Chiropractic school taking shape at FSU 4/04 By Melanie Yeager DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER Can one school revolutionize a profession? Partap Khalsa, a New York researcher in biomedical engineering, thinks Florida State University's new chiropractic school has the potential to do just that. The Florida Legislature - led by FSU alum and Senate President Jim King and state Sen. Dennis Jones, Senate majority leader - approved a chiropractic school at FSU in March and provided it $9 million a year to operate. But FSU is still pushing for $44.2 million toward a $60 million complex that would house the school as well as its life sciences programs. A decision likely won't be reached until final budget negotiations between King and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd this weekend. And although the school itself is a done deal - it was created by a bill signed last month by Gov. Jeb Bush - the project continues to be scrutinized by FSU faculty and physicians who wonder whether chiropractic care can be considered good science. "Chiropractic (medicine) was seen by many people for some time as quackery at worst and something that might help, but not kill them at best," said Khalsa, who has a chiropractic degree along with doctorate in biomedical sciences. But the chiropractic profession has transformed into a more accepted health-care option in the past few decades, Khalsa said. Many doctors regularly refer their patients to the chiropractor down the street - especially those with lower back pain. The federal government now has millions to spend on research into chiropractic care. FSU's school plans to be on the cutting edge of producing new scientific evidence, which will in turn change how and what chiropractic colleges teach. And that possibility thrills Khalsa, a trained scientist and graduate program director for the biomedical engineering department at Stony Brook State University of New York. Biggest challenge Planning for the school is already under way at FSU, led by Alan Adams, a chiropractic physician with a history in academic research. He was one of the advisers used by consultant MGT of America to study the concept for the Legislature a few years ago. Before coming to FSU in September 2002, Adams was vice president for professional affairs at Southern California University of Health Sciences and has reviewed grants for the National Institutes of Health. The nation's 16 accredited chiropractic colleges typically provide a four-year chiropractic degree for students who have already received a bachelor's degree. FSU's school, touted as the first public effort in the nation, would do chiropractic education differently. It's a five-year program that would mandate students also receive a master's degree in an additional field, such as nutrition or health policy, that FSU already provides. "It's kind of a way of providing value-added education," said Adams, who has been consulting with different FSU deans on the possibilities. But the biggest challenge at hand is finding a place to house the program. FSU plans to start with 35 to 40 students and grow until it's graduating 100 students a year. "The university is almost at full capacity right now," Adams said. FSU President T.K. Wetherell has said there are plenty of ways to build a chiropractic school. The concept that King and Jones have embraced so far, Abele said, is one combining the school with FSU's plans to build a life-sciences building. The entire project's price tag is estimated at $60 million, and FSU is pushing for at least $44.2 million. But any gap between what lawmakers give and the complex's cost will be made up through the $9 million that will be allotted annually for operations, Abele said. The legislation allows FSU to do so. "What we're trying to do is get the most bang for the buck," Abele said. "I've been consistent (in saying) we cannot do this any other way but a world-class scientific approach. That takes time and money." It also takes internal campus cooperation. Biological sciences faculty were surprised to learn they might have to share their long-awaited new facility with the chiropractic school. But their primary concern, said Tim Moerland, department chairman, has been the overwhelming work ahead. His department and Adams have yet to work out what space and faculty they could share and how that would affect any new building's design. "There is an opportunity here to partake in an institutional mission that I think is important to push forward," Moerland said. "My major concern is the magnitude of the chore." Faculty members, as do many other people in Tallahassee and elsewhere, have mixed opinions on whether public investment in chiropractic education makes good academic sense. They worry about FSU mixing a new chiropractic school with its fledgling medical school - a situation administrators have adamantly avoided so far because of historical animosity between the two professions. "It's dissipating rapidly," Abele said of the tension. "As long as students and faculty understand it's not part of the allopathic school of medicine, that's no longer an issue." Dr. J. Ocie Harris, dean of FSU's medical school, said through a spokeswoman that he doesn't know specifics about the planned chiropractic school and, regardless, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to comment on another university program under development. What critics say The thought of taxpayer money going to chiropractic education has drawn its share of critics. "The key question is whether or not the university wants to or will be able to ensure that the teachings are consistent with good science," wrote Dr. Stephen Barrett, board chairman of Quackwatch Inc., which has a Web site devoted to health-care fraud. Terry Polevoy, another doctor based in Canada, has been watching FSU's efforts. He calls chiropractic science "almost totally bogus." But chiropractic doctors such as Adams and Khalsa say research is reaping new information daily about the benefits of chiropractic medicine. They say what FSU is doing - requiring a second graduate degree, focusing on research and teaching based on scientific evidence - is considered an innovative approach. "A lot of the disputes really aren't relevant to us because we get to start from scratch," Abele said. The MGT report done in 2000 said more than 29 percent of Floridians had sought chiropractic care during the previous three years, and that 90 percent of them were satisfied with the care they received. According to the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards' 2004 directory, Florida has 3,891 practicing chiropractors. Nearly 800 additional chiropractors outside of Florida have a license to practice here. Until Palmer College established a branch campus in Port Orange in 2002, hundreds of Floridians had to leave the state to get a chiropractic degree. By comparison, California has four schools; Texas has two. A new school at FSU will provide Florida college graduates a chiropractic-degree option in a public university, which will likely be cheaper than attending any of the 16 accredited, private schools. Jones has said this would especially benefit minority students. About 1 percent of the estimated 60,000 practicing U.S. chiropractors are black, according to the federation. John Van Tassel, a local chiropractor who works with FSU athletes, is sold on the concept. "I think it's wonderful. It's going to be the first chiropractic school at any kind of major university. It's going to be able to do some high-quality research," said Van Tassel, who noted that up to 80 percent of his patients come from doctor referrals. "The school's going to be able to attract the very cream of the crop in terms of instructors and administrators. That can only be good." ------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- A LOOK AT CHIROPRACTORS Nature of work: Diagnose and treat patients whose health problems are associated with the body's muscular, nervous and skeletal systems, especially the spine. Treatment is nonsurgical. Requirements: Must be licensed, which requires graduation from an accredited school and passing scores on national and state exams. Number of accredited schools nationwide: 16 Occupational outlook: Employment expected to grow 21 to 35 percent through the year 2012. Estimated first-year income: between $40,000 and $50,000 Average annual income: $81,500 after expenses Average graduate's debt: $100,000 Number holding Florida licenses: 4,687 Sources: Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards; U.S. Department of Labor