Featuring Joseph E. Brimhall, D.C.

Joseph E. Brimhall, D.C., has been president of Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, since 2003. He was in private practice in Ogden, Utah, for more than 22 years. He has served as Chairman of the Utah Chiropractic Physicians Licensing Board, Chairman of the CCE Commission on Accreditation, and is currently President of the Council on Chiropractic Education.

Under Dr. Brimhall’s administration, Western States Chiropractic College has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health, launched a new massage therapy program, and has continued to be at the forefront of chiropractic care and education.

Q: What are WSCC’s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: WSCC, the second oldest chiropractic college in the world, has always been a leader in chiropractic education. It was the first chiropractic college to set up a four-year course of study, one of the first to be transferred from private ownership to non-profit status, the first to require two years of preprofessional requirements to enroll, and the first to be awarded a federal research grant.

Today, WSCC remains a leader in evidence-based health care and research, a curriculum that approaches instruction from a clinical perspective.  We are actively involved in pursuing integrated approaches with traditional western, oriental, and naturopathic medicine. WSCC’s philosophy emphasizes wellness and health promotion and the college is well positioned to create effective paradigms for the future of health care.

The college is located in Portland, Oregon, one of the most beautiful and livable cities in the world. The campus is close to the spectacular Oregon Coast, and to mountain hiking and biking trails, world-class wind surfing, skiing, and many other outside recreational activities. Students are at home in the best possible environment to live and study.

Q: What are your plans for the future of the school with regard to chiropractic?

A: We have always taught our students the value of evidence as applied to the clinical setting.

We remain firmly dedicated to the Western States principle, “For the good of the patient.”   
 
Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

A: Health care is moving into an integrated era.  Consumers are demanding that providers cooperate with each other.  Chiropractic will continue its focus on comprehensive care and will be providing these services in both primary and collaborative settings.

Featuring Carl Cleveland III, D.C.

Dr. Carl S. Cleveland III, a member of a pioneering chiropractic family, is a fourth generation Doctor of Chiropractic and the President of Cleveland Chiropractic College, with campuses in Kansas City and Los Angeles.

Dr. Cleveland has served as president of the Council on Chiropractic Education and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, and as National Spokesperson for the ACA-ICA Alliance for Chiropractic Progress.  In 2003, he co-authored  Fundamentals of Chiropractic, and is a co-editor of  Review Questions for the NBCE Examination, Parts I and II, both of Mosby Publishers.

He is also the host and co-editor of the American Chiropractic Association’s inspiring Simple Justice video series, which details the chiropractic profession’s struggles, past and present, to gain recognition in the health care field.

Q: What are Cleveland’s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: The greatest strength is the well-qualified and experienced Cleveland faculty.  These passionate educators are truly committed to the success of each student.

Combine this with the optional choice of a 9- or 12-trimester curricular program, early hands-on exposure to a wide variety of adjustive techniques, the diversity of patients in Cleveland Health Centers, and the Cleveland Business and Practice Success Training program—these all contribute to the development of a graduate prepared for today’s realities and demands impacting practice success.

Student interns are quick to compliment the interdisciplinary clinical experience in providing patient care as part of Cleveland’s affiliation with the University of Southern California Student Health Services program in Los Angeles, and at the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City.

Q: What are your plans for the future of the college with regard to chiropractic?

A: The Cleveland Clinic Abroad Program will be implemented providing interns opportunities to participate in supervised patient care settings at international locations as a complement to the college Health Center clinical experience.  Cleveland’s nationwide preceptor program will be expanded to include international practice opportunities.

The college research infrastructure is expanding and has fostered a strong multicampus research team undertaking a variety of projects seeking to understand the profession’s role in contributing to patient health and wellness.

The college is implementing curricular revisions expanding the emphasis on health promotion, lifestyle factors wellness education, and enhanced delivery of the chiropractic technique program. Progress is underway to expand health promotion and wellness education to other graduate programs.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

A: Predictions for the profession’s future?

