Headshot of Northeast Alumnus Dr. Stephen Laski

Dr. Stephen Laski’s approach to life after NYCC is anything but cookie-cutter. While most of our graduates wrestle with the options of opening a new practice, or locking down an associate position in an already established practice, Dr. Laski took a different route: practicing temporarily in the Dominican Republic, volunteering with World Spine Care – learning, growing, and challenging himself in a totally different environment of patient care than he’s used to.

Dr. Laski grew up in Queens, New York, until the age of 10, when his family moved to Northport, on Long Island. In 2011, he graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a bachelor’s degree in biology; and in September of 2013, he began school at NYCC. During the course of his education here, he was involved in the millennial think tank for the American Chiropractic Association and became the president of the Student American Chiropractic Association, was active in the Motion Palpation and Rehab-to-Performance clubs as well as the Student Government Association, and availed himself of numerous extracurricular seminars and other opportunities. Reminiscing about his experiences at the College, he states, “The combination of doing these things outside of classes allowed me to meet and work with students as well as docs at the school, but also at some of the other chiropractic colleges, too.”

His involvement with World Spine Care came soon after graduation, in an almost spur-of-the-moment decision. “I think what influenced my decision most to take this jump with WSC was that I had never heard of it until right before graduation, and it was just too much of a unique opportunity to pass up. The chance to move to another country, practice chiropractic medicine, and care for patients with a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions and other presentations was something that I knew would challenge me and make me a better clinician and healthcare provider.” And boy, was he right, because with a table that he describes as “little more than a park bench,” he’s been treating an assortment of conditions that the average chiropractor would only see over the course of a lifetime. He explains that the patients are the most rewarding experience at WSC because, “Regardless [if] a patient comes from a very poor background or a more fortunate one here, they express their gratitude deeply, and it is something I am truly thankful for.”

By volunteering his time in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Laski has certainly set himself up for success through a forced exposure to clinical Spanish. He told me that he hadn’t spoken Spanish since high school, so it’s been quite an experience for him putting himself into a completely foreign environment while taking care of patients. In America, the Hispanic population is the fastest growing demographic; and by honing his skills in Spanish, he’ll be able to communicate chiropractic care to a much wider audience. In closing, Dr. Laski offers some advice to students: “Surround yourself with people who want to help you grow. Find a group of individuals you can make your closest friends and mentors – people who are hungry and passionate and will force you [to] become the next best version of yourself, and then a better version after that.”

“I think the future of health care has to continue to shift to preventative care. Our current model is unsustainable – treating so many sick people, costing absurd amounts of money when much more could be done to keep people healthy rather than keep people from getting sicker.”