ARTICLE
Todd Whitehead, DC, of Amarillo was honored with the prestigious Keeler Plaque, the highest honor bestowed upon a Texas chiropractor. A graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, Dr. Whitehead has enjoyed a distinguished career as a Texas chiropractor and as a leader in his profession. He has been heavily involved in the Texas Chiropractic Association, representing TCA District 2 as a State Director on the TCA Board of Directors from 1998-2004. Dr. Whitehead chaired the Insurance Relations Committee from 2007-15 and served stints as a Department Coordinator for Scientific Affairs, External Affairs and Governmental Affairs. He was elected as a TCA Executive Officer in 2022, presiding as TCA President from 2024-25. Dr. Whitehead was named TCA’s Young Chiropractor of the Year in 2004-05 and has been recognized with multiple accolades, including the President’s Award, Board of Directors Award, Legislative Award and TCA District 2 Doctor of the Year. Dr. Whitehead owns and operates a successful practice in Amarillo. He and his wife, Gerri, have three adult sons. How long have you been a TCA member and why did you join TCA? 30 years. I joined because I am a Texas chiropractor, a doctor, a professional and that is my duty. What is your favorite thing about being a TCA member? That my contribution of my time and money protects the practice of chiropractic in Texas and protects our patient’s ability to access our care. Other than that, I cherish the long-time friendships that I have made along the way. What did it mean to you to be recognized by your peers with the prestigious Keeler Plaque? It is the highest honor a chiropractor in Texas can receive so it meant the world to me that my peers thought that I deserved the award. As a TCA Past President, why did you get involved in TCA leadership and why should other chiropractors consider serving in a state leadership role? I have said it a million times and I will say it again. There is strength in numbers. Wolves run in packs. Chiropractors should be just like them, grouped tightly and carrying a big bite. So many of our brother and sister chiropractors don’t realize that chiropractic only exists in Texas because the Texas Legislature says so. They carved us out of the practice of medicine and gave us our own law, and that can be taken away at any time by the same legislature. Medicine owns the human patient, and we are afforded the right to treat them within the scope of practice that our legislature has said that we can. Without carve-out licensing laws, treating a human being in Texas is the practice of medicine, period. That was a tremendous fight by our forefathers here in Texas a very long time ago and remains a fight to maintain what we have today. If TCA and our doctors don’t donate time and money, we are cooked. Plain and simple. There is nobody coming to save us, and therefore the citizens of Texas are robbed of life-saving chiropractic care. I can think of no greater motivator daily to get out of bed, show up at the office, see your patients, and get involved and stay involved in TCA than that. It is all about the patient! What is the No. 1 lesson you have learned so far as a chiropractor? That the chiropractic adjustment remains the most important thing we do. The adjustment must be the focus of a chiropractor because there is nothing that replaces it. Interestingly, when the profession seems to be running from the adjustment as its focus and baseline of a care plan, patients are flocking to it and demanding it more than ever. B.J.Palmer’s “get the big idea and all else follows” really does work! Who has been the key influence in your chiropractic career? So many different people along the way. My granddad and dad were both Texas chiropractors (R.N. and John Whitehead), my dad’s cousin (Jerry Whitehead) as well, all successful, and all practiced differently. All of my TCA colleagues and friends that got me involved day one, Dr. Kirk Proffitt, Dr. Kevin Raef, Dr. Dale White, Dr. Larry Montgomery, Dr. Ken Perkins. Always inclusive and always encouraging, to this day! I can’t imagine what my career would have looked like without their leadership.