Manuscript published by Foundation team: Verna JL, Matheson LN, Scherer S, Mayer JM. Validity of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 2019;29(4):822-31.

Found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31201594/

 

Manuscript published by Foundation team: Enix D, Mayer JM. Sacroiliac joint hypermobility biomechanics and what it means for healthcare providers and patients. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2019 Aug;11 Suppl 1:S32-S39. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12176. Epub 2019 Jul 19.

Found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31025539/

 

Manuscript published by Foundation team: Lane CL, Hardwick D, Janus TP, Chen H, Lu Y, Mayer JM. Comparison of the firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test to weight lifting exercises using electromyography. Work, 2019;62:459-67.

Found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30909261/

KUSI Segment Features FEMA-funded Firefighter Wellness Initiative with Charity Lane and John Mayer

On Wednesday February 12, 2020, KUSI hosted a live television segment featuring our FEMA-funded firefighter wellness initiative with Charity Lane and John Mayer. A link to the segment is found here:

 

https://www.kusi.com/fema-funded-firefighter-wellness-initiative-in-san-diego/

 

 

January 22, 2019, San Diego, CA: Charity Lane and John Mayer invited to present at the North American Spine Society – Evidence & Technology Spine Summit, 2019

January 22, 2019, San Diego, CA: 

Charity Lane and John Mayer invited to present at the North American Spine Society – Evidence & Technology Spine Summit, 2019

Charity L. Lane, MS, MA, CPT, FNS and John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM have been invited to present at the North American Spine Society’s 15th Annual Evidence & Technology Spine Summit, February 13-16, 2019 in Park City, Utah during two novel sessions: 1) Exercise Committee Session: Exercise Recommendations/Guidelines for LBP Consensus or Conflict, and 2) Nutritional Considerations in Spine Care.

During the presentations, they will discuss their experiences and evidence-based practices on nutritional approaches and exercise applications for back pain management and injury prevention in tactical athletes and the general population. The sessions are hosted by the NASS Exercise Committee, which Dr. Mayer serves on.

The Evidence & Technology Summit “provides both surgical and medical interventional perspectives on spine care. Expert faculty moderate this highly interactive meeting that provides spine specialists with a forum to discuss and debate new technologies, techniques and treatments as well as collaborate with peers on how best to improve patient outcomes.” For more information, see: https://www.spine.org/etss

January 9, 2019: Position Openings: INTERNSHIPS – EXERCISE & FITNESS IN TACTICAL ATHLETES

Position Opening: INTERNSHIPS – EXERCISE & FITNESS IN TACTICAL ATHLETES

SUMMARY:

U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation – a non-profit 501c3 organization – has Exercise & Fitness Internships available in the field of wellness, fitness, and injury prevention in tactical athletes and high-risk occupations.

Intern Roles and Responsibilities: The primary responsibilities of the Intern will be to assist the Project Leaders with a wide variety of tasks related to the field-based project – Implementation of a Regional Firefighter Wellness Initiative, such as: Exercise/wellness/fitness testing and prescription for high risk occupations and tactical athletes; data collection and management; and other duties as assigned.

Through this internship, the Intern will gain experience with learning to perform clinical tests and exercise/wellness prescription procedures for musculoskeletal injury prevention and management in high risk occupations and tactical athletes within a unique field-based wellness program and research setting.

Minimum Qualifications: Current college student (senior undergraduate to graduate level desired) working on a degree in kinesiology, exercise & sports science, physiology, or public health. Internships for credit must be coordinated through an academic department, supervised by a faculty member, and student must be in enrolled in a formal university course; BLS / CPR certification required; Certification in a related field or certified/licensed healthcare provider (preferably CPT from ACSM or NSCA) desired; Experience with MS Office Suite (e.g. Excel, Word, Outlook); Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Keen attention to detail in task planning, organization, and execution, and time management; Experience with exercise and fitness testing and prescription; and Reliable transportation. Research experience is preferred.

Time commitment: Interns will be expected to commit to 12+ hours per week (depending upon the hour requirement for academic course credit, as applicable). Distribution of hours must be comprised of no less than 4-hour time blocks.

Compensation and Academic Credit: Compensation (paid or unpaid) and for academic credit opportunities are contingent upon the policies of the academic

To apply – Send resume / CV and cover letter via email to: Charity Lane, MS. MA, CPT, FNS; Director of Program Development, U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation; email: charitylane@usssf.com; phone: 813-503-7109

January 9, 2019: Position Opening: TACTICAL FITNESS SPECIALIST

Position Opening: TACTICAL FITNESS SPECIALIST

SUMMARY:

U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation – a non-profit 501c3 organization – is seeking to hire a Tactical Fitness Specialist for a federally-funded grant – Implementation of a Regional Firefighter Wellness Initiative.

DUTIES:

  • Conducts fitness testing and related wellness procedures in firefighters.
  • Conducts fitness training sessions and related educational components in firefighters.
  • Assists key personnel with a wide range of clinical research and program implementation activities, such as data management.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum Qualifications: 1) Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 2 years experience in fitness testing and prescription, OR Masters degree with research thesis or internship in a related field; 2) Fitness certification from a recognized organization (e.g. ACSM, NSCA) (preferably CSCS), OR certification in a related field, OR certified/licensed healthcare provider.

