June 30, 2021 will mark the last day as president of Palmer Chiropractic College West for Dr. William Meeker. The longtime Palmer administrator and 1982 Palmer West graduate has spent his entire professional career affiliated with the Palmer university system, first as vice president for research and director of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research at Palmer's main campus in Davenport, Iowa for more than a decade; then as president of his alma mater in San Jose, Calif., since 2007.
"I'm very proud to have been a member of Palmer's academic community for my entire professional career," said Dr. Meeker in a Palmer College press release announcing his retirement. "My association with Palmer has energized my passions and provided me many pathways to serve the chiropractic profession.
"Particularly important to me was being given the opportunity to establish and lead the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, and thereby enhance its significant role in the development of the science of chiropractic."
Dr. Meeker's involvement in chiropractic and health care transcends his career at Palmer; during his tenure at the college, he has served as vice chair of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC); and as a member of both the National Advisory Council of NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association.
Currently, he chairs the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, and serves on the boards of both World Spine Care and the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. He also serves on the editorial boards of the Spine Journal, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Explore, and the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, among others.
Building on a historic March 2026 meeting between Make America Healthy Again and chiropractic leadership, MAHA has announced the launch of the MAHA Chiropractic Hub, “a coordinated national partnership uniting MAHA Center, MAHA Action, and the chiropractic profession, including national associations, state organizations, practitioners, educators, researchers, and patient advocates. The Chiropractic Hub will advance federal policy, expand patient access, and build broad public support for chiropractic care across America.”
The chiropractic profession is confronting one of the most significant federal regulatory threats it has faced in decades. A new U.S. Department of Education (ED) accountability framework – commonly referred to as the “Do No Harm” (DNH) regulation – could place many chiropractic programs at risk of losing access to federal financial aid (student loans), potentially reshaping the future of chiropractic education and workforce development across the United States.
Pain has become the dominant language of musculoskeletal healthcare. Numeric pain-rating scales and symptom reports are routinely used as primary indicators of clinical success. But while pain reduction is meaningful, it is an incomplete and often misleading representation of recovery. This has real consequences for patient adherence, long-term outcomes, and how conservative care is perceived within the broader healthcare system.
