This year, National University faced a pandemic that required students, faculty and staff to adapt to new learning and work practices like virtual learning, social distancing and telemedicine.

Despite those challenges, the accomplishments of students and faculty did not fall short. Throughout the year, the NUHS community made efforts advancing the field of complementary and alternative medicine and raising awareness of important social issues.

Now that the year is coming to a close, revisit some of the top news at National University. Stories are listed by date.

1. NUHS Student Receives Top Appointment at SACA’s Engage 2020

February 14, 2020

National University of Health Sciences doctor of chiropractic student Alli Totzke was appointed Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) National Chair at Engage 2020, the organization’s annual Washington, D.C. education, leadership and lobbying event. The program took place January 29-February 1, and marks Totzke’s second trip to the Capitol on behalf of SACA. She will serve a one-year term as national chair, followed by a one-year term as immediate past chair.

The National Chair position is an elected seat serving as the official spokesperson of SACA Nation to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) House of Delegates, effectively connecting student members to their professional counterparts. She will preside over and organize many of the events responsible for engaging students across the country through activities such as national calls and other social involvement.

Totzke acknowledged that the appointment is both an honor and a unique opportunity. “It enables me to let any student in the chiropractic profession have a voice that can be heard, and to help them to grow into the best leaders they can be,” she said. “Serving at the national level is an unmatched experience, in the sense that the profession as a whole is looking at everything you do. It’s inspiring that so many people are looking up to me, and I hope to be all that they envision.”

2. NUHS Unveils New Fitness Center

February 19, 2020

National University hosted the grand opening of a new fitness center in the Student Center last month. Over 150 students, faculty, and staff attended the much anticipated unveiling.

“We are thrilled that this day has arrived,” NUHS President Dr. Joseph Stiefel said. In his opening remarks, he expressed gratitude to the alumni for their contributions and support to make the facility a reality.

The project involved the complete renovation and expansion of the previous fitness center along with the addition of state-of-the-art fitness equipment. Student feedback gathered during several planning sessions and various campus-wide surveys helped shape a large portion of the plans. Meeting the needs of students living on campus in residential housing was also a driving force in the design and development of the facility.

3. NUHS faculty member wins award for her studies combining chiropractic medicine and public health

March 27, 2020

NUHS Faculty Dana Madigan, DC, MPH, recently received the American Chiropractic Association’s Academician of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals for their efforts to advance the profession through academic or educational excellence.

In addition to teaching and conducting research at NUHS, Dr. Madigan recently earned her doctorate in environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC). This doctorate follows the coordinated MPH/DC program she was the first to complete from UIC and NUHS in 2013. In 2012, she was also the first chiropractic student selected for the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.

In the last ten years, Dr. Madigan’s studies at NUHS and UIC have combined two unique health care perspectives: chiropractic and public health. She has worked on a long list of projects related to manipulation, public health educational competencies in doctor of chiropractic programs, work-related musculoskeletal concerns in massage therapists and the attitudes of healthcare workers in the country of Ghana toward chiropractic care.

4. NUHS DC student Rameda Lee awarded Schweitzer Fellowship

May 14, 2020

Rameda Lee, an NUHS chiropractic student, was recently awarded the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for her proposal of a stewardship themed, bi-monthly seminar focusing on caring for one’s body as the first possession ever received.

“I was both very excited and very humbled,” Lee said.

The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program is a one-year interdisciplinary, mentored fellowship program that fosters the leadership abilities of aspiring health professionals who design and implement projects to improve the health and well-being of underserved Chicago communities. As part of a competitive application process, only about 30 students are chosen to become fellows for the program each year.

Lee is the second chiropractic student to be awarded the scholarship after NUHS faculty member Dana Madigan, DC, MPH, who was also an NUHS student at the time in 2012. Lee expressed gratitude to faculty member Nakiesha Pearson, DC, ND, MS, for introducing her to the fellowship opportunity and Dr. Madigan for mentoring her through the application process.

5. NUHS offers Advanced Scholar Program to St. Petersburg College students

May 29, 2020

National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) has partnered with St. Petersburg College (SPC) to allow students to complete both a bachelor of science degree in biology and doctor of chiropractic (DC) degree in less time.

The Advanced Scholar Program is a joint recruitment and dual admission effort that creates a coordinated curriculum specifically for exceptional students who maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher at SPC.

“National University of Health Sciences and St. Petersburg College have enjoyed an exceptional relationship for many years,” said NUHS President Joseph Stiefel, MS, EdD, DC. “We have found yet another way to work together for the benefit of our students and our community. Collaboration is the cornerstone to our success and I look forward to much more with SPC.”