Remember Kurt and Justina Slonaker? As a married couple, they decided to attend UWS together, Kurt in the doctor of chiropractic program and Justina in the massage therapy program. Their intention after graduation was to build an integrated practice together as husband and wife, DC and LMT. We caught up with them after graduation to see what they were up to now.
Kurt and I are currently living in Meridian Idaho. We are both treating patients at Gonstead Spine and Wellness. We work with a great team and have a busy clinic! Kurt sees patients full time and I work part time as an LMT. Kurt and I work closely together to determine the best outcomes for all of our patients. It has been really fun to work together! We have also been busy in our personal life. We now have a one year old son, named Bradley and we are expecting our second son in October!
She will also serve as vice president for academic affairs
PORTLAND, Ore., June 22, 2016 – University of Western States (UWS), a leader in the education of health sciences professionals, is proud to announce the hiring of Bernadette Howlett, PhD, in the role of provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“Dr. Howlett brings to UWS a strong background in student learning assessment, instructional design and educational technology. She has worked directly with the accreditation requirements of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, our regional accrediting agency,” said Dr. Joseph Brimhall, UWS president. “I am confident that her collaborative style and substantial expertise will guide the development and implementation of assessment and planning efforts within all of our academic programs.”
Dr. Howlett earned a PhD degree in adult learning and organizational development from University of Idaho and a Master of Science degree in instructional and human performance technology from Boise State University. She will be joining UWS from Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, where she served as the chief research officer for three years. During her time at Pacific Northwest University, Dr. Howlett oversaw and/or participated in a variety of academic functions including institutional and programmatic accreditation, assessment, interdisciplinary research, faculty scholarship and institutional effectiveness.
“I accepted the position at UWS because of the warmth and kindness of the people, as well as my passion for the types of health care programs offered at the university. I have a lifelong commitment to helping people maintain wellness. UWS’s programs perfectly align with my passion,” Dr. Howlett said. “Additionally, I am originally from Portland. It’s wonderful to return home, and particularly wonderful to be coming here to work at a place with such an amazing mission, staff, faculty and students.”
Dr. Howlett will join the UWS campus in late June 2016.
The honor comes after the UWS SACA group was named chapter of the year
PORTLAND, Ore., May 4 – The University of Western States (UWS) chapter of the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) is slated to host the 2016 National SACA Leadership Conference on the Portland campus September 23-25. The conference is a chance for all current SACA national officers and chapter officers to come together and develop skills to be future leaders in the profession.
Conference activities include presentations by prominent speakers in the chiropractic world about their individual accomplishments and how they achieved success. Other speakers will discuss dealing with roadblocks in the profession and how they were overcome.
“This type of training is outside our education on how to be a doctor, diagnosing and treating,” Jacqueline Carlisle, UWS SACA chapter secretary and leadership conference chair said. “It teaches us how to embrace change and push for the evolution of the profession and ourselves.”
The current SACA leadership played a big role in bringing the event to the UWS campus. Carlisle along with Rebecka Dunn, leadership conference vice-chair, completed a proposal centered on the theme of “Innovate, Integrate, Motivate.”
“This conference theme proposal focused on integrating with other health care providers after graduation,” Dunn said. “We want students to become leaders in their communities and be able to work with other health care providers, not only to better the profession but to improve our health care system as a whole.”
The proposed topic of integrated health care was one factor that propelled the UWS proposal to be chosen. Another factor that led to the decision to host at UWS was their success as a chapter over the past year. The group took 40 students to the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC) in 2016, a number that is more than double what they were able to fundraise for in 2015. The UWS SACA chapter also raised the most money for the political fundraising arm of the ACA. Topping it off, they placed third in the talent show at the 2016 NCLC conference.
“I could not be more proud of this group of determined students and their many accomplishments,” Dr. Joseph Brimhall, president at UWS said. “They understand the advocacy and hard work that must be undertaken in order for the chiropractic profession to flourish and they are taking action.”
This is the first time in many years the event will be held on a university campus after several stints at corporate-sponsored locations.
University of Western States provides a science-driven curriculum that delivers a solid foundation and competitive edge in preparing students for clinical practice. UWS is a regionally accredited, independent non-profit institution dedicated to improving the health of society through its educational programs, research and clinical services. Founded in 1904, the university offers a doctor of chiropractic degree program; master’s degrees in exercise and sports science, human nutrition and functional medicine and diagnostic imaging; a massage therapy certificate program; a master of science and doctorate degree in sport and performance psychology; approved continuing education programs for licensed health care professionals; and we provide clinic services in five locations through Health Centers of UWS. UWS is a founding member of the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine, an organization that aims to advance integrative health care through education, research, patient care and advocacy. To learn more about University of Western States and its academic programs, go to uws.edu.
About SACA
The Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) is a professional organization representing chiropractic students. SACA serves to preserve, protect improve and promote the chiropractic profession and the services of future doctors of chiropractic for the benefit of the patients they will serve. The mission of SACA is to build a better future for the chiropractic profession to benefit patients and the community by advancing the professional development of chiropractic students through service, leadership and advocacy.
Written by: Stephanie Halloran University of Western States SACA Immediate Past President
Left to right: Rebecka Dunn (10q, PR Chair), Jacqueline Carlisle (10thq, Secretary), Stephanie Halloran (9thq, President), Kathryn Knox Baker (5thq – Vice President), Sara Daskal (8th q, Legislative Representative), Cambrie Burns (10thq, PR Chair)
Two years ago, I decided to go to the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC) as a 2nd quarter student. Part of the reason was the opportunity to leave school for three days, but mostly it was an attempt to appease my older sister. She was in her third year studying law at Florida State University and constantly telling me to be more active in the efforts to change health care laws and regulations instead of gripe about them. My thought process: go lobby one time and you’ll forever have a free ride to complain.
