William Meeker, DC, MPH, and Monica Smith, DC, PhD, both researchers from the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research in Davenport, Iowa, were recently honored by prestigious national health organizations - the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), respectively.
Dr. Meeker, vice president for research at Palmer, was appointed to the ad hoc Chiropractic Work Group, a subcommittee of the Chiropractic Advisory Committee for the DVA. Among other tasks, committee members will advise the veterans administration (VA) on an agenda for chiropractic research within the administration. The committee includes NIH officers and representatives from various health care disciplines.
Said Dr. Meeker: "It is an honor to represent chiropractic on this prestigious work group. ... I look forward to being a part of this team that will assist VA officials in making important decisions about the role of chiropractic research in VA institutions."
Dr. Smith, an associate professor at the Palmer Center, received the K01 Research Scientist Development Award from the NIH. Dr. Smith is only the second chiropractic professional to receive a K training award from the NIH; Eric Hurwitz, DC, PhD, from the University of California, Los Angeles, was the first.
In connection with the NIH grant, Dr. Smith has been accepted into the Postdoctoral and Mid-Career Research Fellowship Training Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). While maintaining her affiliation with Palmer, Dr. Smith is relocating to UCSF to participate in the program, in order to work with fellow researchers and investigators at the UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies, the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, and the Center for Health Professions.
"Undertaking this NIH-funded K01 development and research program at UCSF will position me to create, and to contribute to furthering, opportunities for advancing our knowledge and evidence base about the actual and potential role of chiropractic and integrative care within the overall healthcare system," commented Dr. Smith.
To learn more about the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, including current research grants, call (563) 884-5150 or send an e-mail to research@palmer.edu.
