OCA Award Categories
All eight of our awards celebrate excellence in the chiropractic profession in Ontario. Please note, due to the distinctive and special nature of each award, we reserve the right not to select a recipient in any or all award categories in a given year.
Select from the list below to learn more about an award, view its criteria, and access the nomination form.
Note: The nomination period for the 2024 OCA Awards has closed. Please revisit this page in 2025 for information on the 2025 OCA Awards nomination process.
For more than 60 years, the Chiropractor of the Year has been our most prestigious award. It’s awarded to a practising chiropractor in recognition of their outstanding service, professional achievement and significant contribution, which influences and benefits the profession. The recipient demonstrates the qualities of a leader who upholds the highest professional and ethical standards in their practice.
Chiropractor of the Year Award Criteria
A Chiropractor who has been an OCA member in good standing for 15 years or more and demonstrates a sustained commitment to the profession by acting as a leader and role model can be nominated for the OCA’s most prestigious award. In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee will have made a significant contribution to the profession in two or more of the following areas:
Community Service: The degree to which their services/actions have made a lasting or meaningful contribution or impact on their local community and across Ontario.
Patient CARE: C = Communication, A = Accountability, R = Relationship Building, E = Equity
Research: Involvement in research and/or scholarly initiatives that demonstrate significant and sustained impact on the profession
Advocacy: Demonstrate significant efforts and dedication to advocate on behalf of the profession; to educate and help influence positive policy change:
- Developing an innovative clinic or practice
- Mentoring, Training and Educating colleagues
- Building the stature, profile and reputation of the profession
NOTE: All criteria are weighted equally in assessment by the OCA Awards Selection Committee.
Nominate for Chiropractor of the Year
The Chiropractic Champion Award is awarded to an advocate, ally, or individual who is instrumental in the advancement of the chiropractic profession in Ontario. This award is intended to recognize someone who is not a currently licensed chiropractor who has enhanced the profession in meaningful ways within the Ontario health care system.
Chiropractor Champion Award Criteria
A member of the public who has enhanced the chiropractic profession in Ontario through their professional or personal actions. In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee will have made a significant contribution to the profession in two or more of the following areas:
Interprofessional Opportunity: Creating novel possibilities for chiropractors to engage in the Ontario health care system and collaborate with other professionals as equals.
Professional Governance: Actively participating in the governance, Regulation, political progress of the profession in Ontario.
Education: Contributing to the continuous improvement and implementation of chiropractic education, inclusion/representation of chiropractic in other health professional education, and/or creating interprofessional networking opportunities for chiropractic students.
Research: Involvement in research and/or scholarly initiatives that demonstrate significant and sustained impact on the profession.
Advocacy: Demonstrating significant efforts and dedication to advocate on behalf of the profession; to educate and help influence positive policy change, for example:
- Building the stature, profile and reputation of the profession
- Influencing political agents to enact positive change for the profession
Nominate for Chiropractic Champion Award
The CHA of the Year Award recognizes a clinic staff member whose work has enhanced patient satisfaction and the reputation and credibility of chiropractic care. The CHA must be nominated by a chiropractor practising in Ontario who is an OCA and CCO member in good standing and is not a current member of the OCA Awards Committee.
Chiropractic Health Assistant (CHA) of the Year Award Criteria
A CHA who is serving the profession and is currently employed by an active OCA member.
In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee will have demonstrated a sustained commitment to enhancing patient satisfaction in an OCA member’s practice and the reputation of chiropractic in their community in two or more of the following areas:
Continuous Improvement: Initiating and contributing to the development of innovative and patient-centric processes and procedures that improve the workplace experience for staff and customers.
Patient Experience: Prioritizing outstanding service and patient experience in the workplace to enhance the reputation of the clinic and the profession.
Giving Back: Volunteering with community groups to represent and promote chiropractic.
Professional Engagement: Mentoring, training and educating colleagues.
Nominate for the Chiropractic Health Assistant (CHA) of the Year
See our Past Chiropractic Health Assistant (CHA) of the Year Winners
Awarded to a chiropractor who has recently graduated from chiropractic college and who demonstrates outstanding promise, achievement and commitment to enhancing the chiropractic profession.
Early Career Chiropractor Award Criteria
Presented to a Chiropractor who has been an OCA and CCO member in good standing for five years or less at the time of nomination.
In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee will have demonstrated success transitioning from school into practice, as well as a commitment to enhancing the understanding of chiropractic care in two or more of the following areas:
Giving Back: Volunteering within their community to represent and promote chiropractic care in a professional and ethical manner.
Interprofessional Collaboration: Building collaborations with other health care professionals with a focus on quality patient care.
Patient-Centred Care: Contributing to the development of innovative and patient-centred models of care that improve patient quality of life.
Nominate for the Early Career Chiropractor Award
The Patient Care Award recognizes a chiropractor, clinic or organization that has excelled in providing exceptional patient experiences, by delivering care that reflects patients’ preferences and has incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion in their practice. The nominee will have demonstrated a dedicated effort to build a practice that creates an exceptional patient experience for all individuals.
Patient Care Award Criteria
Preference is given to a nominee who supplies testimonials and letters of reference from patients, staff, partners, community members and collaborating health professionals.* The nominee must meet the eligibility requirements for all awards. Nominations must identify the impact the nominee has on their patients, how their work increases awareness and implementation of innovative ideas and best practices to achieve exceptional patient care in all of the following areas:
Delivery of Outstanding Care & Collaboration: The nominee works with a broad range of health professionals in a variety of collaborative models of care to provide high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centred care.
