"I'm delighted to accept the new position of director of research for the Palmer Colleges," said Dr. Meeker. "The future for chiropractic research is exciting right now with many opportunities opening up."
Dr. Meeker, who has a masters in Public Health from San Jose State University, is a Palmer West graduate and dean of research there since 1989. Dr. Meeker's new position will be to oversee an intensified and collaborative research effort for both Palmer colleges. "We have excellent research work being done at both campuses now," Chancellor Crawford said, "but our goal is to establish the Palmer colleges as the pre-eminent research institutions in chiropractic."
The management of the research activities will be consolidated in Davenport, Iowa. Dr. Meeker will relocate from Palo Alto, California to Davenport, and assume his duties by July 1, 1995. Dr. Meeker will be creating and administering a comprehensive, long-term research plan. He will establish a collaborative research effort among the Palmer clinics and other Palmer researchers, and will seek opportunities for joint research with other non-Palmer and non-chiropractic researchers. External funding will be sought.
In private chiropractic practice from 1983 to 1986, Dr. Meeker has led the Consortium for Chiropractic Research (CCR) since 1989. He's in his third term as CCR president. Although he did not seek re-election after his second term, he was unanimously re-elected for a third term. Under his leadership the Consortium has grown from seven member colleges and three affiliate organizations to 13 colleges and 15 affiliate organizations representing the United States, Canada, and Australia. Dr. Meeker's work with the CCR is often considered instrumental in the recognition received for chiropractic research by the RAND Corporation and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), both of whom issued reports with favorable implications for chiropractic care of low back pain. Dr. Meeker was also a noted presence on the nine-member steering committee of the Mercy Guidelines, and one of its 35-commission members.
The respect for Dr. Meeker's work is reflected in the honors bestowed on him: "Chiropractic Researcher of the Year" (1991, the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research); "Presidential Award" (1993 and 1994, California Chiropractic Association); "Chiropractor of the Year" (1994, Dynamic Chiropractic).
Dr. Meeker sees his new assignment as a "commitment that Palmer chiropractic will be in the vanguard in helping our profession validate its appropriate role in health care."
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