NCLC, for those who are not familiar, is a chiropractic conference that centers around three or four important issues identified by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) that are addressed in individual meetings with legislators. The weeks leading up to NCLC are spent learning about the issue briefs, why they are important and how to talk about them with Congress. The first year I attended I was dating a veteran, so it made sense for me to gravitate toward the brief addressing veterans access to chiropractic care. As of right now, chiropractic physicians are only in 50 out of 1,200 Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities around the country. At the same time, the opioid epidemic is skyrocketing in this demographic because a majority of the musculoskeletal complaints are being managed through pharmaceutical treatment and surgery. By the end of lobbying day, presenting that brief became less about proving a point to my sister and more about fighting for the rights of our servicemen and women.
Following my inaugural attendance at NCLC, I was determined to get more students involved. In 2015, we were able to bring 19 students and in 2016 we took 38 students and one alumnus. Our campus support and participation throughout the year has been unparalleled, as was demonstrated when we took home SACA Chapter of the Year at the welcome meeting. Not only that, we were also the chapter to raise the most money for the ACA-PAC, the Political Action Committee of the American Chiropractic Association, and placed third at the SACA’s Got Talent show.
Ignoring all the awards and accolades, why is NCLC so important? Being able to talk about your profession to a layperson is one of the most valuable tools in promoting it. Chiropractic medicine is very misunderstood in the public and can be difficult for even established doctors to communicate about what it is we do exactly. We train our attendees how to describe chiropractic and its benefits in a short and concise way that is not defensive or derogatory toward other health professions. NCLC also offers an avenue for students to connect with other students and doctors at a national level. It is very easy to get trapped in the UWS bubble for three years and this conference prevents that bubble from forming. The people who show up for NCLC are some of the most driven and inspirational people in our profession. They are the ones working tirelessly to make the chiropractic future so bright, and helping to drive it into the future.
Chiropractic medicine is a service profession. We are being trained to treat the public and enhance the quality of life for our patients. This year we fought for veteran’s access to care, our inclusion in TRICARE, consideration for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and National Public Health Service Corps, as well as started a petition to change the coverage we have under Medicare. A majority of these issues are occurring due to lack of knowledge by the public as well as lawmakers and chiropractic physicians themselves.
I encourage current students to attend NCLC at least once while you are still in school. I promise you, the educational experience you have following your trip will forever be changed and you will have a renewed inspiration for what you have set out to do. If you are alumnae, I challenge you to reconnect with the ACA community as well as your local SACA chapter and offer your services. Your passion breeds our passion and our passion will breed the passion of future chiropractic generations. Our growth will inherently allow us to serve more of the population and help change the discriminatory laws we currently face.
Next year, I will be returning to Washington D.C. as an alumnus of UWS and nothing would give me more joy than to see 80 UWS students surrounded by fellow alums. Don’t be defined by what you did not know or did not do. Be proactive and be the change you wish to see in the world. And always – #SACAup!
Thanks in large part to Dr. Vern Saboe (class of 1979) and the Oregon Chiropractic Association, SACA received $3,500 in donations to help get them to the conference.
Left to right: Dr. Vern Saboe (ACA Delegate for Oregon), Lesley Redinger (10th quarter), Dr. Pat Browne, Congresswoman Bonamici, Urvi Khare (1st quarter), Allison Guyn (2nd quarter)
Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine instructor Michael J. Gonzalez, PhD, ScD, CNS, was recently announced as an inductee into the Orthomolecular Hall of Fame, which was established in 2004 by the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine (ISOM). Based in Toronto, ISOM has national chapters in more than 18 countries. The term “orthomolecular medicine” was first conceptualized by Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling. He defined it as a branch of medicine that aims to provide an optimum, functioning environment for people based on individual biochemistry. Any deficiencies found in testing would be corrected using substances natural to the body such as vitamins and minerals, as food or supplements.
The total number of inductees in the Hall of Fame is 64, representing scientists from all over the globe. Dr. Gonzalez and his partner Dr. Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, are being honored for their significant contribution to orthomolecular medicine and most notably for their research on intravenous (IV) vitamin C and cancer. Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Miranda-Massari are the first inductees from Puerto Rico.
Dr. Gonzalez, who teaches Oxidative/Reductive Dynamics and Energy Production in the all-online Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine program at UWS, will be formally inducted on April 30, 2016 at the 45th Annual International Conference, Orthomolecular Medicine Today 2016 in the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, Canada.
The Oregon Student Alliance for Integrative Medicine (OSAIM) recently held its annual Integrative Medicine Day at OMSI on January 30. OSAIM, which is a collaborative group made up entirely of students from the major medical schools in Oregon, hosts this annual event with the hopes of encouraging students, doctors and community members to learn more about integrative medicine. The group also hosts a video scholarship competition, in conjunction with Bob’s Red Mill. One winner is chosen from each participating school. The video must cover the topic of food as medicine. This year’s UWS winner, Kyle Jones, did his video on the health benefits of chia seeds. All participating winners were on hand for the Integrative Medicine Day and gave responses to questions regarding food in today’s society. Along with the student scholarship winner panel there were also two breakout sessions on topics including sleep, death and dying, and cannabis. There was also a social after with the Noah Bernstein Trio.
The OSAIM executive board has representation from three UWS DC students this year including Freya Moran, Alexx Oljenik and Rob Sanders.
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