Palmer Awarded Federal Contract to Set Chiropractic Research Agenda

William Meeker, DC, MPH, director of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, will direct the Chiropractic Research Agenda.

Cheryl Hawk, DC, of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, is associate project director of the Chiropractic Research Agenda.

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Palmer College of Chiropractic has landed a contract with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) titled, "A National Workshop to Develop the Chiropractic Research Agenda." The project involves the creation of a interdisciplinary panel to recommend priorities for chiropractic research. The evaluation of chiropractic procedures through research is generally considered a key factor in determining to what extent chiropractic will be used in mainstream health care.

A prestigious workshop planning committee will select a interdisciplinary group comprised of MDs, osteopaths, chiropractors, and scientists to address key issues in prioritizing research projects, enhancing the quality of chiropractic research, and attracting top scientists to collaborate with chiropractic academic centers.

The two leading chiropractic research organizations, the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER), and the Consortium for Chiropractic Research (CCR), have lent their support to Palmer College on behalf of the chiropractic profession.

"To receive this HRSA contract is a big step in credibility for chiropractic," said Dr. William Meeker, director of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, who will direct the Chiropractic Research Agenda project. "Palmer is leading the way for this health care profession to decide where chiropractic research should be headed."

Shannon Mulrooney, project officer for Chiropractic Grants and Contracts in the HRSA Division of Associated, Dental and Public Health Professions, will work with Dr. Meeker and other members of the eight-person workshop planning committee to select 35 health care professionals. They will convene during the summer of l996 in Washington, D.C. Participants will focus on five primary research areas: education; clinical science; outcomes; basic science; and health services. As a result of that meeting, the group will develop a position paper for submission for HRSA and later publication in a refereed scientific journal.

"The interdisciplinary approach for this project leads chiropractic into the mainstream of health care because chiropractors are working side by side with other health care professionals," said Dr. Cheryl Hawk, a member of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, who will serve as associate project director of the Chiropractic Research Agenda. "That's great progress for the profession and for patients."

Others project staff from the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research are: Lisa Killinger, DC; Charles Henderson, DC, PhD; Lori McElderry.

Members of the workshop planning committee include:

Alan Adams, DC, vice president for professional affairs, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic;

Patricia Brennan, PhD, dean of research, National College of Chiropractic, and current president of the Consortium for Chiropractic Research;

Ian Coulter, PhD, senior scientist with the RAND corporation;

Phillip Greenman, DO, associate dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University;

Scott Haldeman, DC, PhD, MD, clinical professor at the College of Medicine, University of California at Irvine;

Robert Mootz, DC, DABCO, medical director in the Department of Labor and Industry, Washington state;

Joanne Nyiendo, PhD, dean of research, Western States Chiropractic College;

Frank Stritter, PhD, professor, Schools of Medicine and Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

"The awarding of this federal government contract to Palmer College verifies our leadership in the vital field of research," said Dr. Don Betz, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Also, it highlights the considerable capabilities of our research faculty."