Tyler Snodgrass, trimester 8 Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) student at Logan, was nominated as a student leader in honor of National Leadership Day.
Growing up in Butler, Pennsylvania, Tyler attended Westminster College nearby, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in neuroscience on a premed track. Initially, his plan was to go into medicine. But as graduation neared, Tyler reconsidered his career goals and began assessing other professions in healthcare.
“Once I began getting ready to study for the MCAT and apply for medical school, I realized it wasn’t the model that I wanted to follow,” Tyler said. “So, I started looking at other options.”
Tyler decided to pursue chiropractic at Logan because its model of holistic health aligned with his health values. He began his time at Logan in September of 2021 and found ways to get involved around campus.
He introduced himself into “the world of student leadership” through involvement in Logan Student Government (LSG), where he held positions as class president in trimester 1 and parliamentarian for four trimesters. Advocating for the student body is important to Tyler as he believes their voices should be taken into substantial consideration with decisions made by the University. This passion led to his eventual election as LSG president in trimester 7.
“I really wanted to be one of those people involved with ensuring that the student body is interfacing with those making the big decisions so that our voices, specifically, are heard,” Tyler said.
Being a part of LSG, Tyler has had opportunities to work directly with decision-makers impacting students, like Kristina Petrocco-Napuli, DC, MS, DHPE (’23), FICC and Associate Provost of the College of Chiropractic at Logan. The two have collaborated for many trimesters.
“Logan is going through curriculum redesign and things like that,” Tyler said. “Dr. Petrocco has sought out my help and the help of my team on the LSG executive board to play into that student voice and make sure student input is being taken into consideration.”
Leadership through growth and service is also evident in Tyler’s current clinical work. As part of his clinical training in the DC program, he chose to do a clerkship at John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital.
“It’s been amazing,” Tyler said. “The VA offers the ability for chiropractors to work in an integrated system, making sure that we are working alongside medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, physical therapists, massage therapists and a variety of different medical specialties to ensure that we’re getting our veterans the best possible care.”
Chiropractic is a part of the VA health care system’s whole health initiative, which involves empowering veterans to take charge of their health and help them live their lives to the fullest.
“All this stuff is getting our veterans to take part in ensuring they’re doing the best for themselves – which is really great,” Tyler said. “Chiropractic is one of those first steps for our veterans. It’s really great to be able to give back to the people that served our country.”
Involvement with Logan and the VA healthcare system has offered Tyler an avenue to explore his own new ideas. He has put in efforts to start a partnership between Logan and the VA hospital in his hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania to establish a rotation site there. Tyler was the catalyst of this project, bringing key players into the mix, including Dr. Petrocco-Napuli.
Future Logan students will have opportunities to train in their own communities once this new rotation site is established, something Tyler also hopes to do in the VA Butler Healthcare System.
“The VA is really leading the charge on integrating chiropractic with the normal medical model,” Tyler said. “The VA also does a lot of research regarding chiropractic, so that’s another opportunity to contribute to the profession that’s given so much to me.”
Beyond that goal, Tyler aims to continue working in the VA healthcare system or through the VA chiropractic residency program. Providing patient care in an integrated healthcare setting is where he hopes to be in the future.
No matter where Tyler goes next, he will continue to be a leader. And he will always be grateful for the people and places that offered him opportunities to advance his skills.
Tyler is projected to graduate from the DC program in December 2024.
“The most rewarding part of attending Logan is the people that I’ve met,” Tyler said. “I’ve made a lot of great friends. I’ve met a lot of important people within this profession. It has afforded me a lot of networking opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. We have some of the greatest minds in chiropractic at Logan, and being able to learn from them and work with them is one of the greatest honors,” he adds.