17 October 2018

The Giles Medal 2018

The Giles Medal for Outstanding Research in Health Science was first awarded in 2017 in recognition of excellence in healthcare research. The award is made to an individual who has an outstanding and sustained track record in research that is of relevance to the practice of chiropractic. The Medal is named in honour of Dr Lynton Giles, the first chiropractor in Australia to complete a PhD in a health science discipline, and who then made an exceptional contribution to our understanding of the significance of the spine in healthcare through his basic and clinical science research concerning the spine. This recognition is intended to provide incentive for all those who aspire to excellence in healthcare research.

The ACA is pleased to announce that Professor Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde has been awarded the Giles Medal in 2018. Professor Leboeuf-Yde is a Professor in Clinical Biomechanics at the Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. She commenced her research career at the Nordic Institute for Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics, Odense, Denmark in 1991 after completing her Master of Public Health at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Professor Leboeuf-Yde then completed her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Southern Denmark’s Medical School.

Since commencing her research career Professor Leboeuf-Yde has published more than 174 papers in internationally recognised scientific peer reviewed journals. As of 13 May, 2018 her work has been cited on more than 4,600 occasions. Notable are 20 publications in the internationally renowned journals including Spine, five papers published in the European Spine Journal and 16 papers published in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. She has also published over 35 papers in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics and 34 papers in the journal Chiropractic and Manual Therapy.

Professor Leboeuf-Yde’s work has focused on musculoskeletal disorders from a public health and epidemiological perspective. In particular, she has undertaken investigations concerning causes and prevention of back pain. These multi-disciplinary collaborations reflect the regard with which she is held as a clinical researcher concerning musculoskeletal clinical problems. Further evidence of her esteem as a healthcare researcher are her roles as Senior Researcher and then Director of The Medical Research Unit Ringkøbing, Denmark and appointments as Visiting Professor at Université Paris Sud, Paris, France and Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia where she currently holds appointment as Distinguished Collaborator.

Professor Leboeuf-Yde has supervised 26 PhD students including students undertaking their research at institutes in England, The Netherlands, Sweden, France and Australia. She has been a member of the Research Council of the World Federation of Chiropractic, a Scientific Adviser to the Swedish Health Directorate (“Social-Styrelsen”) and Expert Member of the Swedish Health Department. In addition, she has served as a referee for several international scientific peer reviewed journals including Spine, is currently Consultant to the Editorial Board of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders and is Senior Advisor to the journal Chiropractic and Manual Therapy.

Professor Leboeuf-Yde has clearly undertaken research of the highest international standard that has focused on the ‘improvement of the efficacy of the treatment and management of patients’ and is ‘research of relevance to healthcare and the practice of chiropractic’, which are both primary attributes required of a Giles Medal recipient.