Palmer College Names Three New Administrators

Since Aug. 1, Palmer College of Chiropractic added three experienced administrators from outside the institution to its administrative team. These administrators are filling key roles as dean of Clinics, assistant to the chief executive officer and executive director of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR). Dean of Clinics, Davenport Campus In August, Kurt Wood, D.C., was hired as dean of Clinics at Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Davenport Campus in Davenport, Iowa. Dr. Wood comes to Palmer after a 20-year career at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minn. During his tenure at Northwestern, he was a professor in the College of Chiropractic, and served as department chair, program chair, associate dean of academics, associate dean of clinical services, and as Northwestern’s compliance, privacy and security officer. In 2000, he was voted Teacher of the Year by the chiropractic program students. He has presented multiple times at professional conferences and has been published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics and other professional journals. Prior to graduating from Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Davenport Campus in 1979, Dr. Wood completed Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and chemistry at Upper Iowa University. He is credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management, a senior analyst and Diplomate of the American Board of Disability Analysts, and also is certified in healthcare compliance by the Health Care Compliance Board. Dr. Wood has maintained a private practice since 1979, for many years in a multi-doctor, family chiropractic practice in Wisconsin, and more recently in a consulting, forensic practice. A member of the Upper Iowa University board of trustees for 15 years, he currently serves as chair of that board’s residential university committee. In announcing Dr. Wood’s appointment, Palmer’s Vice President for Academic Affairs Dennis Marchiori, D.C., Ph.D., remarked: “We welcome Dr. Wood to this leadership role and look forward to his contribution to our educational program. As dean, Dr. Wood will lead an experienced faculty that is dedicated to the Palmer Clinics’ dual mission of quality patient care and clinical education, and in cooperation with Clinic Department coordinators and directors, will manage, plan, develop and continually improve Palmer’s academic health centers.” Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer In early November, Palmer College of Chiropractic Chief Executive Officer Larry Patten announced that Clay McDonald, D.C., would join Palmer College on Jan. 3, 2007, as assistant to the chief executive officer. In this newly created role, he will work directly with Mr. Patten and the College administrative team to develop and implement operational systems and a program of continual improvement. He also will assist with lobbying for chiropractic education issues at various government levels. “I’ve known Dr. McDonald for many years and I greatly value his perspective and approach to chiropractic education,” said Mr. Patten. “With his diverse and successful background as an administrator, clinician and practitioner, Dr. McDonald’s return to Palmer will continue to strengthen the College leadership team and our commitment to chiropractic education.” Dr. McDonald earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1982. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from St. Ambrose University in 1997, and a Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2001. He maintained a private practice in Eureka, Mont., from the time of his graduation until 1990. That year, Dr. McDonald joined Palmer College faculty and spent nearly a decade in service to the College. During that time, he served as an associate professor, faculty clinician and director of Ancillary Procedures. He went on to serve as dean of Clinics before being named special advisor to the president under Dr. Guy Riekeman. Since 2002, he has served New York College of Chiropractic, as dean of Academic Affairs and most recently as executive vice president of Academic Affairs. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees and as secretary/treasurer for the Council on Chiropractic Education. Executive Director for the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research In late November, Mr. Patten announced that William Meeker, D.C., M.P.H., who had been serving as vice president for Research and executive director of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR), had been named president of Palmer College of Chiropractic’s West Campus in San Jose, Calif. Concurrently, with Dr. Meeker assuming his role on the West Campus, the College announced the hiring of Christine Goertz Choate, D.C., Ph.D., to succeed Dr. Meeker as executive director for the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research. Beginning January 3, 2007, she will oversee the College’s research efforts from a new office that Palmer will establish in Washington, D.C. Through this office, Dr. Goertz Choate also will monitor and coordinate government relations activities. “Dr. Goertz Choate has research and administrative experience of tremendous breadth and depth,” Mr. Patten noted. “I look forward to having her on board to lead our research efforts, as well as work through Palmer’s new Washington, D.C., office with federal sources of research funding and on governmental relations efforts.” Dr. Goertz Choate comes to Palmer College from the Samueli Institute for Information Biology in Alexandria, Va., where she served as director of clinical research from 2003 to 2005, until being named deputy director in 2005. Prior to joining the Samueli Institute, Dr. Goertz Choate was the first chiropractor hired by the National Institutes of Health as a health sciences administrator at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Goertz Choate earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in 1999. In 1991, she earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington, Minn. Among her many honors and accomplishments, Dr. Goertz Choate was named George B. McClelland Researcher of the Year in 2006 by the American Chiropractic Association.