therapists and chiropractors who have traditionally worked independently from each other. One of the course’s goals is to break down barriers between the two professions and recognize their vital partnership as key clinicians on the front lines of reducing patient use of addictive pharmaceuticals like opioids to treat spinal and lower back pain. Nastasia found that the PCP course reinforced his belief that “Primary spine care is the way forward for more effective management of the crisis of ‘lower back pain’ care.”
In nominating Schneider for the award, Nastasia states, “Mike's roles as full-time researcher and educator at a major public university in the United States positioned him as an ideal candidate for one of the Sheikh Zayed Awards in TCAM-Chiropractic.”
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Published December 19, 2022