The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has announced that Joel Pickar, DC, PhD, an associate professor at Palmer College of Chiropractic, has been added to serve on the NCCAM's National Advisory Council. One of six new members added to the council at its most recent meeting in June, Dr. Pickar will serve through July 2007.
Dr. Pickar graduated from Palmer in 1977, and received his PhD from the University of California, Davis. In 1999, he joined the staff of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research. Prior to joining the center, he was an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at Kansas State University. He is currently studying neurophysiological issues related to the vertebral column and chiropractic manipulation. He also serves on the advisory editorial board of The Spine Journal, and has authored three book chapters and more than 30 articles on chiropractic and related subjects.
The National Advisory Council is composed of 18 members, including complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, medical doctors, investigators and members of the public. Council members serve terms of up to four years and meet three times a year, with the objective of offering advice and recommendations to NCCAM in the areas of CAM research, training, and dissemination of health information to the public.
Japanese Chiropractors Learn About Anatomy, Techniques at Logan Logan College of Chiropractic recently played host to a delegation of 13 chiropractors from Japan who visited the school for a customized postgraduate instruction program. Accompanied by an interpreter to help ameliorate language barriers, the doctors received supervised instruction on particular aspects of dissection and human anatomy, and were given the opportunity to learn a variety of chiropractic techniques and adjustments.
"The doctors wished to include specific content in the areas of anatomy and dissection, which they did not study as extensively in their educational programs as do DCs in the United States and Canada," explained Ralph Barrale, DC, Logan's dean of tighten if possible postdoctoral and continuing education. "They also wanted hands-on work in adjusting, and asked to take some classes with Logan students in the DC program, while covering other topics in private tutorials."
Dr. William Huber, an anatomy instructor at Logan, was the primary educator for the program. Dr. Barrale provided instruction in adjusting techniques, as did Drs. Ralph Filson and Patrick Montgomery. The visiting chiropractors also enjoyed a tour of the Logan campus, as well as a reception hosted by Logan President Dr. George A. Goodman and attended by several administrators and faculty members.
"The doctors were very pleased with the program and seemed to enjoy their time here very much," Dr. Barrale enthused. "They were especially intrigued by the large size and beauty of the campus. They made a donation to the college at the end of the program, and expressed the desire to return in the future to further their studies."
National Goes International A group of South Africa's leading chiropractors and representatives of the country's chiropractic programs in Johannesburg and Durbin also paid a visit recently to a U.S. chiropractic college - National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in Lombard, Ill. Their mission? To learn more about National's clinic system, and to share and foster new ideas about chiropractic that could be used to further the profession's development in South Africa.
Five members of the South African chiropractic profession traveled to NUHS: Dr. Bridget Bromfield, president of the Chiropractic Association of South Africa; Prof. Mavis Arthur, head of the chiropractic program in Johannesburg; Dr. Mario Milani, chair of the South African Allied Health Professions Council (the country's governing body for chiropractic); Dr. Kendrah Da Silva, director of the internship program in Johannesburg; and Dr. Charmaine Koporaal, academic director of clinical services in Durbin.
Before arriving at National, the group also visited the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners' headquarters in Colorado. "We are considering starting our own national board, so the visit to your NBCE was very helpful," explained Dr. Milani.
The South African team spent a significant amount of time at National's clinic in Chicago, and then toured the NUHS campus. The group also examined National's internship program and visited the university's main clinic in Lombard. At the end of the visit, the group enjoyed a dinner with National's president, James Winterstein, DC.
"Our South African counterparts share National's keen interest in maintaining high academic and clinical standards for our profession," remarked Dr. Winterstein. "We're happy to be a part of that."
CCE Elects New Public Member to Board of Directors Dr. Clyde Jensen has been elected to serve as the public member on the board of directors for the Council on Chiropractic Education. Dr. Jensen was appointed to the position in June, and will serve on the board until January 2005.
Dr. Jensen is the president and owner of a biomedical consulting firm in Portland, Ore. He earned a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of North Dakota, and has held executive positions at colleges of allopathic, osteopathic, naturopathic and Oriental medicine.
Life West Annual Golf Classic a Big Hit On May 6, 2004, nearly 100 golfers hit the links in the beautiful Mount Diablo foothills in San Ramon, Calif., to compete in Life Chiropractic College West's annual golf classic. Golfers enjoyed a day of friendly competition for prizes and trophies while raising money for the Life West Campus Building Fund. Following the tournament, golfers enjoyed dinner and a speech by Dr. Gerard Clum, Life West's president, who discussed the latest enhancements to the school's health center.
The first-place team trophy was awarded to the foursome of Dr. Jim Musick, Ron Musick, and Eri and Tom Crum. Individual awards went to Dan Peterson for first place and Dr. Tim Brown for second place, while the trophies for the men's longest drive and women's longest drive went to Fred Newnam and Samantha Caballero, respectively.
For more information about upcoming Life West events, visit www.lifewest.edu.
