Fischer Wins Chiropractor of the Year Award
The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) recently named Leona Fischer, DC, Chiropractor of the Year. Fischer received the award primarily in recognition of her efforts as a member of the Chiropractic Advisory Committee to the US Veterans Administration to secure chiropractic services for veterans.

“I want to be able to ensure that all of our veterans are given the chance to receive subluxation correction,” she stated after accepting the appointment. “It’s important to me that they receive the best care possible, and that means adjustments from doctors of chiropractic.”

Prior to becoming a chiropractor, Fischer served as a medic in the US Navy Special Operations and was assigned to the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit. She was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals for rendering primary care and triage to five special ops members who suffered severe trauma during a parachute accident.

While still in the Navy, Fischer attended massage therapy school and discovered chiropractic. After graduation from Life University, Marietta, Ga, in 1998, she returned to Illinois and opened a private practice. She became a member of the WCA International Board of Governors and, in 2002, was appointed to the VA Committee.

An important provision for Fischer was the right of veterans to see a doctor of chiropractic for subluxation correction without having to be referred by a medical doctor or other provider. “All American citizens have the right to see a DC without a referral,” she argued. “Why couldn’t our veterans?”

The fight to secure this right for veterans was applauded by the chiropractic profession and the WCA, and was a key reason for her nomination as Chiropractor of the Year. The award will be formally presented later this year during the organization’s International Summit in Washington, DC.

Colleges Expand Career Options
Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, Spartanburg Technical College (STC), and the University of South Carolina Spartanburg (USCS) signed an agreement on December 10, 2003, creating The Two Plus One Plus One Program to benefit Upstate South Carolina students. This agreement will expand higher educational opportunities and career options while saving students time and money. The program facilitates transfer for students earning an Associate Degree in Science from STC to USCS and Sherman College, where they can earn a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree. Upon completing their associate’s degree from STC, students in this program transfer to USCS for 1 year. They then earn their bachelor’s degree following a successfully completed year of study at Sherman College. Students can continue study at Sherman to complete their Doctor of Chiropractic Degree in an additional 2 1/2 years.

“Students participating in this program will save time and money by completing the final year of their bachelor’s degree simultaneously with the first year of the doctorate program at Sherman,” said Jerry L. Hardee, EdD, president of Sherman College.

NUHS Receives Interactive Software Donation
Due to the generosity of the university’s senior staff clinician, Manuel Duarte, DC, the National University of Health Sciences’ (NUHS) Library recently received a donation of the Primal Pictures Interactive Anatomy Series. Duarte is the most recent recipient of Foot Levelers’ Clinical Excellence Award, which normally includes a certificate of recognition and a monetary donation. However, Duarte requested that Foot Levelers divert the monetary award toward the donation of the award-winning nine CD instructional series.

“I felt it was important to donate the Primal Anatomy package because it is a high-quality teaching tool for anatomy and biomechanics. Having this set of CDs will be helpful to all our students at some point,” said Duarte.

“The fact that Dr Duarte thought to turn this award into a charitable act for the University clearly demonstrates a primary reason why Foot Levelers selected him to receive this award,” remarked Bill Austin, DC, director of education at Foot Levelers, who presented the award to Duarte. “It’s obvious he cares very deeply about the quality of chiropractic education the students receive, which benefits the entire profession in the long run.”