According to the terms of the HRSA contract, the interdisciplinary panel of participants had to include individuals with specific training or experience in at least one of the following areas: health services research, outcomes research, educational research, clinical research, or basic science research. HRSA required that the panel include professionals from the fields of chiropractic, medicine, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
The nomination process yielded 83 highly qualified individuals from over 30 professional and educational organizations, including officials from several federal research agencies. Final selections were made by a planning committee with input from the project officer at the Bureau of Health Professions, Ms. Shannon Mulrooney. The selection process weighed such variables as expertise, training, experience, and professional visibility in their respective fields.
The majority of participants (18) have chiropractic degrees; eleven have PhD degrees (four of which are experienced research administrators at chiropractic institutions). Four individuals have both DC and PhD credentials. There is one doctor of osteopathy; one occupational therapist; one physical therapist; one attorney (who works for a chiropractic association), and one nurse. Four panelists are MDs (two of those are also chiropractors). Three individuals are administrators for federal or state agencies. Ten of the 35 have appointments at chiropractic institutions; the rest are in private clinical practice, work in academic settings other than chiropractic, or have a combination of academic and private practice experience.
Each participant will be initially assigned to one of the five research topic areas based on expertise, training, and experience, and will be asked to read a summary of the scientific literature in that area as it relates to chiropractic research. The summaries will then be refined and prioritized by the participants into specific recommendations.
Dr. William Meeker, the Workshop project director, said he was pleased with the makeup of the interdisciplinary group. "They are highly qualified individuals and they are motivated to speak out on chiropractic research. I am sure that the unprecedented breadth and depth of this input will make our voice heard when the topic of funding for chiropractic research is raised at the governmental level." He predicted that this meeting would "lead to fruitful interdisciplinary research collaborations down the road."
The 35 interdisciplinary panelists are:
Alan Adams, DC -- Director of Research, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic
Susan Baptiste, OT -- Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University
Thomas Bergmann, DC -- Professor, Chiropractic Dept., Northwestern College of Chiropractic
Patricia Brennan, PhD -- Dean of Research, National College of Chiropractic
Ronald Bulbulian, PhD -- Director of Research, New York Chiropractic College
Peter Coggan, MD -- University Medical Center, Riverside
Ian Coulter, PhD -- Senior Scientist, RAND Corporation
Mary Cummings, DrPH, RN -- Health Scientist Administrator, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Arlan Fuhr, DC -- President, National Institute of Chiropractic Research
Christine Goertz, DC -- Vice President, Research, Policy and Information Services, American Chiropractic Association
Steve Gordon, PhD -- Former Director, National Institutes of Health
Philip Greenman, DO -- Associate Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University
Chris Hafner-Eaton, MPH, PhD -- Assistant Professor, Dept. of Public Health., Oregon State University
Scott Haldeman, DC, MD, PhD -- Associate Clinical Professor, Dept. of Neurology, University of California, Irvine
Charles Herring, DC -- Trustee, Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research Gail Jensen, PT, PhD -- Creighton University
Partap Khalsa, DC, PhD -- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology
Paul Lambert, JD -- President, National Association of Chiropractic Attorneys
Dana Lawrence, DC -- Professor, Department of Chiropractic Practice, National College of Chiropractic, Editor, JMPT
John Littlefield, PhD -- Director, Division of Educational Research and Development, University of Texas Health Science Center
Ed Maurer, DC, DACBR -- Chairman, Lincoln College Education and Research Fund
George McClelland, DC -- President, Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research
Marion McGregor, DC, MS -- Associate Professor, Texas College of Chiropractic
Silvano Mior, DC -- Dean of Academic Affairs, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Robert Mootz, DC -- Associate Medical Director for Chiropractic, State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries
Joanne Nyiendo, PhD -- Director of Research, Western States Chiropractic College
Edward Owens, MS, DC -- Research and Continuing Education Faculty, Life College of Chiropractic
Reed Phillips, DC, PhD -- President, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic
Malcolm Pope, DrMedSc, PhD -- Director, Iowa Spine Research Center
Gary Sanders, PhD -- Director of Research, Logan College of Chiropractic
Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD -- Senior Scientist, RAND Corporation
Louis Sportelli, DC -- President, National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company
Frank Stritter, PhD -- Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Rand Swenson, DC, MD, PhD -- Assistant Professor of Anatomy, Dartmouth Medical School
John Triano, MA, DC -- Chiropractic Provider, Texas Back Institute
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