Palmer College of Chiropractic


Palmer College of Chiropractic is a private chiropractic college with its main campus in Davenport, Iowa. It was established in 1897 by Daniel David Palmer and was the first school of chiropractic in the world. The college's name was originally the Palmer School and Cure and later became the Palmer School of Chiropractic. Most early chiropractic schools were founded by Palmer alumni.

History

The Palmer School of Chiropractic was begun by D. D. Palmer, who is the Founder of Chiropractic. D.D.'s son, Dr. B.J. Palmer, is considered the Developer of Chiropractic because he greatly expanded the scope of the school and laid the foundation for the campus and profession that exists today. He assumed responsibility of the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1904. According to the Palmer College website, B.J.'s "contributions included extensive research, improved methods of spinal adjusting and analysis, higher standards for chiropractic education, and increased appreciation for chiropractic worldwide."
After B.J.'s death in 1961, his son Dr. David D. Palmer became president of the school and changed its name to Palmer College of Chiropractic, which was one of the steps leading to the school's accreditation. Dr. Dave, as he was known, modernized the campus, established non-profit status for the college and organized the Palmer College of Chiropractic International Alumni Association. The College received accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools largely through his leadership, but not until after his death in 1978.
The college opened campuses in San Jose, California in 1980 and in Port Orange, Florida in 2002. The College was once encompassed by the Palmer Chiropractic University System. While it is no longer a university system, Palmer is one college with three campuses, with the main campus located in Davenport, Iowa, and branch campuses. The College is a non-profit organization governed by a single Board of Trustees.

Davenport, Iowa campus

The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research was established in 1995 and is also located on the Davenport, Iowa campus in the William and Jo Harris Building. The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research is the largest and most highly funded research effort in the chiropractic educational community. The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research encompasses all three Palmer campuses and employs a Vice Chancellor of Research and Health Policy, a research director, 10 full-time faculty, 8 associate faculty and 23 administrative and professional staff with a total annual budget of approximately $5 million per year, much of which is supported by grants and contracts.
The campus consists of new as well as historic buildings. The Palmer College of Chiropractic Academic Health Center, which contains the College's outpatient clinic, welcome center, Clinical Radiology Department, Chiropractic Rehabilitation and Sports Injury Department, and the Clinical Learning Resource Center.
Other buildings include the David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library, the Memorial Building, Campus Center, B.J. and Mabel Palmer Residence, Vickie Anne Palmer Hall, among others.

Palmer Health Sciences Library

The David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library is based in Davenport, Iowa, with branches in the Florida and West campuses serving the students and faculty of the Palmer College of Chiropractic. The library's research databases include CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, DynaMed Plus, and PubMed. In addition to books, AV materials, and journals, the library has a collection of anatomical models, as well as study rooms. The library participates in inter-library loan using Docline and the Online Computer Library Catalog.
The Special Collections & Archives department contains more than 10,000 books and 2,500 journal volumes and is considered the most comprehensive chiropractic historical resource in the world. Archival material also includes Palmer's College Archives and other materials from the chiropractic profession. The special collections are housed at the main campus in Davenport, Iowa.
As of November 2018, the library is staffed as follows: Sandy Lewis is Head Librarian of Technical Services, Carrie Meeker is Head Librarian of Public Services, and Rosemary Riess is Head Librarian of Special Services. Edward Murphy is the Florida campus Branch Manager Librarian, and Denise Ulett is the Branch Manager Librarian of the West campus.

Port Orange, Fla. campus

Palmer’s Florida campus is located in Port Orange, Fla.

San Jose, Calif. campus

Palmer’s West campus is located in San Jose, Calif.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Program of Palmer College of Chiropractic’s campuses are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education.
Palmer College of Chiropractic’s campuses are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Athletics

Palmer College Dragons Hockey

Palmer College of Chiropractic men’s hockey team, known as the Palmer Dragons, are part of the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association and American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II.

Palmer College Rugby Football Club

Palmer College Rugby Football Club was established in 1960. Palmer College RFC offers both partial and full Rugby scholarships for tuition.

Men’s Rugby Team

Palmer College of Chiropractic men's rugby team, known as Palmer College Dragons, plays in the competitive Midwest Division I conference.

Women's Rugby Team

Palmer College of Chiropractic women's rugby team, also known as Palmer College Dragons, plays in the competitive Midwest Division II conference.

Intramurals

Intramurals sports, available to the Palmer Community, include flag football, softball, basketball, bowling, pickle ball, and volleyball.

Outreach clinics

Palmer College of Chiropractic has Palmer Community Outreach Clinics, at all campus locations, to serve economically and socially disadvantaged community members at reduced or no cost expenses. The Quad Cities area has two outreach clinics located in Davenport, IA and Moline, IL. The Daytona Beach area has one outreach clinic located in South Daytona, FL. The South Bay area has five satellite outreach clinics. These outreach clinics improve opportunities for student interns and provide chiropractic services for patients visiting the facilities.

Notable alumni