Doctor Downes—World Class Connector

John Downes, D.C., keeps his passport within reach the way most of us do our car keys. From Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala to China and Israel, he travels the world establishing clinical and educational partnerships, providing continuing education for fellow chiropractors and caring for world-class athletes. In many spots on the globe Dr. Downes is the face of LIFE University.

He served as the official chiropractor to the 1996 Costa Rican Olympic Team. He provided hands-on care to consummate competitors and addressed medical doctors about integrating chiropractic into health regimens for the athletes. He is a recognized expert on the impact of chiropractic care on sports performance, particularly in the field of extremity (arms and legs) adjusting.

 “Although the extremities are, of course, used for locomotion and the accomplishment of tasks, it’s also via the arms and legs that the majority of mechanical stresses are applied to the spine,” he says.

Through LIFE’s Sports Science Institute, headed by Downes, faculty will research the impact of chiropractic care on athletic performance. They will also explore how improving function of the peripheral nervous system—the network that supports the arms and legs—affects function.

Students in the master’s in sports health science and doctor of chiropractic programs will work with faculty in caring for collegiate and casual athletes. “We’ll take it from the theoretical to the practical with students providing daily care for athletes from pre-event conditioning to injury management and rehab,” Dr. Downes explains.

Donning another of his many hats (berets or sombreros), Dr. Downes also hops from continent to continent in his role as director of international programs. He facilitates chiropractic partnerships and encourages growth of the profession. With his help, LIFE has established clinical rotations in Costa Rica and China.

Those relationships translate into awesome learning experiences for students. LIFE students can select study rotations in a newly established chiropractic clinic in the largest private hospital in Costa Rica, Clinica Biblica. They also have the option of caring for patients under faculty supervision at a LIFE clinic in China.

“LIFE students will have unique opportunities to work within the hospital setting, care for patient populations and conditions not frequently encountered in the United States and, of course, immerse themselves in life-changing cultural experiences,” Dr. Downes says.

With passport in hand, Dr. Downes links LIFE students with opportunities abroad, and overseas communities with the benefits of chiropractic. 

Click here for more profiles