ACC-RAC, which pairs the Association of Chiropractic Colleges annual meeting with the Research Agenda Conference, was held in Las Vegas this year, where more than 400 attendees had the opportunity to interact with some of the world’s brightest academicians, researchers and experts in chiropractic education and health care.
Keynote speaker Ian Coulter, PhD, senior health policy analyst for the Rand Corporation, discussed innovations and reformation in clinical chiropractic education, while Dr. William Rowley, former chair of the U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System 2020, discussed trends in health care, including challenges in preparing the next generation of health care professionals. Josephine Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, focused on the latest integrative medicine research. Various other presentations and panel discussions focused on the changing national and international chiropractic education climate, as well as curriculum changes relative to clinical aspects of education.
In all, ACC-RAC 2009 featured 90 paper and 44 poster presentations. All formal presentations were peer reviewed; abstracts appear in the Spring 2009 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Education. Dr. Vernon Temple, president of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, presented monetary awards for outstanding paper and poster displays.
ACC-RAC brings representatives from association member colleges, including presidents, chief academic officers, clinic directors, financial aid officers and others, together to discuss common issues affecting the delivery of chiropractic education. Every two years, ACC-RAC also features the election of new board members during the annual ACC board meeting. This year, Frank Nicchi, DC, MS, president of New York Chiropractic College, was elected president, while Parker College of Chiropractic President, Fabrizio Mancini, DC, was elected vice president. Richard Brassard, DC, president of Texas Chiropractic College, and Carl Cleveland III, DC, president of Cleveland Chiropractic College, round out the ACC executive committee as secretary-treasurer and past president, respectively
To learn more about ACC-RAC 2009 and stay updated on 2010 planning, visit www.chirocolleges.org.
