Evidence-Informed Education Fuels Doctor of Chiropractic’s Leadership in Healthcare

His 18-page curriculum vitae may be the first clue that Zachary Cupler (D.C. ‘14, M.S.’15) is an active leader in the healthcare field. Further clues may be found in his current position: chief of physical medicine & rehabilitative services with the Butler VA Health Care System in Pennsylvania. But there’s more.

“For at least the past six years, I have been a clinical member of our pain management team where we evaluate complex pain cases in an interdisciplinary model with team meetings and care coordination,” Cupler said. “For the past three years, I served as the pain clinic lead and moved to 75 percent clinical with 25 percent administrative duty to oversee pain management clinical services and the opioid safety initiatives at the health care system.”

In addition, Cupler, who was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Chiropractors (ACC) at Northeast during the Winter 2025 Ceremony Week, does peer reviews for a significant handful of journals and is a member of the Research Advisory Board in the American Chiropractic Association. In September 2024, Cupler was appointed by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as a member of its Advisory Panel on Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science. Serving a three-year term, he is the only chiropractor currently appointed to any of the PCORI advisory panels. 

Northeast Partner Juniata College Powerfully Prepared Cupler for Graduate-level Study

Cupler came to the Northeast Seneca Falls Campus in 2011 after earning his undergraduate degree in biology from Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, an educational partner with Northeast. “Juniata was exceptional in its preparation of pre-health profession students,” Cupler said.

At the end of his sophomore fall semester, the health professions faculty committee reviewed his progress, confirming he was on track for a successful application for Northeast's Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) program, his chosen healthcare field. To ensure Cupler's success, Juniata connected him with faculty advisors who had relevant expertise to guide him through the application preparation, writing samples, and interviews.

A Day in the Life of Dr. Cupler

Cupler practiced full time at Butler for nearly a decade before assuming his current role, providing outpatient services that included both chiropractic care and acupuncture. He is also a clinical member of the Center’s pain management team, where he helps evaluate complex pain cases in an interdisciplinary model.

Currently, he holds more of an administrative role at the Center. “I now oversee and am responsible for clinical rehabilitation services, pain management services, and prosthetics and sensory aids,” he said. “My duties include overseeing a team of 26 staff members across broad and diverse clinical training backgrounds, including physiatry, physical therapy, acupuncture, pain medicine management, occupational therapy, kinesiotherapy, chiropractic, aquatics therapy, spinal cord injury clinic, and brace clinic.”

Quick Questions with Dr. Zac Cupler.

How well did the Northeast College prepare you for the practical experiences you have had?
I was motivated to cross-train to qualify for licensing for both chiropractic and acupuncture. Little did I know that when I went to my rotations at the VA I would find the clinic setting I wanted to practice in. Northeast had established an affiliation with Canandaigua VA Medical Center, now VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System, for both chiropractic and acupuncture clinics. Northeast also provided a great network with well-established leaders in integrated care settings, and I had the chance to rotate and spend time in alumnus Dr. Donald Murphy’s clinic in Rhode Island and I spent several days observing at the Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth Hospital spine care clinic overseen by alumnus Dr. Ian Paskowski. At the time I graduated, I found myself well-positioned to apply for a VA position.

What do you see as the future of the chiropractic profession? How is it likely to change or grow in the coming years or decades?
The future of chiropractic lies in integration—across clinical care, policy, education, post-graduate training and regulation. Increasingly, chiropractors are being incorporated into interdisciplinary settings such as the VA, private hospitals and federally qualified health centers as healthcare systems better recognize the value of spine care and musculoskeletal expertise. As reimbursement models evolve, chiropractors should be prepared to step into these roles.

You are chair of the Center's Pain Management Committee. Can you speak to the importance of pain management in your work as a chiropractor?
We work closely with the pain management and opioid safety coordinator to support initiatives focused on the implementation of best practices for safe opioid stewardship. We also include regular conversations with prescribers and patients about risks and benefits, routine use of monitoring processes like prescription drug monitoring programs and promoting and ensuring access to non-opioid adjuvant medication as well as non-pharmacological pain management strategies such as chiropractic, physical therapy and acupuncture.

You recently had a post on LinkedIn that said "there is no better time to be a chiropractor." Why is this the case?
I first heard the statement from the late Dr. Greg Kawchuk, PhD., D.C. My statement is an echo of his words for several reasons:

• A generation ago, integrated care setting uptake by the VA was a pipe dream. Now, the field has 400+ chiropractors employed at VA.
   

• Chiropractors are being asked to have seats at the table for interdisciplinary team settings, including hospital and integrated care settings.
   

• We have an ever-growing collection of early career post-graduate training opportunities that include advanced integrated clinical training residencies at VA or Aurora Advocate Health Care and now St. Luke's University Health Network. We have post-graduate research fellowships at a number of institutions, including U of Minnesota, Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth (to name a few). These are propelling chiropractors to new levels of skill early in their careers, positioning them for careers in mainstream academia, policy, health care administration and clinical leadership.