As his father, longtime MVCC Coach Bob Gould, ends a legendary career, Dr. David D. Gould ’12 is just starting his own — as a licensed chiropractor and acupuncturist who recently opened his own practice, Gould Standard Chiropractic & Acupuncture in Utica, N.Y. He also travels to Syracuse weekly to treat patients at Meridian Chiropractic and Wellness, where he’s been working since 2019.

David’s career choice is a perfect fit for someone who was raised to value health and wellness, and it allows him to give back to the community he’s proud to call home. “I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a doctor, and my goal was to find a career in the service of others,” he says. “As a Doctor of Chiropractic and practitioner of acupuncture, I’ve found my purpose.”

His practice, which combines modalities from two distinct disciplines, creates a unique type of therapy that doesn’t quite fit the traditional chiropractic business model. “Having the freedom to practice in my own style is a great feeling,” he says. “The vast majority of my patients leave the office feeling significantly better than when they walked in. Chiropractic and acupuncture works — especially when done in conjunction.”

David treats a variety of patients and addresses their medical concerns with evidence-based solutions. He also focuses on education and nutrition in helping people achieve their health goals. “Patient education is paramount,” he says. “Learning about what caused the dysfunction initially leads to prevention later. Also teaching my patients about how the nervous and the musculoskeletal systems interact and operate helps them better understand inflammatory processes within their bodies, which leads to discussion about sleep, stress, nutrition, exercise, and so on.”

In addition to treating his patients’ symptoms, his goal is to help them establish long-lasting strength and resilience and provide them with tools to help themselves. “I want them to try and maintain their wellness and use my services on a maintenance basis,” he says.

A lifelong Hawk

After graduating from Frankfort-Schuyler Junior/Senior High school, David decided to major in Biology at MVCC, a place he knew very well since both his parents worked at the College. “I’m a lifelong Hawk,” he says. “MVCC was my one and only choice out of high school. It turned out to be a critically important steppingstone on my educational path.”

At MVCC, David not only excelled as a student, but also as a student-athlete. He was a midfielder and co-captain of the Men’s Soccer Team, which was coached by his dad.

“My father and I have always had a great relationship,” he says. “It must be difficult for any parent to coach their child, let alone an 18- to 20-year-old who’s got a ton to learn yet about life. But we won a lot of games, and we had great teams the two years I played for him. I just hope he can look back on his career and feel gratification from all the teams he coached and how much of an impact he had on the players. On my own personal reflection, I’m just grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of his teams and to be his assistant coach for one season in 2014.”

In November 2011, David, then a sophomore at MVCC and co-captain of the men’s Soccer Team, spoke at the dedication ceremony for the Robert R. Jorgensen Athletic/Event Center, where he talked about being a lifelong Hawk who had the privilege of spending much of his childhood at MVCC. “I grew up in this gym,” he said at the time. “Since I was about 5 years old, on any given day there would be a chance of seeing little Gould roam the halls.”

David recalls being asked to give a short speech at a “small event” at the College. “The day of the event I learned the scope of it — it was an important day for the College and the entire College community would be there. Some nerves and nausea accompanied my realization; however, I was honored to be a small part of that ceremony. I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Jorgensen as a child and as a young adult. I learned how much of an impact he had on my father’s career and the path of the physical education department at MVCC.”

After graduating from MVCC, David earned a bachelor’s degree at Utica University, where he played two more years of collegiate soccer. He went on to earn a Master’s of Applied Clinical Nutrition and Doctor of Chiropractic from Northeast College of Health Sciences (formerly New York Chiropractic College), and a Master’s of Acupuncture from the Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

“MVCC shaped almost every aspect of my life for the better,” David says. “It was my first taste of collegiate academia. If I didn’t have a good experience there, I don’t think I would have chosen to spend the rest of a decade studying and attending lectures at other schools. If it weren’t for MVCC, I don’t believe I’d be in this position helping people like I am today.”