• Various internal and external dynamics will focus chiropractic’s leadership on developing a core identity to effectively communicate the doctor of chiropractic’s role and value as part of today’s health care system.

• The “Evidence-Based Care” movement will increasingly affect health care providers in all disciplines.  The chiropractic leadership is responding through the development of a series of “Best Practices” initiatives to assist the practitioner in communicating treatment rationales to the patient, to case managers and to third-party payers.

• A clear identity coupled with the “Best Practices” initiative will result in greater collaboration with non-DC health care practitioners, resulting in increased patient referral to DC practices.

• Chiropractic student interns will have opportunities for residency training programs working under supervision of DCs affiliated with VA Hospitals.  
The research opportunities within such residencies may have far reaching and positive effects for advancing the science of chiropractic. Such affiliations would become training grounds for the next generation of chiropractic researchers.

Featuring Donald P. Kern, D.C.

Donald P. Kern, D.C., graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1958. Part of a chiropractic family spanning five generations, Dr. Kern’s 45-year career with Palmer began as a faculty clinician, from 1960 to 1976, including serving as clinic director from 1965 to 1970. He has held numerous administrative positions at Palmer, including director of Admissions, vice president for Student Affairs, chairman of the Technique Department and president of the College, from 1988 to 1994.

After returning to full-time teaching in the Technique Department, Dr. Kern was named senior campus administrator for Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida in 2002, and interim president of Palmer College and Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida in 2004. In February 2005. he was named president of Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Davenport campus for an unprecedented second time.

Q: What are your areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: One of our greatest strengths is the appropriate balance of philosophy, science and art in our curriculum, as embraced by the Palmer Tenets and the Palmer Educational Principles. Palmer College of Chiropractic stands squarely in the middle of mainstream chiropractic, and our students are assured of getting a balanced chiropractic education.

The level of experience and expertise of our faculty is another notable strength. For example, our technique faculty average 20 years of experience in teaching and many of them have their own practices. Our students also are privileged to learn from world-renowned experts in radiology, research, pediatrics, sports injury and other disciplines.

Our curriculum offers an extensive list of clinical methodologies for locating and correcting subluxations. The depth and breadth of a Palmer education in the “art of chiropractic” is tremendous.

Q: What are your plans for the future of the college with regard to chiropractic?

A: Our plans are simple: to continue to graduate the best Doctors of Chiropractic possible. This is our driving force, and there are many strategies in place to carry it out.

As we plan for the future of Palmer College, we are surveying all of our key audiences: faculty, staff, students and alumni. Alumni have finished the curriculum and begun practice, so they have the best perspective for telling us what we could have done to better prepare them for success.
We have a great educational product at Palmer, but we know that it can always be improved upon.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

A: I see constant improvement of service to patients in chiropractic’s future, and eventual professional unity. I can’t think of a single profession that has survived the test of time being as divided as the chiropractic profession is today. There have been indications of movement toward unity on the state level, but the two national organizations need to negotiate a merger in good faith in order to establish professional unity. This would allow for combined resources to use in educating the public about chiropractic’s benefits.

Another issue facing the chiropractic profession is an acceptance of the basis for chiropractic and scope of practice. I believe one solution is to strengthen the science of chiropractic through more research, especially research into the effectiveness of various techniques. This would give us a better opportunity to identify those techniques that have the highest degree of effectiveness.

Alliances with members of other healthcare professions are also key to the growth of chiropractic. We need more multi-disciplinary collaboration. I would like to see more chiropractors joining hospital staffs and working side-by-side with medical doctors. Not only will our profession grow and benefit but, also, our patients will be healthier.

Featuring Thomas A. Gelardi, D.C.

