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PROGRAM: Integrated Clinical Practice          ESTABLISHED: 2020 ACCREDITATION: The chiropractic residency program at the Miami VA Healthcare System is awarded programmatic accreditation by

The Council on Chiropractic Education, 10105 E. Via Linda, Suite 103 - 3642, Scottsdale, AZ, 85258-4321, Phone: 480-443-8877, Website: www.cce-usa.org PERIOD: 12 months, July 1 to June 30

annually          POSITIONS: One DIRECTOR: Gina Bonavito-Larragoite DC, MBA, FIAMA ATTENDING DC FACULTY: Bret White, DC, MHSc, DABCO, CCSP, John D'Amico, DC, DABCO, Terry Rubin, DC,

CCAP, Sarah Kelly, DC, MSACP. MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Miami VA Healthcare System Chiropractic Integrated Clinical Practice Residency is to prepare chiropractic residents for

clinical practice in hospitals or other medical settings, and/or academia, through hospital-based clinical training, interprofessional education, and scholarly activities BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The Miami VA Healthcare System is a 1A Complexity Facility that serves Veterans in three South Florida counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe, with an estimated Veteran population of

149,704. The Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Miami VAMC) is located on 26.3 acres with an attached four-story Community Living Center. The MVAHCS chiropractic

clinics are administratively aligned within physical medicine and rehabilitative services. Chiropractic residents rotate in primary care, PM&R, pain medicine, mental health,

neurosurgery, women’s clinic, GRECC, spinal cord injury and other sub-specialty clinics. Residents learn from or participate in chiropractic faculty’s ongoing research projects and engage in

scholarly activities at the facility. RESIDENT GOALS/OBJECTIVES Residents will acquire postgraduate clinical experience in hospital-based chiropractic care. -Residents will provide

supervised patient care at satisfactory levels of competence, to a broad population of   musculoskeletal cases, most commonly spinal, in the context of collaborative team-based care.

-Residents will gain experience in managing a range of complex/multimorbidity cases. -Residents will engage in interprofessional educational experiences with relevant medical, surgical and

associated health specialties. -Residents will complete clinical rotations in primary care, physical medicine and rehabilitation, other relevant medical or surgical specialties, behavioral

medicine and other associated health disciplines. -Residents will participate in scholarly activities to gain experience relevant to integrated practice and/or academia. -Residents will

complete scholarly assignments, online didactic courses, and collaborate with other chiropractic residents to complete group assignments. -Residents will attend scholarly presentations among

available hospital and/or academic affiliate offerings. -Residents will engage in research activities, and/or present scholarly material, and/or clinical workshops to staff and/or trainees

at VA and/or academic affiliate venues. PROGRAM DC FACULTY GINA M. BONAVITO-LARRAGOITE, DC, FIAMA - RESIDENCY DIRECTOR Dr. Bonavito-Larragoite is the residency program director (RPD).  She

received a Bachelor of Art in music, with a minor in chemistry from Northern Arizona University in 1998, and her Doctorate in Chiropractic from Life Chiropractic College West in 2002.  Dr.

Bonavito-Larragoite completed her acupuncture fellowship from the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture in 2009 and her Master of Business Administration Healthcare Management in 2022

from Parker University.  She started with the Iowa City VA Medical Center (ICVAMC) in 2014 following 12 years in private practice in Arizona, where she was the Chiropractic Section Chief

and the Director of the In-house Chiropractic Training Program.  In 2019, she was appointed as the communications coordinator and the Midwest regional lead for the chiropractic field

advisory committee (FAC).  She continues to serve as a mentor for newly hired VA chiropractors. In 2021, Dr. Bonavito-Larragoite transferred to the Miami VA Healthcare System (MVAHS) to

assume the role of Chiropractic Residency Director.  She serves on both local and VISN whole health committees and as an Advisory Board member for Keiser University.  She currently holds

academic affiliations at Keiser University, Palmer College of Chiropractic, and Parker University. BRET WHITE, DC, MHSC, DABCO, CCSP-RESIDENCY FACULTY Dr. White earned his Doctorate in

Chiropractic degree in 1995 from the New York Chiropractic College (now Northeast College of Health Sciences).  He earned his Master of Health Science degree in 2020 from Nova Southeastern

University, with a concentration in higher education.  He has earned board certification as a chiropractic sports physician (1997, American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians) and a

diplomate in orthopedics (2001, American Board of Chiropractic Orthopedists).  Dr. White has been in practice for over 27 years, including one year in western New York, ten years in Boston,

and the rest here in south Florida.  His primary focus in private practice was sports injuries and family practice. He has previously served as a member of the National Board of Chiropractic

Examiners Part III Standards Setting and Test Development Committee.  He was one of the first faculty members hired in the new College of Chiropractic Medicine for Keiser University, where

he was an Assistant Professor from 2017 until 2023 and continues to serve as an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor.  He previously held faculty appointments at the New York Chiropractic

College, the Muscular Therapy Institute, and Tufts University School of Medicine.  In 2023, Dr. White left Keiser University to serve as a full-time attending chiropractic physician for the

Physical Medicine & Rehab Services of the Miami VA Healthcare System where he provides team-based, person-centered care to our veterans.  Dr. White will continue to play an active role

in the education of our chiropractic residents and student clerks.  TERRY RUBIN, DC, CCAP-RESIDENCY FACULTY Dr. Rubin graduated from Syracuse University in 2010, receiving bachelor’s degree

in Exercise Science. He then went on to earn his Doctorate in Chiropractic (DC) degree from New York Chiropractic College in 2013, completing his clerkship at the Miami VA Healthcare System

