Honoring the Chiropractic Profession’s Heroines (Pt. 4)
Hall of Honor Charter Inductee: Beatrice B. Hagen, DC, FICC (Education)
James D. Edwards, DC
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
This is the fourth installment of a six-article series on chiropractic heroines, with this month's column focusing on the education catetgory.
Dr. Beatrice Hagen is credited with breaking two notable chiropractic gender barriers: serving as the first woman president of an accredited chiropractic college and of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).
Next month's column will focus on a chiropractic heroine in the veterans category.
Dr. Beatrice Hagen is credited with breaking two notable chiropractic gender barriers: serving as the first woman president of an accredited chiropractic college (Logan, 1981-1992) and of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) from 1986 to 1988.
Born in Rome, N.Y., in 1919, Beatrice B. Hagen graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1940, eventually becoming an instructor and clinical director at her alma mater. From 1959-1980, she and her husband, Dr. Otto Hagen (1912-1972), whom she had met at Logan, lived in Frankfort, N.Y., sharing a successful chiropractic practice and raising four children. During this time, Dr. Hagen was active in local professional activities and chaired several committees of the New York State Chiropractic Association.
Prior to her presidency at Logan, Dr. Hagen served for eight years on the Logan Board of Trustees (1972-1980), including the last three years as board chair. As college president, she helped broaden and modernize the school’s curriculum, and expanded its research program. Under Dr. Hagen’s leadership, the Dale C. Montgomery Health Center and the $3.5 million Science, Research and Ergonomic Center came to fruition.
She also directed a local outreach program through the college, providing chiropractic care to the homeless at the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light Center and at the Shamrock Club in St. Louis.
As discussed in part 1 of this six-part series, I am a longtime student of chiropractic history. In that regard, I have very much admired the out- standing work performed by women doctors of chiropractic. In 2021, I began an extensive effort to research and recognize the "best of the best" female DCs in the following six important categories:
Brief biographies for each of these chiropractic warriors are being published in this column in a series. As you read about each of these six Charter Inductees, I believe you will mumble to yourself more than once, I didn't know that. If that happens, I will have accomplished my goal. Upon of the completion of my research, I obtained a "Hall of Honor" website to recognize these Charter Inductees. I am purposely not giving out the website address yet because each of the inductees has earned her own solo announcement.
Dr. Hagen received numerous professional accolades during her distinguished career, including the “Chiropractor of the Year” award from both the American Chiropractic Association (1982) and The American Chiropractor (1987). Upon her retirement from Logan in 1992, she returned to New York to be near her children, and to pursue research and teaching.1
Author’s Closing Observations About Dr. Hagen
I first met Dr. Hagen while a student at Logan College of Chiropractic when she was on the college’s Board of Trustees. When she was appointed president of the college in 1981 after serving three years as board chair, I was absolutely thrilled because the institution was in desperate need of a new president. As a three-year practitioner at the time, I watched her leadership abilities with great interest and gratitude.
Legendary former NFL coach Vince Lombardi famously said, “Leaders are not born, they’re made.” While that might be true regarding sports, when it comes to Dr. Hagen, she was truly born to lead. Yes, she likely took some leadership training, but that is not what propelled her to the top leadership positions in almost every organization she joined. Sorry Vince, but it was Dr. Hagen’s DNA and Innate Intelligence she was born with on March 3, 1919.
Author’s Note: Stay tuned! My next column will focus on the charter inductee in the veterans category. Should you have any questions, comments or suggested future inductees, contact me by email at Doctor@JamesEdwards.com.
Reference
“A Moment of Silence for Beatrice B. Hagen, DC.” Dynamic Chiropractic, May 2005.
Refund requests are an unavoidable part of running a chiropractic practice. Whether a patient is unhappy with their care, believes an adjustment caused harm, or simply changes their mind, these situations must be handled carefully to avoid escalation. While chiropractors are not legally obligated to issue refunds in most cases, there are times when doing so is the best business decision to protect the practice.
Back pain? Blame the psoas. Seems as if everybody wants to dive headfirst into their psoas at the first sign of trouble with the lumbopelvic-hip region. Perhaps no other muscle is blamed more for causing problems than the psoas. Yes, it is an important stabilizer of the lumbar spine, but it shouldn't be the only one on which you focus. There is another big player on the scene: the iliacus.
Interested in providing a new service? Need to know whether you can pursue dry needling, venipuncture or even animal chiropractic? Or perhaps you’re advising a prospective chiropractic student who doesn't know whether a bachelor’s degree is required for licensure in your state. The answers to these questions and more are available on Chiropractic Future’s Government Affairs Hub.
