For more than two years, administrators from Palmer College of Chiropractic and the ASPEUR-Feevale (Federation of Educational Excellence) schools in Brazil, have been working together to forge an agreement that would establish a chiropractic curriculum to the largest country in South America (see "Palmer College and Brazilian University Seek a Chiropractic Curriculum in Brazil," DC, Feb. 10, 1997). Now, after months of proposals, cross-country visits and lengthy negotiations, it appears that chiropractic education is ready to debut in Brazil.
This past April, Palmer College of Chiropractic and Palmer College of Chiropractic West announced that in cooperation with ASPEUR-Feevale, and with the assistance of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association, they have developed a chiropractic course. Faculty from Palmer and Palmer West will teach classes at ASPEUR-Feevale, making it the first chiropractic course to be taught in South America.
ASPEUR is a nonprofit association of higher education, and Feevale is a campus located in the southern Brazilian city of Novo Hamburgo in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
More than 30 students in Feevale's first class will be certified to teach under Brazilian law, thus allowing them to offer instruction in addition to the Palmer faculty. Eventually, the university hopes to attract 400-800 students a year to its chiropractic courses.
"This is an achievement not only for Palmer, but also for the profession of chiropractic worldwide," said Virgil Strang, DC, Palmer's president. "The word 'Palmer', already known around the world, is associated with the epicenter of what chiropractic is. Now the Palmer legacy will be continued in South America."
"This educational cooperation between the two schools is one of the most historic and significant endeavors in the history of Palmer College," asserted Dr. Garry Krakos, the director of Palmer's main clinic and the international liaison for the college. "This reaffirms Palmer College of Chiropractic as the fountainhead of the chiropractic profession not only in this century but into the next as well."
A Long and Winding Road
The connection between Palmer College and Brazil began two years ago. Professor Angela Kolberg, director of the Health Science Center for Feevale, became interested in chiropractic after hearing a lecture about the profession. She contacted Dr. Sira Borges, president of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association, for more information. Dr. Borges in turn contacted Dr. Krakos at Palmer, planting the seeds of a budding professional relationship.
"When you work in education, you have a feeling for other institutions that care about the quality of education," said Dr. Borges. "Palmer has the impressive curriculum faculty and students I was searching for to be a good match for our university."
With no chiropractic curriculum existing in South America, Dr. Borges sent a proposal to Palmer outlining a curriculum. After establishing a professional relationship with the college, Dr. Borges visited the Davenport campus several times, returning this past December with a television crew. While on campus, Dr. Borges and the crew filmed the college and the Quad-Cities environs for a six-part documentary about Palmer, the chiropractic profession, and bringing chiropractic education to Brazil.
The documentary was shown on national television in Brazil to a large audience. Thanks to the airing of the program, said Dr. Krakos, "Millions of viewers now know about Palmer, viewers who previously didn't know about Davenport, Iowa, Palmer College or chiropractic."
Establishing a Foothold in Brazil
The ramifications of this partnership between Palmer and ASPEUR-Feevale are propitious for the colleges and the chiropractic profession. As Dr. Krakos stated, "With a population of 163 million people, a central location in South America and a surging economy, Brazil ... is a logical choice for establishing a chiropractic course that will in turn establish more chiropractors throughout the continent."
"Chiropractic will add a great improvement to the health care of our country," Dr. Borges said. "Chiropractic can resolve health problems without drugs or surgery. Also, there's a one-on-one relationship between a chiropractor, and that is very special."
With Palmer creating an educational foundation in South America and elsewhere overseas (see "Life to Open New Clinic in India," DC News in Brief, May 18th issue), the chiropractic profession continues to reach out to bring its care to the world.
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