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Michael Martin, DC, attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, before graduating from the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago. In addition to his Doctor of Chiropractic degree, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology. A native of Chicago, Dr. Martin, a third-generation Doctor of Chiropractic, moved to Texas in 1977 and founded the Martin Chiropractic Clinic in Plano. He continues to lead the clinic and actively care for patients today. Dr. Martin has served the profession in many roles for the Texas Chiropractic Association, ultimately becoming TCA President from 1991-93. He has won numerous awards, including Texas Young Chiropractor of the Year by the TCA in 1998 and the Keeler Plaque in 2008, recognizing him as the Texas Chiropractor of the Year. He is also a Fellow of the prestigious International College of Chiropractors. In July 2011, Dr. Martin became the first to represent Texas in the American Chiropractic Association being appointed as the TCA State Affiliate Representative to the ACA. He progressed through ACA’s leadership ranks, resulting in his election to the Board of Governors in January 2021 before being elected ACA President in January 2023. How long have you been a TCA member and why did you join TCA? I joined shortly after I graduated from National Chiropractic College. I moved to Texas to open my practice on October 1, 1977, and I have been a member ever since. As a third-generation chiropractor, I grew up in the profession. Chiropractors are independent, stubborn, and hard-nosed, and they tend not to talk to each other. Professional organizations are where people come together. I got the big idea that if we came together, we could accomplish big things, so I joined TCA and ACA at the same time and have been a member of both associations every single day of my career. What is your favorite thing about being a TCA member? It is a series of things. My favorite part is being able to do things for my practice and patients that I can’t do on my own by being affiliated with a group with a shared purpose, like TCA. Once you’re a member and working on stuff together, you meet people with the same goals. I have become great friends with TCA Past Presidents and Keeler Plaque winners because we care about the profession. This is my life’s work, and being connected to people with the same passion is special. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of millions through chiropractic. As a former TCA President, how has serving in key leadership roles within TCA benefited you? As a leader, you get challenged in ways you never imagined. When I first started out as the TCA Legislative Committee chair, I had no idea what I was doing, but you figured it out. Back then, you couldn’t do anything virtually. Sometimes, you went to the State Capitol in Austin five days a week. It was exhausting, but I would wake up the next day and discover I had more left in me. The same was true when I became TCA President. You learn new skills, how to deal with people at all levels with different points of view, how to handle tough situations, and push yourself beyond your limits. You’re never the same after you’ve gone through it. Why do you decide to run for an executive officer position with the American Chiropractic Association and how do you feel about being elected president of ACA? I had been on the ACA Board of Governors for a few years, and I wanted to make a difference in the profession and health care and positively impact the lives of chiropractors and our patients. I felt it was the right time in my life and career to take the next step, but it wasn’t really about me. It was all about growing the profession. When I was elected ACA President, I was overwhelmingly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve. There is no higher position in the chiropractic profession. What are some of your goals for ACA during your presidency? My primary goal is to make progress for the profession in a way that supports parity in all aspects in terms of respect, authority, position, reimbursements, fairness in the treatment of DCs and their patients, and inclusion in the health care system. It’s tricky. The profession existed for a long time where chiropractors strived to be “separate and distinct.” Now it is more integrated. Knowledge, skill, and ability can be lost when health care is conglomerated, but inclusion is important. If we can pass the Medicare statute, that would be a significant accomplishment. We have moved as far as we can in terms of inclusion since Medicare was first passed. Chiropractors are trained to do way more than manipulation, but we are limited in the current Medicare system. Workers’ comp, the ability of specialists to get grants from CMS, or training and education as a specialist, they are impacted by Medicare as it is today. Every single health care plan uses Medicare as a floor or basement. If Medicare covers our full scope of practice, it would be a game-changer. It’s about respect. If Medicare says we are limited, then how do chiropractors refer to hospitals for MRIs? We can’t have the rights of other doctors unless Medicare changes. Medicare is a top priority, but we also are trying to work more closely with our states. We want to make ACA more present. In the past, ACA might have been too isolated – partly because of the pandemic – but we are trying to have more state association meetings and increase communications with our members through all channels. Why should a TCA member also join ACA? The first thing is ACA’s vision and reach. The more people we can all get to pull together, the better it is for our doctors and the profession. There are no such things as state or local issues. The big insurance carriers affect all states. Enforcement, reimbursements, regulations, recognition of specialties, allowing doctors to practice the way they want, these issues are important to all of us. The best way to get things done and be effective is for every chiropractor to join ACA. At the same time, we recommend all ACA members from Texas become TCA members. Who has been the biggest influence in your chiropractic career? It’s got to be my dad, Lawrence A. Martin. He worked in Texas for six months before he went into practice in Illinois and practiced for 45 years. He retired in Corpus Christi and died in 2000. Even though he never practiced in Texas, he was a licensee and TCA member. What is your top professional accomplishment so far? There have been only three men -- Richard Brassard, Charles Downey, and me – who have been President of both ACA and TCA. Shelby Elliott, who was the President at Texas Chiropractic College, was TCA President and served as Chairman of the Board at ACA, so that makes four of us. Being in that group is pretty cool. But it’s not about the positions you held, it’s what you do that matters. When I was younger and served as the Legislative Committee chair at TCA in 1989, we did the first update of the chiropractic statute in four decades. Chiropractic in Texas was a spine-only, hands-only profession. We couldn’t do therapies, treat extremities, or diagnose for conditions like a herniated disc or spinal strain. That’s where the original “A-Team” came from – four doctors. I was “Hannibal,” Steve Estes was “Face Man,” Ben Beard was “B.A.,” and George Aubert was “Murdock,” a wild and crazy guy who got stuff done. I love it when a plan comes together, and we made it happen. What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know about you? When I was in college, I was a gymnast and did horizontal bar. I was 6-foot-2, too tall to be a gymnast. I was invited to do an exhibition in a big arena in Buffalo, New York. I was on the men’s all-star team, and the Russian women’s team was there. I walked around the gym with (trailblazing Olympic gold medalist) Olga Korbut, who was only 5-0. That was fun. When I moved to Texas and was single, I picked up country and western dancing. I did competitions and joined a group that did country and western shows at Billy Bob’s. Here I am, this Yankee everyone wanted to make fun of, but I could dance circles around them.