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April 29, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

WFC ANNOUNCES REPLACEMENT ACA DIRECTOR

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has nominated a successor to Dr Michele Maiers, who steps down from the WFC Board of Directors on May 5 to focus on her role as ACA President.

Dr. Dana Lawrence is the Associate Provost of Education and Research at Parker University, where he is also Director for their Quality Enhancement Plan. He was previously the Senior Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning and interim Senior Director for Continuing Education and Events at Palmer College of Chiropractic and had previously served as a member of the research department.

Dr. Lawrence began his career at National University of Health Sciences. He is a past editor of several professional scientific journals for the chiropractic profession, including the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, Journal of Chiropractic Humanities, Journal of Sports Chiropractic and Rehabilitation and Chiropractic Journal of Australia. He is currently editor for the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic.

He has published a number of textbooks, including Fundamentals of Chiropractic Diagnosis and Management and the first edition of Chiropractic Technique (with Drs. Tom Bergmann and David Peterson). He serves on more than 20 editorial boards and is also associate editor for several.

Dr. Lawrence was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Office of Alternative Medicine, and later became the first chiropractor to be a member of the Alternative Medicine Program Advisory Council of the OAM and the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He was also invited to participate in President Clinton's health care reform program. In 1998, Dr. Lawrence was named “Researcher of the Year” by the Foundation for Chiropractic Research and Education for his service to the profession. He has also been awarded two Presidential Leadership Awards from the American Chiropractic Association and in 2013 was named Academician of the Year by the ACA.

He serves as past Chair and current vice-chair for the institutional review board (IRB) for Genesis Health Care in Davenport, IA. In addition to his DC degree, Dr. Lawrence has earned master’s degrees in medical education (MMedEd) from the University of Dundee and in bioethics and health policy (MA) from Loyola University Chicago.

WFC President, Dr Carlos Ayres, said, “We are delighted to welcome Dr Lawrence to the Board. He brings a wealth of experience and critical skill sets as we pursue our mission and vision. We know him to be a strong advocate for the WFC’s #BeEPIC campaign and look forward to benefiting from his wisdom and expertise.”

Speaking on his appointment, Dr Lawrence commented, “I am well beyond grateful to have this opportunity to serve. I sincerely hope I live up the trust that the WFC and ACA have placed in me as we move forward and I am eager and excited to play a role.”

The WFC Board of Directors is made up of 13 representatives, nominated or elected from each of the WFC's seven world regions.