Chosen from more than 20 applicants, the scholarships were awarded on the bases of participation in extra-curricular activities, academic performance, involvement in non-chiropractic community activities, and financial need. Drs. Judith Thurber and Deborah Beach chaired this year's scholarship committee and supervised the application/selection process. "We were delighted with the number of applicants this year. The competition was fierce and the range of excellent skills and abilities was very impressive," said Dr. Beach
photo: The new home for Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose.
California Chiropractic College News
Palmer West Moving to San JoseIn case you missed the News in Brief in the March 26th issue, Palmer College of Chiropractic West has announced the relocation this summer of its dual campuses (Sunnyvale and Santa Clara) to a single facility at 90 East Tasman in San Jose.
"Palmer-West is deserving of a home that is truly its own," said President Peter Martin, DC. The Tasman facility is a two-story modern building of nearly 100,000 sq. ft. Dr. Martin indicated the roomy new facility will be a better fit for the college, allowing for learning centers for x-ray reading, histology, and computerized learning areas in the library and separate access to the library for after-hours student use.
The growing academic reputation of Palmer West is reflected in the body of knowledge contributed by faculty participation in chiropractic research, and in the leadership roles assumed by its 63 administration/staff and 53 faculty members.
William Meeker, DC, MPH, dean of research at Palmer-West and president of the Consortium for Chiropractic Research, said he was pleased by the move. "As far as clinical research is concerned, its design allows us to collect data in a much more efficient way because the biomechanics and physiology laboratories are immediately adjacent to the clinic. The laboratories themselves are flexible, spacious, and very pleasantly appointed. The professional atmosphere is a great improvement over the old site."
Established in 1980, Palmer West has graduated more than 1600 DCs, with a current enrollment of about 600 students.
Palmer West will have a small outpatient clinic on the new campus, and continue with its satellite outpatients clinics in Sunnyvale and downtown San Jose. Since 1981, the Palmer West clinics have provided chiropractic health care services for more than 32,000 patients.
PCCW Students Lobby at State Capitol for Chiropractic
Twenty-three Palmer College of Chiropractic West (PCCW) students attended the CCA's Annual Legislative conference April 13 in Sacramento. Sponsored by the CCA chapters of Santa Clara, Monterey, Sacramento, and S.W. Los Angeles counties, the purpose of the trip was to become informed of health care legislative issues at the state and federal levels, and to lobby for the inclusion of chiropractic services.
"This was a good introduction into the political process for many of Palmer West students. We wanted to inform our legislators that we are concerned about the future of health care, and chiropractic can be a cost-effective solution," commented Curtis McKay, CCA acting student president. "We felt we made an impact by our presence."
The students were informed about impending legislative issues, including workers' compensation, optional benefits for Medi-Cal, and licensing criteria for health care professionals. Later the students were organized into groups to meet with their district legislators. State Senators Alfred Alquist, Becky Morgan, and Assemblymen John Vasconcellos, Dominic Cortese, and Charles Quackenbush listened to presentations by designated DCs. Other students in the group were able to add their own comments.
LACC Graduates 94
Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) President Dr. Reed Phillips presented diplomas to 94 new DCs at a commencement ceremony April 18 in Bridges Auditorium at Claremont College.
Dr. John Thie, a 1956 LACC alumnus who donated his 34-year practice to the college, presented the keynote address to the graduating class. He advised the graduates that they are the gatekeepers to the future of health care, because of their holistic view of the patient. "You need to become communicators of what chiropractic is all about," he said. Class valedictorian Kassie Schauer also addressed the graduates.
Dr. Phillips presented the President's Award to Susan Bromley. Charles (Chip) Schelly and Dennis Buckley were co-recipients of the Student Service Award, and Diane Wurst and Chip Schelly both received the Student American Chiropractic Association Award, presented by SACA National Chairperson Rob Engel, and LACC SACA Chapter President David Jacobs. The Dr. George H. Hanes Memorial Award was presented to Lisa Boyer. Additionally, Dr. David F. Gendreau, a December 1989 LACC graduate, was presented with a certificate for completing LACC's radiology residency program. Dr. Gendreau has already earned his diplomate from the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology.
LACC Holds 6th Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium
More than 300 researchers, clinicians, and chiropractic students attended the March 6-7 Interdisciplinary Symposium on the LACC campus. This year the topic of nearly a dozen workshops and panel discussions was the "Neurobiological Mechanisms of Spinal Manipulation." Among the presenters were: Drs. Scott Haldeman, Bjorn L. Rydevik, Allan Basbaum, Patricia C. Brennan, Gregory D. Cramer, Ronald Mathison, Michael M. Patterson, Rand Swenson, Howard T. Vernon, and PhD candidate Richard G. Gillette. Other presenters included Drs. Geoffrey Bove, Jeffrey Cooley, Thomas McKnight, and William Meeker, as well as Dee Hanley, PT, Dr. Gene Tobias was the moderator for the two-day program.
- Gregory Cramer, DC, PhD, gave a lecture on the anatomy of the spinal column. Specifically, he cited new evidence of a ligamentous lattice work in the intervertebral foramen, which is a contributing factor to compression.
- Alan Basbaum, PhD, spoke on the identification of inflammatory sensitive structures and the pathways in which pain from the inflammatory process is transmitted.
- Richard Gillette, MS, delineated the "road map" from the low back to the central nervous system using an animal model.
- Bjorn Rydevik, MD, PhD, from Sweden, offered a new model to induce compression effects in the lumbar spine.
- Thomas McKnight, DO, MPH, demonstrated a quick way to identify pathoneurophysiology in the central nervous system.
- Patricia Brennan, PhD, dean of research at National College of Chiropractic (NCC), presented a lecture on the neuroimmunological implications of spinal manipulation.
- Ronald Mathison, PhD, explained the basics of neurophysiology: the sympathetic system and immunological functions and the relationship between the two.
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