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Mark Heslip, D.C., graduated
from Palmer College of
Chiropractic’s West Campus
in 1992. He has been in
practice in San Francisco, and Novato, Calif. since then.
He received his Diplomat in Applied Spinal Biomechanical
Engineering in 1994. In 1996 he became certified as a
Qualified Medical Examiner, earning Ergonomic Specialist
Certification a year later, providing him the opportunity to
act as an injury prevention consultant for United Airlines,
Marriott Hotels and Lockheed Martin Corporation. Other
responsibilities include testing candidates for the Part IV
exam of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and
serving as chiropractic director for the American Conservatory
Theatre in San Francisco. Dr. Heslip is a member and past
president of the California Chiropractic Association’s San
Francisco Chapter. Outside of his profession, Dr. Heslip is
involved in various homeless shelters and food banks in
his community and runs a small family winery. Active in
alumni programs at Palmer, Dr. Heslip was appointed to
the Palmer Board of Trustees in 2006.
Tell us what strengths you bring to the Board?
I bring a high level of enthusiasm and a healthy dose of
optimism to any endeavor I take on. Additionally, I have
always been a solution-oriented person and am relentless
in the pursuit of finding common ground amongst those
with differing opinions and perspectives.
While each board member brings their own unique experiences
to Palmer, it is our task to build consensus for the betterment
of chiropractic. As a second generation chiropractor, my
experiences have been very personal regarding this profession.
Chiropractic is the source of my passion. While this passion
is very personal, I will never lose sight of the responsibility
I have to be objective about the decisions that I help make
for the advancement of Palmer and our profession.
What issues in the chiropractic profession or in
education concern you most?
The healthcare delivery system of the future will increasingly
demand that treatment be evidence-based. The responsibility
of meeting these criteria for chiropractic lies with its teaching
institutions. I want to make sure Palmer’s curriculum, as well
as the research it conducts, reflects this objective. If we do this
well, not only can we better define our position in the healthcare
spectrum, we will better convey to other professions and
the public at large exactly how we can help them. I don’t
believe that as a profession we have always done a very good
job of this.
What is your vision of the three campuses of
Palmer College in 25 years?
Having three campuses with different learning environments
is a major strength of Palmer and offers students choices no
other chiropractic school can. Twenty-five years from now
I envision that there will be enough flexibility that we can
utilize three different methodologies to deliver the same
strong chiropractic program that is second to none.
What are your favorite memories of your time
at Palmer?
In 1989, during my first quarter at Palmer’s West Campus,
we had the Loma Prieta Earthquake. It was devastating to
the entire Bay Area and quite disruptive to our daily living.
We had no power for two weeks and no hot water for a month.
At times, we even held class outside because classmates were
afraid to be inside due to the aftershocks. It brought a new
class closer together and made us feel if we could get through
that experience, we could get through anything.