The American Chiropractic Association has announced the election of Michele Maiers, DC, MPH, PhD, as new president – the first woman to lead the association in its 58-year history. Dr. Maiers joins newly elected vice president Kathy Boulet, DC, in another ACA first: the first all-female executive team to lead the association.
Drs. Maiers and Boulet were elected by the ACA Board of Governors during its board meeting, held virtually this year as part of the association's annual conference, ACA Engage.
"All voices are important in ACA. Together with Vice President Kathy Boulet, our talented Board of Governors and the vast expertise in the House of Delegates, we have a great team to lead a modern movement of chiropractic," said Dr. Maiers.
Added Dr. Boulet: "I look forward to collaborating with Dr. Maiers and the rest of the board to represent our members, work to achieve strategic goals such as Medicare parity, and usher ACA into a bright future," added Dr. Boulet.
In addition to her service on the ACA Board since 2016, new president Dr. Maiers is the executive director of research and innovation at Northwestern Health Sciences University. Dr. Boulet, an ACA board member since 2018, operates a private practice, and is also employed by the VA Maine Health Care System (Togus facility).
Rounding out the history-making six-member Board of Governors are Michael R. Martin, DC; Steven C. Roberts, JD, LLM; Robert C. Jones, DC, APC; and Leo Bronston, DC, MAppSC.
A historic meeting between chiropractic and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) leadership took place on March 10th, 2026, in Washington, D.C., featuring representatives from chiropractic national organizations, professional associations and policy principals. The collective goal: advancing the role of chiropractic in improving the health of Americans. Meeting participants focused on long-standing issues that have affected the chiropractic profession for decades, including access to care, reimbursement parity, and ensuring DCs have an appropriate role in national health policy discussions.
Radicular-like pain of the upper and lower extremities is among the most common presentations in musculoskeletal and spine-related practice. Traditionally, these symptoms are interpreted through a disc-centric and dermatomal framework, often leading clinicians to attribute limb pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness to spinal nerve-root pathology. While this approach is appropriate in cases of true radiculopathy, it frequently falls short when symptoms fail to follow consistent dermatomal patterns or correlate poorly with imaging findings.
A 46-year-old male presented to our clinic with a seven-year history of recurrent low back pain with sciatica. He reported stiffness and discomfort that worsened with prolonged sitting both at his desk job and during evening television time. The patient had seen multiple chiropractors over the years. In every case, spinal manipulation and other passive treatments would bring gradual symptom relief over 2-3 months. However, within another 3-6 months, the symptoms would return. Frustrated – and now considering a spinal injection and possibly surgery if that failed, he came to our office seeking a different approach.
