How Robert Cooperstein, D.C., M.A., advances the chiropractic profession through research and mentorship.
Robert Cooperstein, D.C., M.A., has a unique vantage point from his position as the Director of Research and Technique at Palmer West. He began his 36-year career with a drive to seek the scientific evidence behind chiropractic care, and has spent those years as a researcher, an educator, and a practicing chiropractor.
“When I first started to practice, it didn’t take long for me to develop confidence that chiropractic could help most people for most mechanical problems, but the great unknown for me was the relationship between my examination findings and the outcome of care,” says Dr. Cooperstein. “Following the lead of my mentors, and in line with my own interest in patient assessment, I conducted scientific studies in what is called ‘technology assessment,’ which examines the reliability and validity of various patient-assessment methods.”
His several hundred publications have contributed to the growing body of scientific work that informs Palmer’s evidence-based curriculum and serve as a resource for current and future chiropractors.
“I’m excited to witness the impact our students will have on future advances in chiropractic care. I’ve spent my career, along with others at Palmer, developing chiropractic research. In turn, our students have always had access to a research program and the latest chiropractic research. That’s only going to make our profession go further, and we’re already seeing the impact of our research with the increase in multidisciplinary and integrative care.”
Dr. Cooperstein has also mentored dozens of chiropractic students. One of those students was Felisha Truong, D.C. (West, ’20), who chose Palmer because of its leadership in chiropractic research.
“My biggest mentor at Palmer West was Dr. Cooperstein. When I was in my second quarter at Palmer, he invited me to help him with a research project. One project led to more and eventually, the projects turned into three chiropractic publications and graduating with research honors. In addition, I had the opportunity to present at the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC). I was one of the youngest members at the conference, which was intimidating because I wanted to represent Dr. Cooperstein and Palmer West well, but I was so blessed to be given this opportunity to present our research findings to other researchers in our chiropractic community.”
Working in research and with Dr. Cooperstein remains one of Dr. Truong’s favorite memories from her time as a student.
“When I started at Palmer, I was convinced my career path would be in private practice,” she says. “Working with Dr. Cooperstein showed me that I could pursue both my love for research and my desire to help patients the way other chiropractors have helped me.”
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