We are pleased to announce that an international team of chiropractors from Israel, the U.S., Canada and Europe has launched an effort to open a college of chiropractic in Israel.
Israel has a population of just under 8 million, a thriving economy, and is a world leader in science and technology. In Israel, there is a strong demand for primary health care professionals in the neuromusculoskeletal field. There are roughly 100 chiropractors practicing in Israel, all of whom have studied overseas.
Relative to its size, Israel has an incomparable academic infrastructure. During approximately the past 30 years, five academic programs for physical therapy have emerged, one unaccredited osteopathic program, and multiple schools of massage and alternative medicine. We believe failure to begin teaching chiropractic in Israel would give priority to other disciplines at our expense. Here are some facts we use to make our argument on behalf of opening a program in Israel:
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There are 41 accredited schools of chiropractic worldwide. Some of these programs are located in countries less populated or less technologically and scientifically accomplished than Israel. For instance, in Denmark, a nation of approximately 5.5 million, there is a chiropractic program and approximately 550 practitioners. Switzerland, with a comparable population to Israel at about 8 million, has a chiropractic program and about 350 practicing DCs. Several nations considered to be developing nations – Mexico, Brazil and Malaysia, for example – also have chiropractic schools. - There is a strong interest to attain the skill set we possess from our specialized training. Several chiropractors in Israel have been approached by massage schools about teaching the "art of joint manipulation." They want the essence of what we do without any of the proper foundation. The local PTs regularly invite British DOs to teach weekend seminars in "osseous manipulation." There is a so-called "osteopathic" certificate program (of seven months’ duration), which is inferior to the international standard, teaching an abbreviated version of a conventional program, emphasizing manipulation. Nonetheless, they take work from us, as they have been introduced into our HMO system. Lastly, we have a number of practitioners of "manual medicine" who are charlatans posing as chiropractors, but who also capture a portion of the patient population.
- In working on this project, we have discovered at least four previous attempts over the past 20 years to get a chiropractic school started here in Israel, mostly by chiropractors from the U.S. Our pursuit to develop a program here is by no means a new vision; it is, however, a more organized and more serious endeavor than past efforts.
- All DCs in Israel have studied the profession abroad. As such, tuitions are typically higher than domestic programs would be. The cost and inconvenience of living abroad has likely discouraged many worthy candidates from entering the profession. We are seeking to change this paradigm.
With the passage of the Israeli Chiropractic Law in 2010, there will soon be mandatory licensure. As such, domestic chiropractic education will be mandated; chiropractic education will need to be provided here in Israel. There will also be a need for continuing education and proficiency examinations (such as national boards and licensing).
We have selected a pathway we believe will put us in compliance with the new Israeli Chiropractic Law, the Council of Chiropractic Education International, and the Israeli regulatory authority for higher educational programs. We also intend to develop and launch our program under the supervision of an American college of chiropractic, which will serve as a mentor and supervisor until we are able to be in full compliance and function independently. Our target date for opening the ICC is late 2013.
If you have additional questions, please contact me or any one of the individuals listed below. The ICC is a legally registered, nonprofit entity here in Israel. However, we have a number of challenges to overcome to bring this program to fruition – legal, governmental registrations, marketing, etc.
We would like to thank the Canadian Jewish Chiropractors Society, which hosted us in Toronto this past January and provided us with some of our seed money for this project. We welcome any assistance, especially financial, as we are still nearly two years away from collecting any tuition. We are particularly seeking assistance with organizational and fund-raising activities in the U.S.
Contacts: Israel: Dr. Nimrod Liram (
); Dr. Richard Gakner (
); Dr. Ofer Baruch (
). Canada: Dr. Howard Vernon (
); Dr. Marshall Deltoff (
). United States: Dr. Stephen Perle (
).
Dr. Richard Gakner, a 1992 graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic, was born, raised and educated in the U.S., where he served in the U.S. Army. He has lived and practiced in Netanya, Israel since 2004. He is vice president of the Israeli Chiropractic Society and co-founded the Israeli Chiropractic Sports Council. Dr. Gakner was the chiropractic coordinator for the Maccabi Games in 2005 and 2009, and will repeat the role in 2013.