| Abstract/Notes |
Objective: The current reactive, fee-for-service, pharmacological model of U.S. health care contributes to high costs and poor outcomes relative to peer nations. Whole Health offers a proactive alternative by empowering the patient, focusing on the individual’s mission, aspiration, and purpose (MAP), providing interprofessional collaboration and addressing all aspects of health and wellness. The Veterans Health Administration has demonstrated Whole Health’s potential to reduce opioid use, improve well-being, and enhance patient satisfaction. This paper argues that embedding Whole Health into chiropractic colleges—by shifting goals, incentives, curricula, and narratives can prepare a workforce for person-centered, equitable care. Drawing on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) framework, Donella Meadows’ systems change leverage points, and Tiffany Manuel’s CaseMaking™ principles, I propose a roadmap for transforming chiropractic education.
Methods: Whole Health uniquely emphasizes purpose, meaning, and systems alignment. This conceptual framework integrates NASEM’s call for transformation, Meadows’ guidance on shifting system goals and feedback loops, and Manuel’s principles for building the public will for change. Strategies are proposed for clinical and curriculum reform, faculty development and incentives, and interprofessional partnerships, with feedback loops identified to measure learner, patient, faculty, equity, and program outcomes.
Conclusion: A case example from Southern California University of Health Sciences illustrates Whole Health in action. Embedding Whole Health in chiropractic education positions the profession to lead cultural transformation toward well-being, resilience, and equity. Chiropractic, with its historical emphasis on non-pharmacologic and preventive care, is well-positioned to advance this transformation.
Author keywords: Whole Health, Chiropractic Education; Systems Change; Interprofessional Collaboration; Curriculum Reform; Mission Aspiration Purpose (MAP)
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