Michigan Chiropractic Association and State Team Up for Wellness Campaign
In an effort to help promote fitness within the state, the Michigan Chiropractic Association has partnered with the Department of Health and Governor Jennifer Granholm to launch the Fit Kit Campaign. The program was instituted to promote active, healthy lifestyles among Michigan residents. The free kits were available at participating doctors' offices and included a pedometer, a health guide and a listing of free and low-cost fitness programs.
For the second part of the wellness campaign, Michigan Surgeon General Dr. Kimberly Wisdom, along with the Department of Community Health and hundreds of local stakeholder organizations, developed Michigan Steps Up, an on-going program to help citizens understand, improve and continue a healthy lifestyle. Interested residents can visit www.michiganstepsup.org or contact the Michigan Chiropractic Association at (517) 485-1649 or www.michiganchiropractic.org for additional information.
Canadian Chiropractor Awarded European Space Agency Scholarship
Dr. Martin Gagnon, DC, MSc., a practitioner from Chambly, Quebec, will participate in the International Space University Summer Session Program (ISU SSP) as part of a scholarship received from the European Space Agency. The nine-week program consists of lectures, team projects and workshops related to space and will cover such topics as space life sciences, physical sciences, policy and law, engineering, information technology, satellite applications and international cooperation.
His attendance in the program will follow Dr. Gagnon's research on the vestibular system in airplane pilots. As the first chiropractor to participate in the ISU SSP, Dr. Gagnon will bring a fresh outlook to the field of space study. Research has shown that astronauts grow taller by 5 to 7 cm during space flight, which causes back pain, and they also suffer from motion sickness due to the maladjustment of the vestibular system to weightlessness.
26th Annual AHC Conference Held
On June 24, 2006, the Association for the History of Chiropractic (AHC) held its annual Conference on Chiropractic History in combination with the 100th anniversary homecoming of the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Ill.
The 2006 Lee-Homewood Chiropractic Heritage Award was presented to Orval L. Hidde, DC, JD, for his contributions to the profession and his part in gaining federal recognition of the Council on Chiropractic Education from the U.S. Office of Education in 1974. AHC co-founders Herbert K. Lee, DC, and James M. Russell, DC, also were honored.
Original papers from Joseph Keating Jr., PhD; Todd Hubbard, DC; Patrick Montgomery, DC, FASA; and other were presented; the annual prize for the best paper went to Jonathan Todd Egan, DC; Rand Baird, MPH, DC; and Lisa Killinger, DC, for their investigation of chiropractors' role in the American Public Health Association.
The AHC elections also were held at the conference. Newly elected officers include: Jerry Ray Willis, DC, president; Bart N. Green, DC, MSEd, first vice president; William Holmberg, DC, second vice president; and Kenneth J. Young, DC, secretary.
Arthur Lensgraf, DC, immediate past president, will continue to serve on the executive board. Glenda C. Wiese, PhD, continues as executive director and John Willis, MA, DC, continues as editor of the AHC journal, Chiropractic History. Re-elected to the board of directors for three-year terms were Dr. Keating and Norris Erickson, DC; they join continuing board members Carl S. Cleveland III, DC; Roger Hynes, DC; Ed McKenzie, DC; Kenneth Padgett, DC; and N. Ray Tuck Jr., DC. Stepping down after years of service as a board member was P. Reginald Hug, M.Div., DC.
The board of directors has announced that next year's conference will be held in Vilamoura, Portugal, in conjunction with the WFC Congress/ECU Convention from May 17-19, 2007. Details on the 2007 AHC conference can be found at www.historyofchiropractic.org. The AHC also will be in attendance at the March 2007 ACC-RAC meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Palmer College Receives Grant from Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation recently put the Palmer College of Chiropractic $750,000 closer to their $35 million goal with a challenge grant for bricks and mortar funding. The money, which currently totals $31,557,579, will be used to build the Chiropractic Learning Resource Center (CLRC) on the Davenport campus. Palmer College officials believe they are on track to reach the goal by the December 31, 2006 deadline.
"We are truly honored to be awarded this grant from the Kresge Foundation," said Larry Patten, CEO of Palmer College.
"It supports our efforts to provide our students the highest-quality chiropractic education."
The grant process began in the fall of 2005, with the initial application submitted in December of the same year. The college received the confirmation of the grant in a letter at the end of June 2006. The Kresge Foundation is a national foundation that seeks to strengthen nonprofit organizations by catalyzing their growth, connecting them to their stakeholders and challenging greater support through grants.
