FACES OF LIFE The Chiropractic Call from Chicago to Atlanta Dr. Finnegan took the trip with his mom, who shared with him that she too once considered becoming a chiropractor. This was not his first introduction to the chiropractic profession or receiving chiropractic adjustments. When Dr. Finnegan was in high school, he got injured a couple of times while on the wrestling team. Over the next few years, he saw a chiropractor who helped him with his injuries. Dr. Finnegan never thought that this would one day be his chosen profession. After graduation, Dr. Finnegan returned to Chicago to set up his practice and worked for 15 years. He and his wife experienced a defining moment on a typical, cold Chicago winter day, minus 40 degrees. While Dr. Finnegan was working at his practice, his wife called him to tell him that the power in their house had gone out. She was at home in the cold with their baby and the dog. Dr. Finnegan closed his practice, picked up his family and drove to their parent’s house where there was still power. As they sat in the warm house, they talked about how Dr. Finnegan could practice anywhere, “and that got the ball rolling,” said Dr. Finnegan. He had previously taken his wife to Life U and gave her a tour of the campus. While they were touring the campus, his wife asked him if he ever thought about teaching at Life U. Dr. Finnegan said that it had never entered his mind, and the only way he would even consider it would be if there were a position open in the clinic. “If they have a clinic job, I want to work in the clinic. I love working with patients. I love figuring it out — the detective work and testing. I enjoy it!” exclaimed Dr. Finnegan. A job did open in the clinic, and Dr. Finnegan took a chance at something new and applied for it. He has been with Life U now for eight years and has been the Director of Clinics for the past year and a half. “I have a great team that I work with, and I still get to engage with the students. I still get to see them get their ‘aha moments’ when they give that first adjustment or watch them figure out a case, get excited and say something like ‘Oh my gosh! I finally got my first cervical adjustment! I adjusted my first baby! I love this!’” Dr. Finnegan explained. Dr. Finnegan loves seeing the next group of leaders in the chiropractic profession and enjoys being involved in Life U through some of the student organizations, such as the Sports Chiropractic Club where he has given a couple of seminars. He loves to share his knowledge with the students so that they can better learn their chosen profession. Dr. Finnegan is also certified as a sports physician and enjoys the rehabilitation aspect of adjusting to reset the mechanics and re-establish motion. He loves to see patients’ reactions to the adjustment and how the body does better from that adjustment. Sean Finnegan, B.S., D.C., CCSP® is not only an alumnus of Life University (Life U), but he’s also the Director of Clinics and Associate Professor at the Life Chiropractic Centers on-campus Center for Health and Optimum Performance (C-HOP). A 2002 graduate of Life U, Dr. Finnegan began his student career at Life U in 1998. “It was just after the Olympics in 1996, so there was a major sporting buzz about Life U. We had Olympic athletes training on campus; we had the Atlanta Hawks being treated here. Dr. Sid [E. Williams] was president. I mean, it was an impressive place, and me as a student walking around, ‘I’m coming here,’” said Dr. Finnegan. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Finnegan did not have ambitions to become a chiropractor or ever leaving Chicago. Instead, he dreamed of becoming a firefighter and spending his life in Chicago surrounded by his friends and family. It wasn’t until a chance conversation during a summer course with a friend that things began to change. He and his friend were talking about where they each worked while they were going to college. At the time, Dr. Finnegan worked for UPS loading boxes on trucks, and his friend told him about her part-time job with a local chiropractor and that she loved the work. Dr. Finnegan was intrigued, and he reached out to the chiropractor who suggested that he come work for him and give up his UPS gig, which Finnegan did. After a few adjustments with this chiropractor, he became more interested in changing his career path and attending chiropractic school. The chiropractor he worked for told him that he needed to check out Life U in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Sean Finnegan D.C. Alumnus, Faculty Member and Director of Clinics “I love working with patients. I love figuring it out — the detective work and testing. I enjoy it!” 37 Alumni.life.edu | 2023