08/31/2026
2026 Palmer College Distinguished Service Award Winner: Michael Cafaro, D.C.
As a student, Dr. Cafaro walked through the Palmer Clinic and observed the words carved above its entrance — "Enter to learn how" — and, at the exit, "Go forth to serve." More than two decades later, he is still living that lesson. As an alumni ambassador, president of the Ohio State Chiropractic Association, and a devoted mentor to future chiropractors, service is woven into the way he practices, leads, and stays connected to the institution that shaped him. Whether caring for patients in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, or representing Palmer at conferences across the country, he carries the same belief: that a Palmer education comes with a responsibility that extends well beyond the clinic.
