Education, testing, licensure and research are four pillars of the chiropractic profession; together, they play a pivotal role in teaching, training, validating and supporting DCs and the profession itself, among other functions. And this spring, as has become customary, all four of the pillars were on full display courtesy of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC) and the annual meeting of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), held in conjunction with the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards' (FCLB) annual meeting.
ACC-RAC 2010
Held at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and with a theme of "Chiropractic and Public Health in the 21st Century," this year's event boasted record attendance. Highlights included the following:
- Keynote Speakers: Nortin M. Hadler, MD, discussed the personal, social and policy consequences of low back pain, while Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, addressed the opportunities associated with improving population health and the role health care providers can play in achieving society's goals.
- Research: Two hundred scientific papers were submitted for peer review, with nearly a third (66) selected for poster presentation and almost half (92) for platform presentation. Commented Dr. Claire Johnson, peer review chair for the scientific platform and poster sessions: "The 2010 program had the largest turnout of chiropractic research in the history of the conference and remains the premiere scientific venue for which all forms of chiropractic research are presented - which is essential to the future development of the chiropractic profession."
- Business Meeting: Among other issues discussed, ACC presidents deliberated on the implementation of action steps related to strategic directives developed in July of last year at a board retreat. Strategic directives include the following, according to the ACC: "to achieve consensus among member institutions as to how the chiropractic academic community may contribute to integration within the existing and emerging health care systems; promote collaboration in research efforts among member institutions; increase the quantity, quality and diversity of applicants pursuing chiropractic education; review the ACC Paradigm from an educational perspective; develop relationships with other chiropractic and allied health institutions globally that complement ACC's mission, vision and values and to look at the possibility of developing clinical residencies as part of the doctor of chiropractic program training."
- Awards: Distinguished service awards went to Kent Greenawalt, president of Foot Levelers, Inc., and founder/president of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, and Alfred Traina, DC, past president of Northwestern Health Sciences University, both courtesy of the ACC. The NBCE also funded nine basic science, clinical and educational research excellence awards, while the NCMIC Foundation presented its annual Jerome F. McAndrews, DC, Memorial Research Fund Award (see News In Brief).
NBCE and FCLB Annual Meetings
Baltimore hosted the annual meetings of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards in late April. Highlighting this year's event was the selection and seating of new/returning NBCE board members, including executive committee members:
Executive Committee
- Dr. Theodore Scott (Utah), president (also District IV director)
- Dr. Norman Ouzts Jr. (S.C.), vice president (also District V director)
- Dr. Donna Craft (Mich.), treasurer (also District II director)
- Dr. Paul Morin (Maine), secretary (also District III director)
Other Board Members
- Dr. Robin Lecy (S.D.), District I director
- Drs. Salvatore LaRusso (Fla.) and Richard Cole (Tenn.), At-Large directors.
- Drs. Daniel Saint Germain (Quebec) and Dr. Lawrence O'Connor (N.J.), both named as FCLB appointees to the board.
Awards/Honors: At this year's meeting, the NBCE board of directors voted to name its new facility after Executive Vice President Horace Elliott, recognizing his longtime service to the board. For nearly 25 years, Elliott has served as chief operating officer of the NBCE.
Among FCLB activities, the federation awarded the 2010 Dr. Earl L. Wiley Outstanding Chiropractic Licensing Board Award to the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, making the BCE the only chiropractic state licensing board to receive the honor twice. The annual award recognizes a licensing board "as a model for the excellence in carrying out its responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public." The award is the highest honor a state licensing board can receive.