Thomas A. Gelardi, D.C., Sherman College of  Straight Chiropractic’s founder and first president, is interim president at Sherman. Gelardi founded the college in 1973, fulfilling a long-standing dream of advancing the chiropractic profession centered on the vertebral subluxation. He led Sherman’s progress for nearly three decades, including its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council on Chiropractic Education.  He served as president until 1997 and, later, as member and chair of the Board of Trustees from 1997-2002.

What are your areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic’s strength is in the recognition and great belief that something of extraordinary value lies within the present vertebral subluxation model and practice.

Sherman College brings a vision of chiropractic’s place in health care as that profession that works side by side with all health care practitioners, contributing to health through the correction of vertebral subluxation. In addition to preparing its students and practicing chiropractors to be ever more clinically competent, caring and ethical, Sherman is preparing them to be highly successful in managing the business concerns of practice.

What are your plans for the future of the college with regard to chiropractic?

A: Sherman College is focusing on three major programs. The first is its clinical approach to the analysis and correction of subluxation. For the past two years, the Sherman College clinical science faculty has defined the Sherman Package. It encompasses the philosophy, science and art of analyzing and correcting vertebral subluxations anywhere in the spine.

Second, the college is increasing its commitment to be the recognized leader in scholarly activity, institutional research and clinical research centered on vertebral subluxation. We also are embarking on improved imaging methods and exploring ways to bring into our adjusting labs more objective means of analyzing simulated and actual adjusting.

Sherman’s third area of focus is taking place through its newly created Leadership and Practice Management Institute. The Institute will offer programs and courses in leadership, practice management and professional and personal success. These certification programs will be offered in several cities across the country and will be a seamless, integrated approach to all areas of personal development, practice management, leadership skills, asset accumulation and protection and more. Chiropractors make a major investment to join and participate in this profession, so they should be fairly compensated for that investment and the responsibility they assume. Our Institute will ensure that chiropractors learn how to lead and manage more effectively, serve more abundantly and enjoy life more fully.

Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

A:  What is perhaps most fascinating about the chiropractic profession is that it has a truly valuable gift to bring to humanity, a gift that great numbers of people who are looking for an alternative to reductionism and therapies are glad to accept.

I see chiropractic at the proverbial fork in the road, with one group caring for the subluxation through vertebral adjusting and the other caring for conditions through spinal manipulative therapy and other allopathic methods. I see the therapeutic road as missing the chiropractic mark, the profession’s reason for being, and leading to the downturn of a beautiful profession.

I look down the other road and see a flourishing profession of doctors of chiropractic who are enthusiastic about changing lives through the correction of subluxation. I see a chiropractic profession with a relevant educational process that is not only patient centered, but also humanity centered. This is the road we choose at Sherman College.

Featuring Reed Phillips, D.C., Ph.D., D.A.C.B.R.

Dr. Reed B. Phillips has been President of Southern California University of Health Sciences and its colleges (Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and the College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) for the last 15 years.  He is a past-president of the Council on Chiropractic Education, the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, the American Chiropractic College of Radiology Board and CCE International.  As Chair of the Veteran’s Affairs Chiropractic Advisory Committee, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of the program that now provides chiropractic care to this nation’s veterans.

Q: What are your areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: SCU/LACC has always been recognized for its strong emphasis on a scientifically founded program.  Philosophy is also a strong suit, when one puts philosophy into a true scientific perspective, as opposed to a religious dogma.  Our educational methodology, supported by SCU’s Standardized Patient Program, is one of only two programs in the profession totally committed to this form of interactive learning.

Q: What are your plans for the future of the school with regard to chiropractic?