Patient Experience & Satisfaction: The nominee consistently receives positive feedback and high satisfaction ratings from patients about their exceptional patient experience.
Development of Patient-Centred Models of Care: The nominee has developed/adopted models of care that are regarded as best practices among their professional colleagues. The nominee applies the universal patient expectations of:
- Partnership: Mutual respect, choice and personalization
- Active listening Communication: Active listening, genuine interest, clarity
- Human touch: Compassion, connection, empathy
- Incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion: The nominee has created a safe, respectful space for patients to experience care.
* To be eligible, a minimum of two testimonials and/or letters of reference from patients, staff, partners, community members and collaborating health professionals must be submitted.
Nominate for Patient Care Award
See our Past Patient Care Award Winners
The award recognizes a chiropractor or researcher currently engaged in research or academia contributing to expanding the knowledge of the profession.
Research and Academic Award Criteria
In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee will have made a significant contribution to the profession in three or more of the following areas:
Chiropractic Knowledge: Increasing knowledge of the profession through involvement in chiropractic research
Chiropractic Education: Ensuring success for future chiropractic graduates through excellence in chiropractic education
Chiropractic Understanding: Exploring new areas of research and/or unique opportunities to expand the breadth of chiropractic understanding
Professional Expertise: Acting as a role model and being recognized as a resource regarding the research
Knowledge Translation: Contributing to knowledge translation activities to share findings and support improvement in patient care
Interprofessional Advancement: Advancing the profession through involvement in interprofessional education or research
Nominate for Research and Academic Award
~Members Choice Awards~
This award recognizes an individual, group or organization that has promoted and made significant contributions to the profession through public education and community engagement.
Community Service Award Criteria
In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee, or the individual member of a nominated group or organization will have made a significant contribution to enhancing the reputation of the profession through one or more of the following areas:
Community Service: The degree to which their services/actions have made a lasting or meaningful contribution or impact on patients and the public in their community
Public Education: Involvement delivering public education within and outside of the profession within their communities
Note: The individual or identified member of the group or organization will accept the award on behalf of the nominated group.
Nominate for the Community Service Award
Honouring the memory of OCA Board Director Dr. Michael Brickman, this prestigious award is presented to the practising chiropractor who best embodies a generous and giving spirit (the heart) with the remarkable passion and dedication to chiropractic care (the hands).
Dr. Michael Brickman Heart and Hands Award Criteria
A chiropractor who has been an OCA and CCO member in good standing for ten years or more and has earned the respect of their peers by contributing to both the practice and reputation of chiropractic. Nominated and selected by our members, the nominee is a chiropractor who has made a tremendous impact through selfless devotion to patient treatment.
In addition to the eligibility requirements for all awards, the nominee will have demonstrated their exceptional contribution to the chiropractic profession in two or more of the following Heart and Hands areas:
Heart
Nurturing and inspiring remarkable passion for learning in the hearts of their peers
Volunteering and bettering their community through dedicated care, selflessness and a genuine desire to do good
Hands
Skillful use of their hands to bring strength to the sick and relief to the suffering
Building a culture that incorporates best practices and delivers great health care and experience to their patients
Nominate for the Dr. Michael Brickman Heart and Hands Award
See our Past Dr. Michael Brickman Heart and Hands Award Winners
Additional Information
To be eligible for an award in each category, a nominee must:
- Be an OCA and CCO member in good standing (except for Chiropractic Health Assistant (CHA) and Chiropractic Champion Award nominees)
- Model behaviour that reflects the spirit, integrity or relevance of the award and upholds the highest professional and ethical standards
- Not be a full-time employee of the OCA or member of the OCA Board of Directors or have been an employee or Director in the last two years
- Not be a current member of the OCA Awards Committee
Celebrate the best in chiropractic through recognition and reward by joining the 2024 OCA Awards Selection Committee, where you’ll objectively review award nominations, select award recipients, and advise the OCA Board of Directors on award policies.
Time Commitment
There are three available positions for a three-year term (August 2024 to September 2027) requiring a time commitment of a minimum of four hours per year. All candidates should be ready to participate in two committee meetings in August & September 2024 for the 2024 OCA Awards nomination and selection process.
Qualifications
The successful candidates will:
- Be an OCA and CCO members in good standing for five or more years.
- Be familiar with the CCO’s standards and Guidelines
- Understand the OCA’s mission and vision
- Be prepared to attend virtual meetings and conference calls; engage in reading and review of nomination material; and participate in email discussions.
For more information, visit our Awards Selection Committee page.
Award recipients agree to participate in OCA events and other communication opportunities, including in-person speaking, webinars, attendance at other events, writing articles for the OCA, or appearing in videos as requested. The minimum commitment for the year is six hours. Recipients of the Chiropractor of the Year and the Dr. Michael Brickman Heart and Hands Award may expect additional commitment time.
Learn about our OCA Award Revocation Policy and Procedures.
Each year, our OCA Awards are presented at the annual OCA Awards Gala. The 2023 OCA Awards Celebration was held on Saturday, December 9, 2023, in Niagara Falls.
Learn more about this years’ Awards Gala, Thrive Conference and Annual General meeting.
Questions about the awards?
Contact OCA at oca@chiropractic.on.ca or call 416-860-0070 | Toll-free: 1-877-327-2273.