Dr. Richard Vincent and Dr. Titus Plomaritis were presented with the Paul M. Tullio Award for Distinguished Service to the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) at the NBCE Annual Business Meeting and Delegates Luncheon in San Francisco on May 3, 2013. This year's award honored two former directors who were instrumental in assuring NBCE's current and future accountability. In presenting the award, NBCE President Dr. Norman Ouzts congratulated Drs. Vincent and Plomaritis, saying, "Truly these gentlemen are legendary leaders in chiropractic and in the history of the NBCE and we are proud to honor them today."
The Tullio Award memorializes a leader in chiropractic, whose contributions in testing, licensing and legislative issues have benefitted the profession. Dr. Tullio, who passed away in 2000, demonstrated a passionate commitment to financial and organizational stability that helped the NBCE achieve its reputation as the premier testing organization for chiropractic. He was a devoted board member who clearly saw the need for setting aside a percentage of revenues to shield the organization from fluctuations in the economy and in chiropractic college student enrollments.
Dr. Richard Vincent came to the NBCE as an FCLB-appointed director in 1973 and served a two-year term. In 1976, he was elected as district III director and served in that role until 1982. Dr. Vincent was part of the board that made a pivotal decision to move the NBCE offices from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Greeley, Colo., to afford easier access to psychometricians and statisticians at the University of Northern Colorado.
For the last three years of his term, Dr. Vincent served as president of the board. During his term as president, the national board, based on an initiative from Dr. Paul Tullio, voted to restrict 5 percent of revenues in a reserve fund to be used only with full board approval and a further 3-percent fund to be established for legal actions. These initiatives proved to be visionary and financially stabilizing, and continue today.
Dr. Plomaritis served 18 years on the board (1982-2000), first serving as district III director. In 1988, he was elected as an at-large director, serving until 2000. Dr. Plomaritis was president of the NBCE from 1986-1992.
During the time of Dr. Plomaritis' presidency, many noteworthy goals were accomplished: land was purchased and a new office facility constructed in Greeley, and NBCE administered its exams for the first time internationally. Most importantly, during Dr. Plomaritis' tenure, Part III was introduced in the fall of 1987 to replace the written portions of states' licensing exams. Additional plans were initiated to develop chiropractic's first practical exam. The Part IV practical exam was first administered in 1996.
Source: National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
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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