Lori Byrd¹, Cynthia Long, PhD¹, William Meeker, DC, MPH¹, and Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD². (1) Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, 741 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803, 563-884-5198, lori.byrd@palmer.edu, (2) Research, Parker Research Institute, 2500 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX 75229

In September 2002, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the NIH funded a five-year grant to develop a Clinical Research Curriculum within Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Division of Graduate Studies. This curriculum formed the basis for a Master’s Degree Program in Clinical Research for DCs and other health professionals. The program aim is to increase the number and quality of clinical researchers in chiropractic. The program is unique in that it synthesizes chiropractic principles and practice with the knowledge and skills necessary for conducting high-level clinical research. One of the challenges in starting a new program is the recruitment of quality students. In this case, high quality students are chiropractors with the motivation, knowledge and desire to pursue a career in chiropractic research. Health professionals with these attributes are those most likely to become productive clinical investigators, capable of doing important research and competing successfully for grants. Furthermore, they will aid in the promotion of the program itself. Recruitment goals were 2-3 students in the first year followed by 4-6 students in subsequent years. A variety of marketing techniques, such as direct marketing and advertising, were used in 2003 to recruit the first class and resulted in three students being matriculated in November. This presentation will look at the successes and failures of the first attempts to recruit students and what lessons were learned. It will highlight marketing strategies, promotion ideas, target markets, and how to convert an inquiry into a matriculated student.

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