A: First, we plan to grow our research agenda in the area of chiropractic, especially as it relates to clinical, epidemiological and social issues.  We want to be on the edge of policy formulation backed by sound data.  With the expansion of chiropractic into several federal health programs, we plan to expand our clinical training experience, utilizing these new opportunities along with other curriculum innovations that are a continuum of SCU’s ADVANTAGE academic program.  While musculoskeletal conditions remain the center point of chiropractic practice, we intend to expand the DC’s opportunities in the area of wellness care.  We also plan to grow our program by enrolling highly qualified students, committed to humanistic health care, and then provide them opportunities to mingle with other alternative health care providers so they may be more capable of managing patients.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

A: From a patient care perspective, the future never looked so bright.  Chiropractic has made inroads into major health organizations (Veterans Affairs & the Department of Defense) never thought possible just a decade ago.  Research-wise, the future holds great promise as our critical mass of research-trained DC’s increases and the information accumulated grows.  Politically, we continue to circle the wagons and shoot inward.

Featuring Neil Albert Salonen

Neil Albert Salonen has built a quality enrollment and a strong financial base for the University of Bridgeport since he assumed the office of university president in January 2000. Enrollments have risen 22 percent during President Salonen’s tenure. The university has also expanded its graduate programs, satellite campuses and online education programs significantly during his tenure.

Mr. Salonen was serving as chairman of the Board of Trustees when he was appointed the university’s ninth president on December 13, 1999. He was appointed president because of his strong managerial and financial abilities.

Q: What are UBCC’s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: The curriculum at the University of Bridgeport provides students with quality education in the basic and clinical sciences, as well as diverse patient populations in clinical services. The curriculum is delivered by a well-trained, credentialed faculty, who continually update their courses on the basis of the latest research information available.

Students are taught how to assess and integrate this information into their training. As the body of research continues to grow, chiropractic students will be aware of this information and be able to incorporate it into their practices. As such, the next generation of chiropractors will be better able to serve their patients with current information and expert skills.

Q: What are your plans for the future of the school with regard to chiropractic?

A: The UB College of Chiropractic is the youngest chiropractic program in the United States. To date, approximately 400 students have graduated from the program. As these individuals embark upon their professional careers, it is anticipated they will actively participate in the profession and will remain active alumni. As such, based upon their training and experience, they will have a potential impact on the continuing growth and development of both the chiropractic program at UB, and the profession.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

A: Chiropractic provides a natural, non-surgical, drugless option for patients seeking aid amendable to chiropractic care.

• There is a growing body of literature which supports the efficacy of chiropractic.
• There is growing discontent in society regarding prescription drug use.
• The education and training of doctors of chiropractic is becoming more understood by academicians, the medical community and the public.
• The chiropractic profession continues to make gains through legislation. Now chiropractic services are offered though the Veteran’s Administration.

For all the reasons noted above, and more, I believe that chiropractic is emerging as a viable profession in the health care delivery system. I believe, as more becomes known about chiropractic over time, its role in the health care delivery system will expand.

Given the orientation of chiropractic practice, perhaps the time will come when patients will initially be evaluated for care by chiropractic physicians and then be referred (if necessary) for additional testing or more radical therapeutic measures. It seems the trends in society are moving in this direction and the chiropractic profession is positioned well to serve the needs of society.

Facts about University of Bridgeport Chiropractic College

President: Neil Albert Salonen
Dean: Frank A. Zolli
Established: 1991
Current enrollment: 196
DC Curriculum Duration: 4 years / 8 semesters
Other Programs: UB-College of Naturopathic Medicine, UB-Acupuncture Institute, UB-MS. Human Nutrition
Admissions: Michael B. Grandison, Director of Chiropractic Admissions
126 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604; (203) 579-4348
Continuing Education: Richard P. Saporito, Director of Chiropractic Continuing Education, (203) 576-4335; [email protected]
Alumni Association: (203) 576-4133; [email protected]

Featuring Richard Brassard, D.C.

A graduate of Palmer Chiropractic College, Dr. Richard Brassard is a Past President of the Texas Chiropractic Association, Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners, and the ACA Council of Delegates, as well as a Past Chairman of TCC’s Board of Regents. He was elected Vice President of the ACA in September 2003.

Dr. Brassard practiced in Beaumont, TX, for over 35 years, until January 2002, when he became TCC President-elect. He has served as TCC’s President since January 2004.

