Stephen J. Press

Dr. Stephen J Press, DC, PhD, CCSP, FACSM, FICC, ICSSD is an American chiropractor. He was born in 1947 to Howard and Renée Press (née Graf) in Bronx, New York. Dr. Press is 2nd Cousin to Calvin Klein, and descendant of the composer Jacques Offenbach.

He founded the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic, and the International Academy of Olympic Chiropractic Officers, and was appointed by the Chairman of the USSR State Sports Committee to serve as Chief Physician for the XVI Winter Olympic Games, in Albertville, France. In 1990, the Board of directors of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic, awarded him the "FICS' Gold Medal", "the highest award the profession can give to a Sports Chiropractor, Internationally". He is currently in private practice in Englewood, New Jersey and consulting chiropractic staff at Preakness Healthcare Center (formerly Preakness Hospital).

Biography
Dr. Press received his Bachelors Degree in biology from Thomas Edison State College and obtained his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1978. He obtained bis PhD in Sports Medicine, from Intercontinental University, Moscow, in 2006. He received his Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician certification  and became the only Chiropractor to be named  Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine in 1983. Then in 1981 he went to the UK to participate in the "Team Physician's course" of the International Federation of Sports Medicine, (FIMS).

In 1970 he joined the City of Englewood, NJ Auxiliary Police, and was named Chief under then Mayor Walter Taylor  in 1977. He was simultaneously a member of the Englewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps, until he left to finish Chiropractic school. In 1982, Dr. Press ran unsuccessfully for Councilman-at-large, losing to Eddie Haden, Esq., the running mate of  Congressman Steve Rothman, who was elected Mayor, in the City of Englewood.

Professional Career

 * 1987 - He Founded the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) and was elected its first President,


 * 1988 - He lead a delegation of chiropractors to Annaba, Algeria to provide services at the African Championships in Athletics Later in the same year he took a group of chiropractors to Moscow, to study at the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism (RSUPES&T).  While in Moscow, Dr. Press was asked to treat the (now) two-time Olympic Gold medal figure skater Yekaterina Gordeeva.


 * 1991 - Together with the Chief Neurologist of Moscow, Dr. Anatoly Fedin, he opened the "Soviet-American Chiropractic Center" at the 2000 bed Pirogov Institute. Together they created the "Faculty of Chiropractic" at the facility.


 * At a meeting in Washington, DC, Dr. Press  was unanimously elected to the office of Secretary-general of the World Fitness Federation,  which sent a delegation to the World Health Organization later that year.


 * Invited by the Venezuelan government at the auspices of Dr. Luis Valera, of Caracas, Dr. Press  was asked to speak at the Headquarters of the Venezuelan National Guard, called  EFOFAC, to a delegation of the medical corps of the armed Forces of Venezuela, as well as to the Medical Corps of MARAVEN the National Petroleum Company. During the trip, he met with the Sports Minister of Venezuela, Sra. Flor Isava-Fonseca, and discussed the future recognition of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic, by the IOC.


 * 1992 - He was appointed by Nicholai Ivanovich Rusak, Chairman, State Sports Committee of the USSR, to the post of Chief Physician of the USSR Winter Olympic team, then known as the "Unified Team". XVIth Winter Olympic Games, Albertville, France.  . This is  notable for two main reasons: a.- that  an American  Chiropractic Doctor  was chosen as Chief physician for the USSR; and b.- that as a result of the dissolution of the USSR, he was a Doctor  serving 6 Countries  in one Olympic games.


 * 1993 - Dr. Press served as Team Physician for the US National Tae Kwon Do Team, the World Tae Kwon Do championships, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. During the games he treated athletes from Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Ireland, Israel, Egypt, Russia, and Jordan among others. One of his patients, American fly weight Hyon Lee, won a Bronze Medal with a fracture of the metacarpal. While at the stadium, he met with H. E. Un-Yong Kim, President, and Founder of the  World Taekwondo Federation.


 * 1998 - Dr. Press was appointed by the Board of the IOC and ARISF "recognized" International Roller  Sports Federation  to Chair their "Sport Science Commission" (previously called the Medical Commission).


 * 1999 - As Chairman of the FIRS medical commission, Dr. Press was invited to Lausanne, Switzerland to participate as a member  of their delegation in the Declaration of Lausanne, which created the World Anti-Doping Agency.


 * 2000 - Dr. Press was co-opted by H.E., Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Pres. of the Republic of Kalmykia, and of FIDE (World Chess Federation) to create their new Medical Commission (in the post of Vice-Chairman).   On the untimely death of Chairman, Pedro Barrera, MD,  he became "Acting Chairman", until the post was assumed by Jana Bellin, MD. the entire concept of requiring Doping tests in Chess became a cause celebre, and was covered  in the media.


 * 2008 - After the Rita/Katrina disaster, Dr. Press volunteered for deployment to the disaster area through the Medical Reserve Corps  of the US Public Health Service, and was sent to a shelter in Big Sandy, TX, where he served as shelter physician, running a team of LPN's, RN's and EMT's for over 800  refugees.


 * Dr. Press has appeared as a guest authority in his profession on US television   and Radio  on numerous occasions. He has lectured on Chiropractic subjects, in Mexico ,Turkey, Russia, Algeria, France , and Venezuela, and in several states of the US. He was a lecturer at the United States Olympic Academy XI, at Indiana University, in 1987 , among many others.