02/02/2026
Did you know? Dr. Fred Rubel was a true pioneer in chiropractic history.
• In 1913, Dr. Fred Rubel became the first known African American to graduate from the National School of Chiropractic, earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree less than two decades after the profession was founded in 1895, and at a time when Black students were often barred from higher education. Shortly after graduating, Dr. Rubel founded the Rubel College of Chiropractic, one of the earliest chiropractic schools in the United States, with a mission that explicitly welcomed students of all races and aimed to “open the field of instruction to all races, no matter what the color of their skin to learn to learn one of the greatest modern professions - Chiropractic.”
• In the early 1900s, many chiropractic schools enforced racial barriers through formal policies or informal practices, forcing African American students to rely on correspondence courses or segregated institutions to pursue chiropractic education. Through both his personal achievements and the creation of an inclusive chiropractic college, Dr. Rubel actively challenged exclusionary norms and expanded access to professional healthcare education when equality was far from reality.
• While chiropractic education today is open to students of all races, African Americans still represent a small percentage of practitioners, highlighting the continued relevance of Dr. Rubel’s early efforts to address systemic barriers. Since Dr. Rubel’s time, chiropractic has evolved into a regulated, evidence-informed health profession with nearly 20 accredited colleges in the United States, international licensing standards, professional organizations, and growing research initiatives. Dr. Fred Rubel’s pioneering career helped shape the ethical and educational foundations of chiropractic, bringing early attention to issues of access and representation that the profession continues to confront more than a century later.
We honor and thank Dr. Fred Rubel for his courage, vision, and unwavering commitment to inclusion in chiropractic education. His efforts opened doors that were once firmly closed, making it possible for future generations of chiropractors to learn, serve, and lead. Because of pioneers like Dr. Rubel, institutions such as Empire Chiropractic exist today, continuing the work of access, excellence, and representation that he helped begin.
