Professor Richard Brown, a long-standing Stroud chiropractor and internationally respected health professional, has been named the 2025 Chiropractor of the Year by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA).
The award recognises a distinguished 35-year career marked by leadership, scholarship, and service to both patients and the profession. For the past decade, Professor Brown served as Secretary General of the World Federation of Chiropractic, representing chiropractors worldwide and working closely with international bodies including the World Health Organization. He stepped down from the role earlier this year.
Qualifying as a chiropractor in 1990, Professor Brown began practising in Stroud in 1995, where he led the Lansdown Clinic until 2015. During this time, he became a familiar and trusted figure in the local healthcare community, which included 15 years within the medical team at Forest Green Rovers. He also served as first team chiropractor to Cheltenham Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as one of the first chiropractors ever to serve within the medical services team at an Olympic Games. He has since continued his clinical work and is now a spine expert working within the NHS at Five Valleys Medical Practice.
Alongside his clinical career, Professor Brown has played a major role in professional leadership. He served as President of the British Chiropractic Association from 2009 to 2015 and as Secretary General of the European Chiropractors’ Union between 2010 and 2015.
His work has focused on improving professional standards, strengthening regulation, and promoting evidence-based practice.
In 2025 alone, Professor Brown received a series of major honours, including a Global Impact Award from Health Sciences University, Chiropractor of the Year from Parker University in the USA, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Chiropractic Association.
He is widely recognised for his contributions to education and research. He founded a chiropractic research charity in 2013 and served as its first Chair of Trustees. He has published extensively, including contributing to a national quality standard for low back pain in 2024.
His academic achievements include a Master of Laws degree, and he continues to be one of the UK’s most sought-after chiropractic expert witnesses. Professor Brown has also been awarded honorary fellowships by the Royal College of Chiropractors and the Royal Society of Public Health, and in 2022 he was appointed an Honorary Professor at Health Sciences University. An international speaker, he has lectured on every continent on a wide range of health-related topics.
Speaking about the BCA award, Professor Brown said: “This profession has given me extraordinary opportunities to serve patients, colleagues, and the wider health system. To receive this recognition, especially while continuing to practise in Stroud, is deeply meaningful.”
Professor Brown lives in Chalford Hill with his wife Caroline. They have two daughters, one of whom is an orthopaedic surgeon at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
