May 12, Seattle, WA –  Daniel C. Cherkin, PhD, has been awarded the 2010 Ashley Montagu Award for his exceptional contribution to enhancing global awareness of touch therapy.  Dr. Cherkin’s work has demonstrated the efficacy of massage therapy in back pain research and continues to conduct prevention research. 

The Ashley Montagu award is bestowed every other year by the Canadian Touch Research Centre.  The award recognizes devotion to bringing principles of touch therapies into public recognition on a global scale.  The Research Center’s director, Dr. Real Gaboriault, notes that this year’s recipient, “…is a source of inspiration in the massage therapy research field, and his research highlights the importance of touch in our world.”  

Dr. Cherkin is a senior investigator at the Group Health Research Institute located in Seattle Washington.  His approach is aimed at creating a transformation in the paradigm for health care delivery.  Centered around the question, "What paths to healing are absent from the typical primary care encounter?”, Dr. Cherkin’s work is dedicated to engaging patients in healing activities by guiding them to understand their underlying needs, and then creating a treatment strategy that is based on meeting those needs. He is especially interested in improving treatment for chronic conditions and is best known for his research regarding alternative therapies for back pain. Cherkin often collaborates with other investigators to study therapies such as yoga, acupuncture and tai chi. 

But Dr. Cherkin’s main goal is focused on finding ways to create an optimal healing environment in primary care, which also involves creating a supportive work environment to meet the needs of primary care providers. To this end, he is currently leading a study aimed at enhancing awareness, communication, and team building amongst primary care staff as a way to foster a culture of mindful, patient-centered care. 

Dr. Cherkin was a keynote presenter at the 2010 Highlighting Massage Therapy in CIM Research Conference in Seattle Washington from May 13-15.