Dr. Anna-Marie Ziegler has her dream career as a Staff Chiropractic Physician and Integrated Clinical Practice Faculty at the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, where she’s able to combine three of her passions: research, clinical practice and academia. The experience she gained through her work as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR) helped her accomplish this goal.

“The post-doctoral research scholar position was critical in my growth as a clinicianscientist,” says Dr. Ziegler. “The skills I learned translated not just to research but also to clinical practice as well. Personally, I had the long-term goal of a career similar to academic medical faculty, providing clinical service, teaching and performing research. The post-doctoral research scholar provided me with the tools and experience to understand and perform research and improved my clinical knowledge. I feel these gave me a competitive edge when applying to the VA chiropractic residency program and being successfully matched.”

Dr. Ziegler’s first major experience with research was working on the Thoracolumbar Fascia
Mobility (TLFM) study led by Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc., associate dean of clinical
research and professor with the PCCR.

“Working on this study taught me a lot about patient recruitment, developing study protocols, working with research participants, and operating within a research team,” says Dr. Ziegler. “Having the hands-on experience really set the stage for me to be able to transition into roles on other studies. Another impactful study was working on the Active Aging for Spine Health (AASH) study with Dr. Stacie Salsbury, associate professor with PCCR. This was one of my first exposures to qualitative and mixed methods research and really set the trajectory of types of projects I’m currently engaging with.”

Never one to slow down, Dr. Ziegler continues to be engaged in research and other scholarly projects and looks forward to presenting that work at upcoming conferences.

In 2022, Dr. Ziegler was awarded ACC-RAC NBCE Research Paper Awards for the following:

• Ziegler AL, Salsbury SA, Maiers M. Discrepant Perceptions of Biopsychosocial and Active Care Recommendations Between Doctors of Chiropractic and Midlife and Older Adult Patients: A Descriptive Survey. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2022 NovDec;45(9):623-632. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2023.04.003. Epub 2023 Jun 14. PMID: 37318390.
• Ziegler A, Shannon Z, Long C, Vining R, Walter J, Coulter I, Goertz C. Diagnoses and Chiropractic Services in a Pragmatic Clinical Trial for Low Back Pain Conducted in U.S. Department of Defense Military Treatment Facilities: A Secondary Analysis. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2021 Nov-Dec;44(9):690-698. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2022.03.009. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

To anyone considering pursuing chiropractic research, she says “The post-doctoral research scholar position is a great choice for those looking to grow as a clinician-scientist. It opens many doors including working in academia, pursuing further higher education and conducting research. Each post-doctoral research scholar will have a different experience depending on what projects are currently taking place and their individual goals.”