Dr. Dom Fetterly, Director of the NeuroLIFE Institute (NLI) at Life University (Life U), recently traveled to China to help lead an exciting chiropractic education initiative. This global effort is part of a broader mission to share Life U’s advanced knowledge of Chiropractic with practitioners around the world.

“Alongside me are three outstanding doctors – Drs. Michael Longyear, Michael Hall and Jonathan Vestal  – all of whom are seasoned professionals and have worked extensively with NLI,” said Dr. Fetterly.

Life U’s commitment to advancing chiropractic education led the team to major cities in China, including Shanghai and Chengdu. These cities are home to a growing community of healthcare professionals and students eager to learn more about chiropractic care. The initiative serves not only to educate but also to build bridges between practitioners in the U.S. and China.

The cornerstone of the effort is a 100-hour Chiropractic Applied Neuroscience course developed by Life U. “The big picture is to deliver 100 clean, focused hours covering the essentials of chiropractic neuroscience,” Dr. Fetterly explained. “This framework helps practitioners in China better understand Chiropractic, especially as the profession currently has limited representation there.”

The course is open to a wide range of healthcare professionals, including those studying traditional Chinese medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy and other disciplines. Through this outreach, Life U aims to inspire a new generation of chiropractors – either by bringing students to study at Life U or by empowering them to support and grow the profession within China.

This initiative includes monthly visits from each participating doctor. Dr. Fetterly himself taught two intensive weekends, delivering 15 hours of content per visit. “I taught an eight-hour Saturday and a seven-hour Sunday session focused on the cerebellum and vestibular system in relation to neurology,” he said.

Each session was interactive and engaging, drawing between 50 and 80 participants. “We had a few chiropractors, but most were either students or practitioners in traditional Chinese medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy or manual therapy,” Dr. Fetterly noted. “The cerebellum and vestibular system are critical to understanding brain function, and we tailored the content to be accessible yet impactful.”

Drs. Longyear and Hall will return to China for the final exams and graduation ceremony, scheduled for October 2025. This graduation will mark a significant milestone for the participants and the program itself.

“Our hope is that this becomes a recurring, annual course,” said Dr. Fetterly. “We want to bring more doctors into the fold and continue to expand chiropractic awareness. Ultimately, we want to see highly trained doctors either come to Life U for further education or become leaders in their country to support and grow the chiropractic profession in China.”

Click NLI for more information on the NeuroLIFE Institute.