Panelists Named to "Nat'l Workshop to Develop the Chiropractic Research Agenda"

By Editorial Staff

After a lengthy and exhaustive nomination process, a group of 35 individuals have been selected as panelists for the "National Workshop to Develop the Chiropractic Research Agenda." The project is being conducted by the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research under a contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Professions. It will be held July 12-14, in Washington, DC.

According to the terms of the HRSA contract, the interdisciplinary panel of participants had to include individuals with specific training or experience in at least one of the following areas: health services research, outcomes research, educational research, clinical research, or basic science research. HRSA required that the panel include professionals from the fields of chiropractic, medicine, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

The nomination process yielded 83 highly qualified individuals from over 30 professional and educational organizations, including officials from several federal research agencies. Final selections were made by a planning committee with input from the project officer at the Bureau of Health Professions, Ms. Shannon Mulrooney. The selection process weighed such variables as expertise, training, experience, and professional visibility in their respective fields.

The majority of participants (18) have chiropractic degrees; eleven have PhD degrees (four of which are experienced research administrators at chiropractic institutions). Four individuals have both DC and PhD credentials. There is one doctor of osteopathy; one occupational therapist; one physical therapist; one attorney (who works for a chiropractic association), and one nurse. Four panelists are MDs (two of those are also chiropractors). Three individuals are administrators for federal or state agencies. Ten of the 35 have appointments at chiropractic institutions; the rest are in private clinical practice, work in academic settings other than chiropractic, or have a combination of academic and private practice experience.

Each participant will be initially assigned to one of the five research topic areas based on expertise, training, and experience, and will be asked to read a summary of the scientific literature in that area as it relates to chiropractic research. The summaries will then be refined and prioritized by the participants into specific recommendations.

Dr. William Meeker, the Workshop project director, said he was pleased with the makeup of the interdisciplinary group. "They are highly qualified individuals and they are motivated to speak out on chiropractic research. I am sure that the unprecedented breadth and depth of this input will make our voice heard when the topic of funding for chiropractic research is raised at the governmental level." He predicted that this meeting would "lead to fruitful interdisciplinary research collaborations down the road."

The 35 interdisciplinary panelists are:

 

Alan Adams, DC -- Director of Research, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic

Susan Baptiste, OT -- Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University

Thomas Bergmann, DC -- Professor, Chiropractic Dept., Northwestern College of Chiropractic

Patricia Brennan, PhD -- Dean of Research, National College of Chiropractic

Ronald Bulbulian, PhD -- Director of Research, New York Chiropractic College

Peter Coggan, MD -- University Medical Center, Riverside

Ian Coulter, PhD -- Senior Scientist, RAND Corporation

Mary Cummings, DrPH, RN -- Health Scientist Administrator, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

Arlan Fuhr, DC -- President, National Institute of Chiropractic Research

Christine Goertz, DC -- Vice President, Research, Policy and Information Services, American Chiropractic Association

Steve Gordon, PhD -- Former Director, National Institutes of Health

Philip Greenman, DO -- Associate Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University

Chris Hafner-Eaton, MPH, PhD -- Assistant Professor, Dept. of Public Health., Oregon State University

Scott Haldeman, DC, MD, PhD -- Associate Clinical Professor, Dept. of Neurology, University of California, Irvine

Charles Herring, DC -- Trustee, Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research Gail Jensen, PT, PhD -- Creighton University

Partap Khalsa, DC, PhD -- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology

Paul Lambert, JD -- President, National Association of Chiropractic Attorneys

Dana Lawrence, DC -- Professor, Department of Chiropractic Practice, National College of Chiropractic, Editor, JMPT

John Littlefield, PhD -- Director, Division of Educational Research and Development, University of Texas Health Science Center

Ed Maurer, DC, DACBR -- Chairman, Lincoln College Education and Research Fund

George McClelland, DC -- President, Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research

Marion McGregor, DC, MS -- Associate Professor, Texas College of Chiropractic

Silvano Mior, DC -- Dean of Academic Affairs, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College

Robert Mootz, DC -- Associate Medical Director for Chiropractic, State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries

Joanne Nyiendo, PhD -- Director of Research, Western States Chiropractic College

Edward Owens, MS, DC -- Research and Continuing Education Faculty, Life College of Chiropractic

Reed Phillips, DC, PhD -- President, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic

Malcolm Pope, DrMedSc, PhD -- Director, Iowa Spine Research Center

Gary Sanders, PhD -- Director of Research, Logan College of Chiropractic

Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD -- Senior Scientist, RAND Corporation

Louis Sportelli, DC -- President, National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company

Frank Stritter, PhD -- Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Rand Swenson, DC, MD, PhD -- Assistant Professor of Anatomy, Dartmouth Medical School

John Triano, MA, DC -- Chiropractic Provider, Texas Back Institute