Having taught more than 8,000 students since 1997, Lisa Killinger, D.C. (Main, ’83) has a few stories to tell. And, if we asked her students for stories, we’re certain many would share about the love and compassion she brings to her classroom. Dr. Lisa, after all, is one of a kind!
Following her first chiropractic adjustment at only 16 years young, she was quite amazed and quickly switched gears from a potential career in marine biology to helping people with her hands.
“It was so simple and so elegant how a chiropractor could assess the body and do something with their hands to change your health trajectory going forward. It was truly fascinating to me,” she recalls of her younger self.
On top of her work at Palmer College, Dr. Killinger has been a social justice advocate in the community for the past 25 years. This year, she’s being recognized for her civic work with an Honorary Doctorate Degree from St. Ambrose University. Dr. Killinger’s work in the community came about as a combination of her interest in it and its interest in her. As a Muslim woman born in Iowa and raised as a Christian, Dr. Killinger was often sought after for her unique perspective. Church groups, Jewish temples and the like had questions and she had answers.
“I was always passionate about social justice, welcoming all people and wanting to help those in need. Because of those things, I kept my ears open to the happenings around town. It’s been wonderful to be a part of a faith minority in the Quad Cities because people have been so wonderfully kind and truly interested,” she said.
Whether it involved women’s advocacy, poverty or anything in between, Dr. Killinger has had a hand in it.
She has been able to combine her love of social justice with her love of learning and educating. Her favorite student evaluation of all time read, “Dr. Killinger doesn’t just want us to be good students, she wants us to be good people!” It’s clear that it is especially important to her to reach her students beyond the classroom.
“I take them out in the community to do all kinds of activities, such as charitable runs, breast cancer events and participation in local non-profits. I take them to do things they might never do on their own. Recently, 85 out of my 100 students signed up to participate in the QC Senior Olympics trivia night. It was so much fun! I’m always getting them into mischief of one sort or another,” she excitedly said. “We all need to experience wonder and being in awe of something. That really comes from getting outside our comfort zone!”
“I truly love what I do, having the privilege of teaching Palmer students. They never cease to amaze me with how hard they work and balance a life that may include marriage, children, deaths in the family and other untold challenges. They are in class often seven to eight hours a day and somehow manage to balance it all,” she said.
Her advice to those considering chiropractic as a career is that it’s a fantastic profession.
“Patients look forward to seeing you (unlike the dentist or gynecologist), then you have a pleasant, positive interaction with your patients, and then they can’t wait to see you again! You set your own hours and can practice almost anywhere in the world. What could be better? Chiropractic is an incredibly wonderful profession,” she said.
And to those who’ve already begun their Palmer journey, she advises that “None of what you learn is a waste. Each class will be valuable in the care you provide. Every professor and every clinic doctor you meet will teach you something, whether it is guidance toward the kind of doctor you want to be or maybe the kind you DON’T want to be. Learn from all of them!”
Dr. Killinger retired from Palmer College in 2024.
From Dr. Lisa Killinger
Awards I am most proud of:
- Faculty of the Year (student selected) every year, except one, from 2001-2017. They stopped awarding it in 2018.
- Five-time recipient of the Thelma Fordyce Mack Award at Palmer.
- YWCA: “100 Years, 100 Honored” Award for outstanding work in the Quad Cities community (awarded to 100 Quad Citizens; 2017)
- Athena Award Finalist: 2018. Award for outstanding leadership among women.
- Lifetime Achievement Award: American Public Health Association 2010
- Human Rights Award from Quad Cities Church Women (2017)
Boards served:
- QC Senior Olympics
- Pacem in Terris awards committee (who have honored people like JFK, MLK Jr. and the Dalai Lama!)
Founding/Co-founding member of:
- Bridges of Faith, an award-winning local interfaith group that has existed since 2001.
- I founded the Interfaith Women’s Dialogues about 20 years ago, collaboratively with the nuns of St. Mary’s Monastery.
- More recently I co-founded, along with Cantor Gail Karp, a local chapter of the Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom, which is affiliated with a National organization that brings Jewish and Muslim women together to build positive relations and to do good works in the community.
I have been involved in the American Association of University women for over 20 years, serving as Palmer College’s liaison to the group in the early 2000s. This group advocates for women’s higher education, and equal rights for women in education and employment.