Q: What are TCC’s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

Texas Chiropractic College has offered, since 1985, a Hospital Rotation Program that places interns in approximately thirty clinics and major hospitals in Southeast Texas, including the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. Often, during these rotations in specialties like orthopedics and neurology, interns work alongside medical school students, where a greater understanding and appreciation of integrative medicine is developed among all participants. Texas Chiropractic College’s science-based curriculum provides the foundation upon which our graduating doctors are fully capable of serving as portal-of-entry health care providers.

For the past few years, TCC has also given renewed support to its Research Department. Several noteworthy projects are currently underway, and the department’s chair, a nationally recognized expert in pain management, has actively and successfully applied for grants in support of the department’s efforts.

Finally, perhaps our greatest strength lies in what we fondly refer to as our “TCC family”. Numerous students have told me that the reason they chose to attend TCC was because of the attitude of our administrators, faculty and staff. The pervasive friendliness and willingness to meet the needs of the students is readily apparent to anyone who visits the campus. Our smaller class sizes also allow for more individualized attention—a definite plus considering the challenging curriculum.
 
Q: What are your plans for the future of the school with regard to chiropractic?

We have developed more stringent academic requirements in order to assure the competency of our students upon graduation, as they enter the arena of integrative medicine. An on-going review and revision of our curriculum creates a dynamic learning environment, thus attracting well-qualified faculty and the best and brightest students, who will be tomorrow’s leaders in the profession.

This is also essential to our goal of affiliation with a State university system. Historically, optometry and osteopathy faced similar barriers to such affiliation as we are currently encountering. They were successful in their quest, just as chiropractic will be. It almost happened in Florida, and it just happened in Europe, where the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in Great Britain has partnered with Bournemouth University to provide public funding. Because of Texas Chiropractic College’s academic excellence and financial stability, joining a State university system will be a winning situation for both institutions.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

It is the undeniable right of the chiropractic physician to fully become a part of integrative healthcare in this country and abroad. An important prerequisite of this affiliation has been and is, still, to carry out the research necessary to validate the effectiveness of chiropractic medicine. Eventually, every large university will have a college of chiropractic, and Doctors of Chiropractic will take their rightful place as primary care providers. Much has yet to be accomplished, though, before these goals are realized. I believe that a unity of purpose among all chiropractors would advance the profession exponentially.

Facts about Texas Chiropractic College

Established: Texas Chiropractic College is the third oldest chiropractic college in the nation. It was founded in 1908 in San Antonio, TX, and moved to its present location in Pasadena, TX, in 1965.

Current enrollment: 517

DC Curriculum Duration: 5 years accelerated to 3 1/3 years.

Other Programs: TCC offers accelerated undergraduate studies in order for students to meet the science prerequisites of the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Program. The college also offers a Bachelor of Science degree with majors available in Human Biology or Public Health.

Contact Info: Sandra Hughes, D.C., Director of Admissions, 5912 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77505; www.txchiro.edu.

Office of Admissions: (800) 468-6839; [email protected].

Continuing Education Department: (800) 533-9822; [email protected].

Alumni Association: (800) 822-2586; [email protected].

Featuring Frank Nicchi, MS, DC

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

Facts about New York Chiropractic Collegenew 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.

Ask the President

After graduating from National College of Chiropractic in 1963, Alfred Traina, DC, established a successful 19-plus years in private practice in Michigan. He was a member of Northwestern Health Sciences University’s faculty from 1983-1988 and held faculty and administrative positions at Southern California University of Health Sciences from 1989-2001. He has been the president of Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minnesota, since 2001.

Q: What are Northwestern’s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

A: At Northwestern Health Sciences University, we embrace a core value—we are a “community of caring”. You can see that philosophy embodied throughout the University. Our students are nurtured in an environment of caring, which we believe is an essential element for those who provide health care.