Preferred Qualifications: 1) Post-graduate experience with designing and conducting exercise prescriptions for fitness training programs; 2) Experience working with first responders and tactical athletes; 3) Formal experience in clinical research.

Other skills and certifications: BLS / CPR certification; Human subjects’ research training (employer will provide research training upon hire).

GENERAL:

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Hours: up to 40 hours/week (full-time or part-time appointments will be considered). Weekend hours may be required.

Number of positions open: up to 2.00 FTE.

Earliest potential start date: March 1, 2019.

Term: Up to 24 months (grant-funded).

Application End Date: Open until filled.

Location: San Diego, California.

 

To apply – Send resume / CV and cover letter via email to: John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM; Scientific Officer, U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation; phone: 858-583-4494; email: johnmayer@usssf.com

January 2, 2019, San Diego, CA: Dr. Mayer publishes article on management of back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation

January 2, 2019, San Diego, CA: Dr. Mayer publishes article on management of back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation

John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM recently published an article in The Spine Journal, titled “Low back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation: a systematic review of the literature” (1). The article – for which Dr. Mayer is senior author – reports on a systematic review of the literature to determine the strength of evidence related the occurrence and severity of low back pain secondary to lower extremity amputation.

The literature search uncovered 17 published articles of various quality, which indicates a significant knowledge gap on this topic. The search findings led to the development of 8 empirical evidence statements. The empirical evidence statements will be used to help develop strategic objectives for future research, knowledge translation, and clinical implementation efforts for the management of low back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation.

1) Highsmith MJ, Goff LM, Lewandowski AL, Farrokhi S, Hendershot BD, Hill OT, Rabago CA, Russell-Esposito E, Orriola JJ, Mayer JM. Low back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation: a systematic review of the literature. The Spine Journal, 2018 Aug 24. pii: S1529-9430(18)31099-4. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.08.011 (Epub ahead of print).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30149083

December 26, 2018, San Diego, CA: Global Spine Care Initiative publishes special issue in the European Spine Journal

December 26, 2018, San Diego, CA: Global Spine Care Initiative publishes special issue in the European Spine Journal

The Global Spine Care Initiative recently published its initial findings in a special issue of the European Spine Journal. The Global Spine Care Initiative was created by World Spine Care “to reduce the global burden of disease and disability by bringing together leading healthcare providers, scientists, specialists, government agencies, and other stakeholders to transform the delivery of spine care. The goal is to determine what approaches are most likely to help people who have spinal disorders and to develop a model for prevention and care that could be reasonably be instituted in communities with different levels of resources.” For more information, see www.globalspinecareinitiative.org

John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM – who serves on the Scientific Secretariat for the Global Spine Care Initiative and Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board for World Spine Care – is co-author on 6 articles in the special issue (1,2,3,4,5,6).

  1. Haldeman S, Nordin M. Chou R, …, Mayer JM, …, Yu H (20+ authors). The Global Spine Care Initiative: World Spine Care executive summary on reducing spine-related disability in low- and middle-income communities. European Spine Journal, 2018;27(6):S776-85.
  2. Johnson C, Haldeman S, Nordin M, …, Mayer JM, …, Yüksel S (20+ authors). The Global Spine Care Initiative: methodology, contributors, and disclosures. European Spine Journal, 2018; 2018;27(6):S786-95.
  3. Haldeman S, Johnson C, Chou R, …, Mayer JM, …, Yu H (20+ authors). The Global Spine Care Initiative: classification system for spine-related concerns. European Spine Journal, 2018;27(6):S889-900.
  4. Haldeman S, Johnson C, Chou R, …, Mayer JM, …, Yu H (20+ authors). The Global Spine Care Initiative: care pathway for people with spine-related concerns. European Spine Journal, 2018;27(6):S901-14.
  5. Kopansky-Giles, Johnson C, Haldeman S, …, Mayer JM, … , Wong CC (20+ authors). The Global Spine Care Initiative: resources to implement a spine care program. European Spine Journal, 2018;27(6):S915-44.
  6. Johnson C, Haldeman S, Chou R, …, Mayer JM, …, Yüksel S (20+ authors). The Global Spine Care Initiative: model of care and implementation. European Spine Journal, 2018;27(6):S925-45.

December 22, 2018, San Diego, CA: Dr. Mayer selected for Implementation Science Work Group of the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory

December 22, 2018, San Diego, CA: Dr. Mayer selected for Implementation Science Work Group of the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory

John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM was recently selected to join the Implementation Science Work Group of the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC). Dr. Mayer will represent the RESOLVE Trial team (Shawn Farrokhi: PI), which is one of 11 pragmatic trials currently underway via the PMC.

The PMC’s goal “is to develop the capacity to implement cost-effective large-scale pragmatic clinical research in military and veteran health care delivery organizations focusing on non-pharmacological approaches to pain management and other comorbid conditions.”

The Implementation Science Work Group will assess implementation barriers and facilitators according the goals of the PMC, which will inform PMC trials currently underway and help guide future implementation strategies across military and veterans’ settings.