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 Industry News                                               

One of the editorial goals of Northwestern’s new alumni publication is to bring you healthcare industry news, and while there always something to cover, this one recently caught my attention.

For a nation that already spends far more on health care than any other country in the world, we are likely to top $10,000, per person, in this current year. A recently published Associated Press story reported that the total tab will hit $3.35 trillion this year, primarily as a result of a stronger economy, faster growth in medical prices and an aging population.

But a focus on average per-person expenditures is very misleading since those living with chronic disease, or about 5% of patients, account for almost half of the annual national spend.

A graph from the Kaiser Family Foundation also shows the uneven distribution of annual spending, and specifically the fact that about 97% of health expenditures come from just 50% of the American population.

If you are in private practice you are also likely seeing the adverse effect that cost-shifting is having on patients who have high-deductible insurance plans. It’s already the new normal and increasingly causing patients to make difficult choices regarding important purchasing decisions – specifically getting the timely care they and their families need. So, it’s a reminder that demonstrating the value of our conservative, effective and patient-centered treatment approaches is becoming more and more important.

--Dr. Charles Sawyer, Special Assistant to the President

 Student Spotlight                                         

I am remarkably humbled to be elected as the Student Senate President. I became involved in Student Senate as a T1 student and eventually became the co-chair of the Volunteer and Club Committee. I also served as the president of two clubs on campus, the SEARCH Club and the League of Chiropractic Women Club.

Being involved on campus has not only made me a better student, but it has helped me identify many personal strengths. I know I will be a great fit as Student Senate President. I can’t wait to see how my Cabinet and I are going to take a great organization like Student Senate and make it even better. I have many ideas for this upcoming year, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with others in an attempt to keep moving the university forward.

Some goals I have this year include better integration of the different programs here at NWHSU, increasing our level of engagement in the community, creating more transparency for students concerning finances of Senate and of the university, bringing more educational and business seminars to campus, reinforcing the relationship between alumni associations and the students, increasing research opportunities for current students, and more.

I am also excited to announce that Student Senate will now be run as a non-profit organization! My student experience thus far has been exceptional, and I have the bright vision of creating a student experience that is educational, inspirational, fun and enlightening for everyone.
 
--Brittany Schmidt, Student Senate President

 Events                                                           

The fastest growing student group at Northwestern are not chiropractic, acupuncture or massage therapy students; they are aspiring medical doctors.

The Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program (PBPH) is designed to prepare students for graduate programs and professional health care education. The program provides the coursework students need to prepare for entrance exams like the MCAT as well as to satisfy entrance requirements of these graduate programs. The most common goal of students is to get into medical school, but others aspire to become physical therapists, nurses, dentists and pharmacists. 

While students come to our PBPH program primarily for the coursework, the support services that come with the courses add to the appeal of the program. For example, the faculty meet with students regularly to guide them through the application process and prepare them for the MCAT. Guidance is also provided for preparing written materials required for application.

While the majority of students are from the Twin Cities area, the low-cost, high-quality program is attracting a growing number of students from across the country. Students have relocated from as far away as California to enroll in the program. 

Several students who have come through the PBPH program have gone on to medical school, physical therapy programs and other graduate programs related to health care. Our hope is that the students who continue on to medical school and other health professions will remember their time at Northwestern and the role we played in helping them achieve their goals. We expect this will have a positive impact on the way they coordinate practice with chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists in the future.

For more information on the PBPH program or to register for the PBPH information session on Oct. 4, please contact admissions. You can also watch this informational video about the program.

--Dr. Dale Healey, Dean of the College of Health and Wellness

 Alumni Spotlight                                          

NWHSU Department of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine has announced a China study trip scheduled April 8 – 29, 2017, to Henan Traditional Chinese Medicine University in ZhengZhou City. 

The trip is open to NWHSU AOM alumni, AOM faculty and AOM students enrolled as level T-4 or above beginning in winter 2017. Henan TCM University is the alma mater of Professor Jinming Yue and Dr. Mei Wang and is considered one of the best TCM universities in China. The study tour includes at least four days of lecture by Henan TCM University faculty on topics that are likely to include pediatrics, infertility, tui na, dermatology, diabetes, and herbology. Another four to five days will be spent in smaller groups of two or three people each to shadow doctors through clinical rounds at the Henan TCM University hospital.
 
The third week will be focused on Beijing, including visits to a TCM clinic and hospital, and a tour of Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Badaling section of the Great Wall, the Capital Museum, and shopping at the Silk Market, herbal pharmacies, bookstores, etc. Weekends are planned for travel to Xi’an City to tour the site of the Terra Cotta soldiers and local museum and Silk Road stops, and either a Shaolin Temple, or Luoyang, Luoyang, ancient China’s capital during multiple dynasties including Longmen Grottoes and site to tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples.
 
Planning meetings will begin in September. The registration deadline is October 10th, and the first deposit is due November 17th. The cost for 21 days is expected to be less than $4600 including airfare, and depending on choice of accommodations. CEUs will be awarded (pending approval). The Department of AOM Clinical Education is organizing the tour, so please contact us for an application, additional information and to be put on the email list for future notices: AOMTravel@nwhealth.edu.

--Celia Hildebrandt, DAOM, LAc, Dipl Acupuncture and Chair, AOM Clinical Education 

 Department News                                         

As a member of the International Sports Chiropractic Federation (FICS) since 1993, one of my professional goals was to attend an Olympics as a sports chiropractor. I was very fortunate to accomplish this after my graduation when I participated in a sports chiropractic and rehabilitation residency at NWHSU in 1996 and was asked to attend, along with 29 other sports chiropractors around the world, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. 

As a resident, I did not provide care; however, I worked alongside the sports chiropractors collecting data, which would result in a subsequent paper. This opportunity then allowed me to attend the Sydney Olympic games as a sports chiropractor in 2000 and subsequently approximately 10 additional international multi-sport games including other Olympics, Pan Am games, World games, World Sports games, etc. 

For 30 years, FICS has been trying to establish consistent recognition of sports chiropractors in the polyclinic at the Olympic games. There has been progress, as there were local sports chiropractors in the polyclinic during the Vancouver Winter games and the London Summer games. A more diverse representation of sports chiropractors from around the world occurred for the 2016 Rio games; USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, England, Sweden, Norway and Brazil were all represented.

The selection process for the 2016 games was performed by the local (Rio) organizing committee and was complicated with many delays. Despite the obstacles, I felt it was important to attend as I see these international events as opportunities to work, to meet other providers, to support the athletes, and to demonstrate that the chiropractic profession is a critical piece of delivering primary sports care services.

--Dr. Timothy Stark, Director, Human Performance Center

 

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