In 2000, Frank Nicchi, MS, DC, a 1978 alumnus and long time faculty member, was appointed President of NYCC. Since that time, he has led
new initiatives to develop clinical education programs that have solidified the College vision and emphasis on academic excellence and integrative healthcare models in chiropractic education.
Q: What are NYCC’s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?
A: New York Chiropractic College is well positioned to anticipate and react favorably to changes exhibited by a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. We make every effort to prepare our students for an increasingly integrated healthcare market and, in doing so, play a significant role in shaping the profession’s future.
Q:What are your plans for the future of the College with regard to chiropractic?
A: We will continue to develop exciting collaborative relationships with other healthcare professions that promote greater experiential education and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration for chiropractors. Optimal integration successfully preserves each profession’s uniqueness, respects its principles, and permits the strengths of each discipline to synergistically interact in the best interests of the patient. Our committed efforts in this regard are a matter of record.
For example, soon after historic legislation mandating chiropractic care for all active duty US Department of Defense personnel, NYCC created chiropractic internship programs at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as at the United States Marine Base at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.
NYCC also was the first college to offer chiropractic services in the VA Healthcare System. We established an internship program at the VA hospital in Buffalo, New York, on the heels of legislation in 2001 that mandated establishment of permanent chiropractic benefits within the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system.
We continue to nurture our relationships with outstanding hospitals, including Monroe Community Hospital (an affiliate of the University of Rochester Medical School), and Rochester’s St. Joseph and Mercy Hospitals. Recently, we began to provide chiropractic care for students, staff, and faculty of the State University System of New York (SUNY) at their health centers in Buffalo and Farmingdale, New York. This, again, exemplifies our commitment to prepare chiropractic doctors for full integration into mainstream healthcare systems.
Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?
A: Let’s face it. Integration is a fact of life. Either we decide to integrate or face the prospect of isolation. I have consistently supported successful integration of chiropractic into the interdisciplinary healthcare environment, while safeguarding chiropractic’s autonomy and professional distinctions. Our students concurrently will be trained to competently perform within integrated environments and be taught to recognize chiropractic’s unique contribution to healthcare. Accordingly, we have led the movement by creating educational and clinical programs that serve as academic benchmarks for the profession. I foresee the profession increasingly populated with doctors who have chosen careers in an integrated practice setting—as well as those who choose to be traditional, stand-alone practitioners… a decision I fully respect.