Hayden D. Kaufman, a student at Palmer College of Chiropractic’s main campus in Davenport, Iowa is the recipient of this year’s William S. Rehm Medal. The medal was presented at the 40th annual conference of the Association for the History of Chiropractic.
The award is given for an outstanding unpublished essay by a single author on any topic in the history of chiropractic. The essay must be the result of original research or show an unusual appreciation and understanding of problems in the history of chiropractic. The essay must demonstrate the quality of writing, appropriate use of sources, and ability to address themes of historical significance.
Kaufman’s winning paper is titled, “The History of Chiropractic Inequality in the U.S. Armed Forces.”
Chiropractic students throughout the world enrolled in an accredited chiropractic college or university at the time of submission are eligible for the William S. Rehm award. The award honors William S. Rehm, D.C. (1920-2002), the father of the Association for the History of Chiropractic.
Q: What does this award mean to you?
A: I have always been interested by history because that informs our understanding of the present and because I will be investing my life in chiropractic. Having a firm grasp of the history behind what I’ll do is of utmost importance to me. This award affirms that and is really special to me due to my long-held beliefs about the importance of history.
Q: What inspired you to choose chiropractic as a career?
A: Back in undergrad, my goal was to follow my family’s legacy and go on to medical school. I had the chance to shadow 11 doctors in various fields. To my surprise, all but one of those doctors told me to take a step back and make sure that this was what I wanted to do — they went on to tell me that it wasn’t anything that they thought, and they are at a point in their career where they realize they don’t truly help anyone. The last M.D. I shadowed was a pediatric ER physician who was suspended for two days without pay for spending more than eight minutes with a patient. In the following days, I received an email from him stating the exact same thing the other doctors told me. At the very end of his email, he added, ‘P.S. – If you truly want to help someone, go be a chiropractor.’ Hearing this from an M.D. really surprised me, and thus began my journey to chiropractic. I haven’t looked back since.
