PCCR building with 30th anniversary banner.

Research Report

Fiscal Years 23-25 Research Report

The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR) is celebrating 30 years in the pursuit of knowledge in chiropractic and aiming to positively impact patient care. Our research programs are advancing the field of chiropractic through high-quality scientific investigation that informs chiropractic practice, education, and health policy.

Through fiscal years 2023-2025, we’ve focused our energy on meeting milestones of current projects, developing new projects, and strengthening strategic collaborations.

In addition, we continue to provide research experiences and training, publish in relevant scientific journals and communicate our research to varied audiences.

Take a look around our Research Report and see for yourself.

Research Mission: Advancing knowledge to inform chiropractic practice, education, and health policy. 

Research Vision: Moving the field of chiropractic forward through high-quality scientific research that positively impacts patient care. 

Honors & Awards

PCCR faculty and staff have been recognized for their outstanding research, mentoring, and service. 

  1. Stacie Salsbury, Brian Anderson: co-recipients, Thelma Fordyce-Mack Award for leadership and productivity of the Research Aspirations, Interest and Skills Exploratory (RAISE) Ad Hoc Committee initiatives, 2025
  2. Maranda Kleppe, Stacie Salsbury: co-recipients, NCMIC-JMPT Louis Sportelli Research Award, World Federation of Chiropractic 18th Biennial Congress, 2025
  3. Zacariah Shannon: Honorable Mention, NCMIC-JMPT Louis Sportelli Research Award, World Federation of Chiropractic 18th Biennial Congress, 2025
  4. Cynthia Long: Elected Fellow, American Statistical Association, 2025
  5. Brian Anderson: co-recipient, NBCE Best Scientific Paper Award, ACCRAC 2025
  6. Stacie Salsbury: co-recipient with and mentor of RAISE co-authors, NBCE Best Scientific Paper Award, ACCRAC 2025
  7. Cynthia Long: Challenge Coin Recipient, VA Chiropractic Program Office on its 20th anniversary, 2024
  8. Zacariah Shannon: 10-Under-10 Alumni Award, Palmer College of Chiropractic, 2024
  9. Maranda Kleppe: RAND REACH Center Research Scholar, 2024-2026
  10. Zacariah Shannon: Recipient, NIH Loan Repayment Program grant L30AT013015, 07/01/2024-06/30/2026
  11. Cynthia Long: NCMIC George P. and Jerome F. McAndrews Pioneer Memorial Research Award, 2024
  12. Zacariah Shannon: NCMIC Early Career Research Award, World Federation of Chiropractic 17th Biennial Congress, 2023
  13. Brian Anderson: Recipient, NIH Loan Repayment Program grant L30AT012128, 07/01/2022-06/30/2024
  14. Elissa Twist: Chairperson, Palmer College Institutional Review Board, 2022 – present

35 articles in 20 peer-reviewed journals.

Articles Citations

4Ms for age-friendly chiropractic care: Student perceptions following a brief educational intervention.

Salsbury SA, Killinger LZ, Bhatti J, Twist E. 4Ms for age-friendly chiropractic care: Student perceptions following a brief educational intervention. Gerontol Geriatr Edu 2025;1-15. 

Comparative cost analysis of neck pain treatments for Medicare beneficiaries.

Anderson BR, MacKenzie TM, Grout L, Whedon JM. Comparative cost analysis of neck pain treatments for Medicare beneficiaries. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2025;106(5):801-804.

Addressing the “black hole” of low back pain care with clinical decision support: a user-centered design and usability study.

Rudin RS, Herman PM, Vining R. Addressing the “black hole” of low back pain care with clinical decision support: a user-centered design and usability study. JMIR Human Factors 2025; 9: e66666.  

Combined chiropractic care and Tai Chi for chronic neck pain: A protocol for a pilot randomized trial.

Wayne PM, Vining R, Long CR, Burton WM, Litrownik D, Guzman J, Kilgore K, Hagan TJ, Rist PM, Kowalski MH. Combined chiropractic care and Tai Chi for chronic neck pain: A protocol for a pilot randomized trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2025;45:101482.

Effect of chiropractic care on low back pain for active-duty military members: Mediation through biopsychosocial factors.

Shannon ZK, Long CR, Chrischilles EA, Goertz CM, Wallace RB, Casteel C, Carnahan RM. Effect of chiropractic care on low back pain for active-duty military members: Mediation through biopsychosocial factors. PLoS One 2024;19(10):e0310642.

Developing an initial set of quality indicators for chiropractic care: A scoping review.

Vining R, Smith J, Anderson B, Almquist Z, Wong D. Developing an initial set of quality indicators for chiropractic care: A scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res 2024 Jan 12;24(1):65.

A scoping review to identify barriers and facilitators of research participation among chiropractic faculty.

Anderson BA, Shannon K, Baca K, Crouse J, Ferguson A, Margrave A, Meyers M, Percuoco K, Schneider P, Smith J, Van Natta M, Wells B, Nightingale L, Salsbury SA. A scoping review to identify barriers and facilitators of research participation among chiropractic faculty. J Chiropr Educ 2024;38(1):50-59.

 

View all 25 articles for FY 2023-2025 (PDF)
View all PCCR Publications

Active Grants and Projects

Our Team

Administration & Faculty 
Cynthia Long, Ph.D., PStat® – Dean of Research & Professor 

Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc. – Associate Dean of Clinical Research & Professor 

Joel Pickar, D.C., Ph.D. – Professor Emeritus 

Stacie Salsbury, Ph.D., R.N. – Associate Professor 

Brian Anderson, D.C., M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D. – Associate Professor 

Zacariah Shannon, D.C., M.S., Ph.D. – Assistant Professor 

Professional & Administrative Staff 
Jacob McCarey, M.S. – Biostatistician

Sujatha Kedilaya, B.S. – Data Analyst

Amy Minkalis, D.C., M.S., CCRP – Clinical Project Manager

Elissa Twist, D.C., M.S., CCRP – Clinical Research Specialist

Anna Walden-Steward, D.C., M.S., CCRC, ACRP-PM – Clinical Project Manager

Zachary D. Almquist, M.A. – Manager of Research Programs

Ann Hileman, B.Phil. – Assistant Director of Research

Leah Cafer – Administrative Assistant

Post-Doctoral Research Scholars & Fellows 
Maranda Kleppe, D.C. – Post-Doctoral Research Scholar

Budget Expenditures 

  • Federally funded: $2.8M 
  • Palmer funded: $3.1 M