(MVAHS) during his final year of the program.  Following graduation from chiropractic school, Dr. Rubin remained in South Florida working in private practice at a multi-disciplinary clinic

specializing in sports medicine for 8 years. In 2021, he was hired by the MVAHS to return as a full-time attending chiropractic physician within the Physical Medicine & Rehab department

of the hospital. Dr. Rubin is a Certified Chiropractic Acupuncture Physician and full body Active Release Technique (ART) provider, among many other evidence-based treatment certifications

he has received over the years that he utilizes in clinic on a daily basis. Dr. Rubin also has an academic affiliation with Keiser University, serving as an adjunct assistance clinical

professor within the chiropractic program. JOHN D'AMICO, DC, DABCO-RESIDENCY FACULTY John D’Amico, DC, DABCO was a biology major at Stony Brook University and received his Doctorate in

Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College in 1992. He completed a rigorous postdoctoral educational program and earned his Diplomate American Board of Chiropractic Orthopedics (DABCO)

in 2000. Dr. D’Amico was one of the first chiropractic pioneers to enter the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System. In 2005, he became the first chiropractor appointed to the medical

staff at the Miami VA Healthcare System (MVAHCS). He developed processes for integrating hospital-based clinical services and interprofessional clinical education. In 2008, he established an

academic affiliation with New York Chiropractic College (NYCC) for a DC student-training program; he serves as an adjunct assistance clinical professor at NYCC and CPKU. He has served on

numerous VA chiropractic professional boards and provides peer mentorship for newly appointed staff chiropractors. SARAH KELLY, DC, MSACP- RESIDENCY FACULTY Dr. Kelly attended Northern

Illinois University attaining her BS in Biology with a minor in psychology in 1995.  She went on to attend the National College of Chiropractic (now National University of Health Sciences)

in Illinois in where she earned her Doctor of Chiropractic and acupuncture certification in 1999. She was in private family practice in the Chicagoland area for close to 20 years, where she

took a clinical interest in the runner population and worked within a medical collaborative called The Running Institute.  In 2018, Dr. Kelly joined the full-time faculty at the National

University of Health Sciences- Florida site as an Attending Clinician working with students during their clinical internship.  During that time, she obtained a Master’s in Advanced Clinical

Practice, and attained an Associate Professor ranking.  She also served as an academic consultant for NBCE’s Part IV Test Committee in 2021 and was given the Presidential Service Award in

August 2023 for her commitment to teaching and the University mission.  She was very honored to join the staff at the Miami VA in April 2024 where she treats Veterans full time as part of an

integrative team. She has remained connected to NUHS as Adjunct Faculty, teaching a class on Medical Integration in the Doctor of Acupuncture program. LOCATION Training takes place at the 

Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Miami VAMC, 1201 NW 16th St, Miami, FL 33136) and William "Bill" Kling Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient

Clinic (9800 West Commercial Boulevard, Sunrise, FL 33351) campuses. The MVAHS is well-known for its excellence in healthcare provider training.  CLINICAL FACILITIES The chiropractic clinic

is located on the second floor the Bruce W. Carter Medical Center, in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services (PMRS) wing, adjacent to the administrative offices, EMG lab, the

outpatient and inpatient therapy gyms. The chiropractic treatment area has been upgraded to a 1000 square foot space, comprised of five individual treatment areas, with three administrative

desks, and one dedicated workstation on wheels. To enhance the on-site chiropractic facilities, all treatment areas have been upgraded with new state-of-the-art chiropractic tables. At the

William “Bill” Kling community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC), the chiropractic clinic is collocated with the PMRS acupuncture clinic.  The chiropractic treatment area is approximately 1100

square feet of dedicated space, comprised of five individual patient treatment areas and a central charting station with the capacity to allow for three providers. This clinic has also been

updated with new state-of-the-art chiropractic tables. COMPENSATION The resident stipend is set annually, based on geographic location, by VA Office of Academic Affiliations. For Academic

Year 2025-26 the stipend for a MVAHS chiropractic resident is $50,200. The resident receives paid Federal holidays and accrues vacation and sick leave. The resident is also eligible for

health insurance. The resident is protected from personal liability while providing professional services at a VA health care facility under the Federal Employees Liability Reform and Tort

Compensation Act, 28 U.S.C. 2679 (b)-(d). CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION Upon satisfactory completion of program requirements, the graduate will receive an official Certificate of Residency, and

records will be maintained at the MVAHS and the VHA Chiropractic National Program Office. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Applicants must hold or be scheduled to receive a DC degree from a

CCE-accredited school prior to the start of the residency program, with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0. Applicants must be eligible for, or hold a current, full, active, and unrestricted

chiropractic license in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the US, or in the District of Columbia. Applicants must meet all VA employment requirements including US citizenship, and

Selective Service registration when applicable. Applicants must submit the names and email addresses of 3 references. Strongest weight is placed on references who have directly supervised

the applicant in an official capacity, and/or have direct knowledge of the applicant’s clinical/professional abilities. These individuals will receive an email asking them to complete a

reference form for the applicant. Applicants must meet all VA employment requirements, including U.S. citizenship and Selective Service registration when applicable. Applicants must have

sufficient written and spoken English language skills as to make patient care safe and effective. APPLICATION PROCESS The MVAHS Chiropractic Residency participates in the national

chiropractic residency common application and match process. For further information and to apply go to Chiropractic Residency Match. The application process opens the first week in December

each year. Applicants are assessed on characteristics such as academic background, relevant experience, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and telephone, video, and/or in-person

interviews. Applicant rankings are made by a review committee including the residency director, DC faculty, and current DC resident. For additional information contact: 

[email protected]  CHIROPRACTIC RESIDENT PROGRAM COMPLETION AND EMPLOYMENT RATE