Calling Dr. Arto?

Janine Marnien

A car crash in the seventh grade first introduced Artavazd “Arto”

Avanesyan to the chiropractic profession.

Arto, his mother and brother had to undergo chiropractic therapy

for months after the accident, to recover from the injuries they

sustained.

“Chiropractics itself is very fascinating to me,” said Arto, who

will soon be entering 12th grade. “So if I do pursue it, and can let

everyone know of its benefits, it will be very rewarding.”

The Crescenta Valley High School student will take his first steps

toward a future in chiropractics just a couple weeks from now. Arto

has been chosen to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on

Medicine at UCLA from July 7 to 16.

Arto, 17, will be able to shadow a doctor and attend lectures

taught by doctors and others in the medical field. The forum will

introduce him to other aspects of medicine, which will help him

decide if a chiropractic career is indeed what he really wants to do,

he said.

But right now, chiropractics definitely has the edge, he added, as

he recounted the history of the profession and how the science works

with enthusiasm.

“It looks at the whole picture,” he said, explaining how the

spinal and other systems have to work together to help a person heal.

Edwin Steckley, co-chairman of the science department at Crescenta

Valley High School, nominated Arto for the forum.

“He’s an outgoing person and gets along with everybody,” Steckley

said. “He’s also smart, but knows how to handle it with humility.”

Steckley nominates one or two students a year for the program,

which he supports students attending.