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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Ali Smith, DC

  • Program of Study: Diagnostic Imaging Residency ProgramAli Smith
  • ​Institution: Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
  • Project Title: The Adherence to Spinal Imaging Guidelines and the Utilization of Lumbar Spine Diagnostic Imaging for a New Episode of Low Back Pain at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
  • Project Background: Diagnostic imaging is useful for assessing low back pain (LBP) when a clinician is suspicious of serious or specific underlying pathology. There is rising concern that health care professionals are inappropriately recommending diagnostic imaging when there is no clinical indication. This inappropriate use of imaging increases healthcare costs, exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, and negatively impacts patient outcomes. Evidence-based imaging guidelines have been developed to assist clinicians inappropriately in requesting imaging for assessing LBP. A 2004 study conducted at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) reported high adherence to three clinical guidelines and a utilization rate of 12.3% in imaging of LBP patients. Since this study, a new diagnostic imaging guideline for spinal disorders has been published and implemented in the CMCC curriculum.
  • Project Objectives: The primary aim of our study is to determine the adherence rate to the current Canadian chiropractic imaging guideline, and our secondary aim is to determine the utilization rate of diagnostic imaging in patients with a new episode of LBP, presenting to CMCC clinics.
  • Committee Members:
    • Silvano Mior DC, PhD, FCCS(C) (CMCC & Ontario Tech University)
    • Varsha Kumar BSc (Hons), DACBR, DC, FCCR(C)(CMCC)
    • Jeffery Cooley DC, DACBR (Murdoch University)
    • Carlo Ammendolia DC, PhD(University of Toronto & Mt. Sinai Hospital)