Northwestern Health Sciences University has announced that it will begin providing chiropractic students an automatic one-year membership in the Chiropractic Health Care (CHC) section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Northwestern made the announcement to be effective early in 2011, taking effect when students begin their first public/community health class.
Northwestern President Mark Ziegler, DC, has long supported greater involvement in public health activities for doctors and students of chiropractic. The university has a tradition of involvement in the AHPA dating back decades. Dr. Ziegler is personally committed to attending APHA annual meetings and supporting Northwestern faculty and researchers who participate there.
"Northwestern is dedicated to providing students the best chiropractic education," said Dr. Zeigler. "Emphasizing the importance of public health is important in giving students a well-rounded curriculum."
Along with paid APHA membership dues, students will receive complimentary subscriptions to the American Journal of Public Health, a monthly online resource for evidence-based skills and applied community health and wellness; and The Nation's Health, a newspaper published 10 times annually that covers all major news in health care.
Northwestern becomes the fourth chiropractic college program in the United States to pioneer this program for their students. In 2009-2010, the Southern California University of Health Sciences, New York Chiropractic College, and the University of Western States all pioneered APHA membership for their students as well.
According to Rand Baird, DC, MPH, public health committee chair for the World Federation of Chiropractic, there are many advantages to establishing closer ties between the chiropractic and public health professions.
"This is an important step in inculcating a public health and service mentality in a generation of our young chiropractors," he said. "That will be really good for them, for both professions, and for the American public. The Chiropractic Health Care section of APHA is the voice of chiropractic in public health. This ongoing infusion of new members will make it a stronger and more effective voice, increase its working budget, and its number of delegate seats in the APHA Governing Council."
Source: American Public Health Association
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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