Chapter 11, Part 6 – 2004 and beyond
Dr. Lamm’s narrative ends in 2004, but the growth and expansion of the University of Western States continued at an accelerated pace under the direction of recently-elected President Joseph Brimhall, DC. The following content has been added to bring the reader up-to-date on the university’s achievements and developments:
The university maintained its emphasis on research and continued to secure federally-funded grants. Since 2005, the university received five grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $8 million under the direction of principal investigator Dr. Mitch Haas. In addition, the university has been a collaborating institution on six additional federally funded grants.
The massage therapy program was launched in Portland in 2006. The certificate qualifies graduates to purse jurisdictional licensure as licensed massage therapists in private practice or as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Five years later, the program expanded to the Chemeketa Community College campus in Salem, Oregon. The program was accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation in 2013.
In 2010, the university changed its name from Western States Chiropractic College to the University of Western States. The change in status required a revision of the institutional vision and mission, and the identification of core themes. The revisions included an expectation for future growth and expansion beyond the flagship doctor of chiropractic degree program. Shortly thereafter, the university introduced the Master of Science in exercise and sports science concurrent program for currently enrolled UWS doctor of chiropractic students. The dual degree saves students time and money, and enables them to be eligible for CCSP certification and diplomate status along the way.
To maintain a leadership role in chiropractic education, the university invested $3.6 million dollars to build an 8,500-square foot anatomical sciences building where students spend three terms incorporating technology to study the human body. The lab houses three large stainless steel tables for group work surrounded by 10 workstations where teams learn human anatomy by dissecting cadavers. Each station has a computer for researching questions as they arise. Overhead are eight 52-inch high-definition video screens that can be connected to student workstations or to an instructor’s station. The lab opened in 2011, and was the university’s second major new building project. The first was Hampton Hall, a 16,000-square foot lecture hall that opened in 2001.
In 2013, UWS introduced the Master of Science in exercise and sports science hybrid degree program for health care providers who want to specialize in the conditioning and treatment of professional, collegiate, high school and recreational athletes. The program is an expansion of UWS’s exercise and sports science graduate program that began in 2010. The hybrid program combines online courses with onsite, hands-on labs (one weekend a term) that is designed to have a minimal impact on a student’s professional practice or family life, and covers a range of current topics including sports injuries, performance enhancement, diagnostics, injury management and nutritional support.
The same year, the university modified its diagnostic imaging certification program and offered it as a Master of Science in diagnostic imaging degree.