Research conducted by Richard Gillette, PhD, associate professor of physiology at Western States Chiropractic College (WSCC), is featured in Brain Work, a neuroscience newsletter published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and an independent nonprofit organization called Decade of the Brain.
The profile of Dr. Gillette's work was one among 10 selected from 10,000 presentations given at last year's annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Gillette presented data from his animal studies on the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system in low back pain. Funded by a grant from the NIH and the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, Dr. Gillette conducted his studies in collaboration with William J. Roberts, PhD, and Ronald C. Kramis, PhD, of the RS Dow Neurological Sciences Institute of Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, in Portland, Oregon.
The studies, according to the excerpt in Brain Work, indicated that two types of nerve fibers contribute to activating low back pain neurons. One type is sensory, in muscles, ligaments, and other tissues near the spinal column; the second type appears to be sympathetic nerve fiber that project out to all tissues and affect sensory receptors.
WSCC Faculty Member Earns Team Physician Status
Michael Carnes, MS, DC, an associate professor of clinical sciences, has recently received certification as a team physician from the American College of Sports Medicine. The 100-hour course included all aspects of sports injuries diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Carnes commented that the program was professionally presented, and that the faculty was comprised of specialists such as orthopedists, neurosurgeons, and sports psychologists specializing in the treatment of athletes. Dr. Carnes said that he undertook the certification program to learn more about how he could interact with other sports specialists. "I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they advocated a conservative approach as the first option in treatment," he said.
WSCC Implements New DC/Patient Interaction Program for Students
In an effort to develop stronger critical thinking skills and greater technical proficiency among third year students, a new program has been implemented in the WSCC's Student Health Center. The "Patient Simulation Program," developed by the Health Center's Director Dr. Ron LeFebvre, is designed to create a patient/doctor interaction using 9th quarter interns and "sham" patients who simulate actual conditions. These "sham" patients are made up of Health Center staff, volunteer senior interns, lower quarter students, and in the future, off-campus volunteers.
The program was derived in part from the clinic competency exams which are administered, using a similar format, during the 8th and 11th quarters as an evaluation process. Dr. LeFebvre says this expanded approach offers numerous teaching benefits, and marks a shift away from traditional teaching and learning models.
"It's a powerful teaching tool," said Dr. LeFebvre. "The interns are faced with realistic clinical problems to solve and must judge which examination procedures to use. They must now think as doctors, choosing carefully from the regional exams that they have learned."
State Assoc. News from Hawaii
HSCA Bestows Honors, Elects OfficersThe Hawaii State Chiropractic Association (HSCA) held its Awards Banquet where it presented its "Outstanding Achievement Award," named its "Chiropractor of the Year," and elected new officers.
The "Outstanding Achievement Award" was presented to the Hawaii Foodbank for its work in relieving the suffering people of Kauai and Oahu after Hurricane Iniki. Puna Haii, the Foodbank's vice president, accepted the award and urged the HSCA membership to continue supporting the needy in their communities.
The gala event, held at the Halekulani Hotel and attended by HSCA members and guests from the legislature, the governor's office, the Honolulu mayor's office, and the Honolulu city council, also served to honor Dr. Kurt Halverson by naming him HSCA "Chiropractor of the Year." Dr. Halverson, immediate past president of the HSCA, cited the health care crisis facing the U.S. in his acceptance speech and read messages of support for chiropractic from U.S. Senators Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye.
Finally, the HSCA members thanked their outgoing officers and announced their new Executive Board: James Pleiss, DC, president; Mark McDougal, DC, vice president; Karen Brady, DC, secretary; and John Jarolimek, DC, treasurer. Also newly elected were Island Directors: Oahu -- Joseph Morelli, DC; Maui -- Susan Ray, DC; East Hawaii -- Brian McDougal, DC; West Hawaii -- Albert Police, DC; and Kauai -- Alice Holm Ogawa, DC.
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
.