Logan University grad selected for Boston University medical school fellowship

Ryan Fischer, DC, a recent graduate of Logan University, has been chosen for the Academic Primary Care Fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine.

He will be the first doctor of chiropractic graduate to serve in this position, where he will get the chance to collaborate on an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, according to a Logan University press release.

Chiropractic Economics sat down with Fischer to get his take on what this opportunity means and where he’ll go from here.

CE: Can you tell us a bit about your background and what initially drew you to chiropractic care? How did your previous career as a pharmacist influence this decision?

Ryan Fischer: For me, chiropractic is a second career. I previously earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and worked as a pharmacist but felt like I was not able to offer patients an answer when it came to many pain conditions. Instead, I sought a career that would allow me to be more hands-on and focus on finding solutions for patients. I was familiar with chiropractic, having been a patient myself from a young age, so I knew the benefits I had seen in my own life.

CE: What was it about Logan University’s program that made it the right fit for you?

RF: I found Logan by reaching out to chiropractors I knew personally and actually some of my pharmacy colleagues ― and the program was a good fit. I liked that the program offered numerous elective courses for more specific manual therapies and unique practice experiences, as well as the overall growth of the school. I was especially intrigued by the opportunity to offer chiropractic care at Logan’s clinic located within the Orthwein Center at Paraquad. This facility offers adaptive gym equipment and other support to individuals who are quadriplegic and paraplegic.

It was also confirmed to me that I chose the right college of chiropractic when I learned the history of the school. The third president of Logan University, Dr. William Coggins, had also first earned a degree in pharmacy before he became a chiropractor. The current campus was acquired during his time as president, so his influence continues to make Logan a great place to learn.

CE: How did your involvement with the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) and your national position as Vice Chair of the Research Committee help shape your career path?

RF: SACA provided a community of motivated, evidence-focused individuals for me to network with, both students at other schools as well as practitioners. I was able to organize meetings for the research committee on topics that were relevant to current practice and host leading experts as guest speakers, to provide insight and literature reviews. This has made me a better consumer of medical literature and improved my insight for important topics within the chiropractic profession.

CE: What role did Dr. Kristina Petrocco-Napuli play in your decision to pursue postgraduate training, and how has she influenced your career?

RF: Associate Provost and Dean for the College of Chiropractic, Dr. Kristina Petrocco-Napuli, was the club advisor for the Logan chapter of SACA. Because I was elected to a leadership role in the club, she also became a mentor to me. Dr. Petrocco opened the door and supported my interest in postgraduate training —something that had been on my radar. Coming from a background which relies heavily on clinical trials and peer-reviewed literature, research was something I could identify with, and it really became a driving factor to find opportunities that would facilitate my direct role to support evidence-based practice.

CE: Can you describe how you came across the research fellowship opportunity at Boston University and what aspects of the program appealed to you?

RF: It was at the annual ACA Engage Conference earlier this year where I met Eric Roseen, DC, PhD, MSc. He had been named Researcher of the Year at the meeting and I was fortunate to connect with him during one of the scheduled programs. During our conversation I expressed my interest in post-grad training, and this led to further discussions with program directors at Boston Medical Center (BMC). The Academic Primary Care fellowship is an opportunity for trained clinicians to develop a knowledge base in research methodology and statistical analysis as well as gain experience drafting grants and proposals. Selected fellows support BMC clinicians with their NIH-funded research grants and complete didactic coursework in the School of Public Health. I liked that the program was open to different educational backgrounds, including medical doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and doctors of philosophy. It really fosters a collaborative environment.

CE: What are you most excited about as you begin this fellowship, and how do you envision it contributing to your future career goals?

RF: I am most excited to be a healthcare professional at a leading academic healthcare system and have the support of multidisciplinary mentors. I thrive when I can interface with other experienced providers and bring new ideas or perspectives to patient care. I will always champion collaborative care models, which is the underlying motivation for my future research goals.

CE: How do you see your work in the fellowship influencing the broader chiropractic profession?

RF: I definitely view this fellowship as an opportunity to promote the role of a chiropractic physician within the traditional medical team. I am working intimately with other providers who might not immediately consider manual therapies like chiropractic care. But when relationships are built through research projects, that is something that can positively impact general trends in patient care. I fully support collaborative care models and see our role as holistic providers integral for better outcomes in pain management.

CE: What are some of the key skills or knowledge areas you hope to develop through this fellowship, and how do you plan to apply them in your future roles?

RF: My unique perspective ― as a licensed pharmacist and a trained chiropractic physician ― motivates me to deeply explore the intricacies of chronic pain syndromes. As a program fellow, I will work with Dr. Roseen, who has received a career development award from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Applying for a career development grant myself would be a future step in my pursuit of becoming an investigator. I hope to gain hands-on skills and experience by assisting with his NIH-funded studies, and ultimately developing my own projects. My goal is to advance new practice paradigms that promote complementary and integrative health (CIH) providers in an ambulatory setting, particularly for the management of chronic low-back pain, and the utilization of CIH in treatment plans for substance use disorders.

CE: Looking ahead, what are your long-term career aspirations within chiropractic care and academic research?

RF: My career objective is to develop strong research to support CIH therapies and become a recognized leader of multidisciplinary clinical practice. Ultimately, I hope to focus on projects within an academic healthcare setting so that I can direct and perform research, funded by NIH or other federal agencies, and maintain patient care practice as a chiropractic physician.