Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome and congratulate our new EMMECF council, elected in Dubai on May 12, 2016 for a three year Term. they are: Dr Stathis Papadopoulos (President, from Cyprus), Dr Mustafa Agaoglu (1st Vice President, from Turkey), Dr Mohamad Ruslan (2nd Vice President, from UAE), Dr Amy Bowzaylo (Secretary, from Bahrain) & Dr Kristen Carroll (Treasurer, from UAE).

As President of the EMMECF, I must congratulate Dr Vanda Corbett, President of Emirates Chiropractic Association (ECA) and her organizing committee for their efficiency and great hospitality as our hosts. I was delighted by the attendance and must extend my thanks to all those that had made the effort to come to Dubai to support with their presence our regional efforts to promote the Chiropractic profession.

This year we celebrate our 7th anniversary as e Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Chiropractic Federation (EMMECF). The meeting was held concurrently with the WFC Annual Council Meeting. The EMMECF regional seminar attracted in excess of forty delegates from: Cyprus, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Palestine, Canada and USA. Our number one goal for the EMMECF was the establishment of a university based chiropractic program in the EMME Region. As of last September the Bahcesehir University in Istanbul – Turkey, has started a Master of Chiropractic Sciences program. I am grateful to the Turkish Chiropractic Association (TCA) and particularly Dr Mustafa Agaoglu who have put in huge effort to make this dream a reality. With your assistance hopefully soon we will be able to open another University program in our region.

Our second priority must be the pursue of Chiropractic legislation in countries that do not have it, so as to insure protection of the public and our profession.
The EMMECF seminar in Dubai was generously sponsored by the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, which supported the attendance of Dr. Matthew Antonucci. Over two days, (11th & 12th of May) Dr. Antonucci gave an outstanding presentation on the chiropractic implications of applied neuroscience. An ever-popular topic, attendees reported high levels of satisfaction. I must also extend our sincere thanks to our guest speaker Dr. Gioa Paolo Tassi, MD for his very interesting presentation on Percutaneous Laser Decompression. Speaking after the AGM, WFC Secretary-General Dr Richard Brown said: “Despite the tensions that exist here in the Middle East region, it was great to witness friendship, mutual respect and good humour. It is clear that doctors of chiropractic in this region are committed to delivering high standards of patient-centered care.”