For some time now, graduates of Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Davenport campus have
kept in touch with their fellow graduates and caught up on the latest College news by turning
to Alumni News. For Palmer College of Chiropractic’s West campus graduates, the key
source of alumni and College information has been WestWord.
Today, with the recent graduation of its first class on Palmer College of Chiropractic’s
Florida campus, we have welcomed a new group of alumni to the Palmer family. While we could recognize this milestone with a new publication
tailored to Palmer Florida alumni, we’ve chosen instead to honor
all current and future graduates of Palmer—no matter which
campus they attended—with one alumni magazine.
After all, no matter which campus we graduated from, we all
support Palmer’s efforts in educating and graduating the finest
chiropractors in the world. Simply put, we’re one college with
three campuses. That vision truly adds value to the degree
all Palmer students receive and creates a stronger identity for
everyone involved.
Just as the new alumni program was created to address the wishes
of the graduates of all three campuses, it only makes sense that
there would be one alumni magazine. We’ve named it Insights
because it features the thoughts and perspectives of people from
throughout the Palmer community. Like Alumni News and West-
Word before it, Insights has been designed to keep you informed
of the latest news on all three campuses as well as highlight the
notable accomplishments made by Palmer alumni in their careers
and in the chiropractic profession.
In response to the suggestions of many alumni, we’re taking
Insights a step further by also featuring information that alumni
can put to use in their practices—whether it be the latest health
research or profiles of alumni who’ve written books full of
practice management tips. Insights will also provide a forum for
the discussion of the latest developments in chiropractic and the
healthcare field as a whole. The new alumni program is here to
serve the needs of our alumni from the moment they open their
first practice to long after they retire. And the best way we can
fulfill these needs is by listening to our alumni through focus
groups and advisory committees—both of which I encourage you
to join when asked.
We’re committed to assisting students throughout their educational
careers because we believe a strong, viable student alumni program
is the real key to a strong, viable alumni program. Ultimately, by
helping students become better prepared to go out into practice,
we can help move the profession forward right along with them.
In this issue of Insights, you’ll learn about Palmer graduates who
have been affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita,
including those that were in the path of the storms as well as
those who were out of harm’s way but wanted to use their talents
to help those affected. I think you’ll find the efforts undertaken by
these alumni to be inspiring.
Recently, Palmer Davenport President Donald Kern, D.C., and
Palmer West and Palmer Florida President Peter Martin, D.C.,
worked with the Alumni Office to write a proposal to both the
International Chiropractors Association and the American Chiropractic
Association to put into place a joint national readiness plan
for future natural disasters that allows all chiropractors to assist
others in times of need in a coordinated manner.
The first objective of this plan was to help those chiropractors
affected by the disaster at hand with basic needs, including food,
shelter, clothing and employment. The second objective is to
organize the delivery of free chiropractic care to all those displaced
by the disaster. The third objective of the plan was to coordinate
free chiropractic care for disaster relief workers, such as emergency
services personnel and volunteers.
It reminds me of an observation my wife recently made about the
chiropractic profession. She said that there is more that unites
us than divides us. She’s right. Whether we’re talking about one
college with three campuses, or two powerful associations within
the chiropractic profession, together, we can do great things and
move the profession forward.
Thank you for allowing me to share my insights with you in this
column. In the next few pages, I invite you to take a glimpse at the
insights that other members of the Palmer family have to share.