For Dr. Chuck Dauphinee, movement has always been more than physical. It has been a way to heal, build confidence, and help others feel safe being themselves.
A chiropractor based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Dauphinee brings a personal perspective to healthcare. His path to chiropractic began in mechanical engineering, where his interest in movement, machines, and complex systems eventually shifted toward the human body.
That interest became personal after a serious back injury while lifting weights. Medical specialists told him he would never lift again. For someone who valued sport, strength, and physical activity, that prognosis was devastating. It pushed him to explore healthcare careers that aligned with his desire to stay active, understand the body, and help others.
Dr. Dauphinee shares that chiropractic care changed his life and through treatment, he returned to the gym, resumed lifting weights, and rebuilt his confidence in movement. Today, he remains active in sport as an athlete, healthcare provider, and community builder.
Dr. Chuck Dauphinee was the 2026 recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award, which honours a chiropractor who has demonstrated excellence in advancing the profession and supporting the musculoskeletal health of Canadians through community contribution, public service, or leadership in advocacy.
As an openly out member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Dr. Dauphinee’s story is also one of resilience, authenticity, and the importance of creating spaces where people feel they belong.
Growing up in Nova Scotia, hockey was everywhere. Like many children in the province, he was introduced to the sport at a young age, something he describes as almost a “rite of passage here in Nova Scotia.”
But even at five years old, he could tell something about the environment did not feel right. He enjoyed movement and being active, but the coaching style, expectations, and changeroom culture made it difficult for him to feel comfortable being himself. His parents continued to encourage him to try different activities, and eventually he found the gym, where he could build strength and confidence on his own terms.
As an adult, Dr. Dauphinee felt the pull to return to the ice. He tried a few leagues, hoping the experience might feel different, but he still struggled to find spaces where he felt comfortable. That’s when he decided to create one.
He began in a grassroots way, reaching out to coaches he knew through his chiropractic practice, inviting athletes he had supported over the years, asking friends, and posting on social media. Slowly, people began showing up.
What began as an effort to organize a hockey group became something much more meaningful. Dr. Dauphinee was not only building a team or program; he was also relearning the sport himself, now with the perspective of a chiropractor, an athlete, an openly queer person, and someone committed to creating a safer space.
“Watching those athletes grow and come into themselves was quite an emotional journey,” he says. “Because while I was growing as an athlete and building confidence in myself, I was just there along for the ride. I was organizing the hockey program, but at the same time I was in the drills, I was also learning.”
His work as a chiropractor helped shape how he understood team-building. Working behind the scenes in sport had taught him how programs develop, how athletes gain confidence, and how environments can either support or limit people. Through this hockey group, he was also watching members of his own community grow into themselves.
“My trajectory as a chiropractor helped me understand how to build a team and a program,” he says. “But I was also watching my community grow into themselves. Getting into sport can change your life, and it can help develop you as a leader.”
As the group evolved, it began attracting people from a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and cultures. Many were drawn not only to the opportunity to play, but to the environment being intentionally created.
“They feel safe,” Dr. Dauphinee says. “We don’t discriminate. We are aware of pronouns, gender, and sexuality, and we get to create more allies in sport. So not only are we helping grow the queer community, we’re also growing an alliance with our straight allies.”
For Dr. Dauphinee, inclusive sport is about more than participation. It is about belonging and changing the culture of spaces that have historically made some people feel unwelcome or unsafe.
He sees clear parallels between inclusion in sport and inclusion in healthcare. In both spaces, he says getting to know the person matters, pronouns matter, and visible signs of welcome matter. A pride flag in a rink or a clinic may seem like a small gesture to some, but for others, it can shift the energy of a space. It can signal that they are not alone and that they have permission to show up as themselves.
“When people feel safe, they can be coached better,” he explains. “They open up more about themselves and there is better communication.”
The same is true in healthcare. Patients need to feel safe enough to share who they are, what they are experiencing, and what they need. When they do, providers can understand them more fully, not just as a body or an injury, but as a whole person.
“To see youth being able to be themselves, when in my time I was closeted, I’ll do anything to help reach out to those kids,” he says. “Hopefully we can get them into sport to help them grow even further as leaders and connect to themselves more.”
For Dr. Dauphinee, movement is deeply connected to mental health, confidence, and community. Sport can offer people a different way to communicate, build relationships, find their people, and develop a stronger sense of self.
“Once people can find something they’re interested in, whether it’s a hobby, hopefully a sport, movement helps their mental health,” he says. “It’s a different way to communicate, to gain friendships, and to find your people.”
Chiropractic helped Dr. Dauphinee regain the courage to return to something he had once been afraid of. Now, through his work in healthcare and inclusive sport, he is helping others do the same.