We also offer our students a quality education taught by some of the best faculty in the nation. Our curriculum provides the understanding of structure and function of the human body, diagnostic capabilities and an exceptional clinical experience.  A variety and mix of clinical experiences and early course work in understanding the management of a practice provides the opportunity that allows our students to “hit the ground running” when they graduate.  Our Community Based Internship program also provides an understanding of application within an actual viable practice situation. Our students graduate with a sound perspective with regard to the chiropractic profession. 

Q: What are your plans for the future of the school with regard to chiropractic?

A: Northwestern embraces a health and wellness holistic perspective.  Our students are familiarized with the conventional health risk factors, which is of critical importance in the holistic health of patients.  Understanding the application of chiropractic care and the application health assessment reflected in diet, weight management, smoking cessation programs, cholesterol management and others is of critical importance to the overall health of patients.

One of the biggest concerns facing chiropractic institutions is our reliance on tuition.  Over the last three years, Northwestern has addressed this concern by identifying alternate sources of income to help offset that dependency. It has been a challenge, but we have had some success and will continue to work toward that goal in the coming years.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic  profession headed?

A: The foundation of the future of chiropractic is in evidence-based practice and the institutions will have to be the leaders in this area.  The definition of evidence based practice takes into account the needs of the patient, the experience of the practioners and the preponderance of available evidence in the literature. Evidence-based practice is not exclusive to the chiropractic profession.  It is happening everywhere and every health care provider has a responsibility to the public to embrace it.

Facts about Northwestern Health Sciences University

Contact info: Northwestern Health Sciences University
2501 West 84th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431

Office of Admissions: (952) 888-4777, Ext. 409; [email protected]

Continuing Education Dept: (952) 888-4777, Ext. 249; [email protected]

Alumni Association: (952) 888-4777, Ext. 412

Established: In 1941 as Northwestern College of Chiropractic

Current enrollment: Nearly 1000 students

DC Curriculum Duration: 10 trimesters and 4,200 contact hours

Other Programs: Acupuncture, Oriental medicine, massage therapy, human biology and integrative health and wellness

Ask the President

Q: What are NUHS´s areas of greatest strength for the chiropractic student and the profession?

Winterstein: First, we require a baccalaureate for admission to our chiropractic degree program. This means the students who come to National to study are more likely to be better prepared and more mature than the average. Secondly, we provide a broad scope primary care based education through which any graduate can choose to engage in a general practice or to specialize on a firm and thorough foundation in diagnosis and chiropractic care. Third, in addition to strong education in the manipulative arts, we teach botanical medicine, physiological therapeutics, and exercise and nutrition as means of helping people gain and maintain optimum health.

Q: What are your plans for the future of the school with regard to chiropractic?

Winterstein: We will continue to provide a solid foundation in diagnosis and broad scope natural medicine oriented chiropractic care, which is centered on solidly taught articular manipulation. This has been our heritage and continues to be our mission. We promote integration of chiropractic medicine into mainstream health care delivery systems. We also offer accredited Master of Science degrees in Family Practice and Diagnostic Imaging, and programs in acupuncture for the chiropractic physician.

Q: Where do you see the chiropractic profession headed?

Winterstein:  I think the chiropractic profession is perilously close to an unstoppable decline, if some clear leadership decisions aren’t made soon. The broad scope practitioners must take a stand on how our profession should be educated and should practice. We must get out of the musculoskeletal box and apply broad scope care to people of all walks—not just those with musculoskeletal pain or malfunction. We have much to offer a needy population and we are not doing it because of intra-professional nearsightedness complicated by a dogmatic understanding of who and what we are.

A 1968 graduate of National College of Chiropractic, Dr. James Winterstein is a Diplomate in Diagnostic Imaging, was in private practice for seventeen years, and has served as President of National University of Health Sciences for the past nineteen years.  A former President of the Council of Chiropractic Education (CCE), he is a renowned speaker, author, and supporter of broad scope chiropractic education and practice.