The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts has officially revoked the chiropractic license of former Manhattan practitioner Clark A. Petersen following his conviction on dozens of sex-related criminal charges, bringing a formal end to his nearly four-decade career in the profession.
The board announced Thursday that Petersen’s license was permanently revoked after a formal disciplinary hearing held on April 10. The decision follows his September 2025 conviction on numerous felony and misdemeanor offenses involving patients at his chiropractic practice.
According to the board’s final order, Petersen, 67, was found guilty on Sept. 8, 2025, of 46 felony counts and five misdemeanor offenses stemming from years of sexual abuse committed inside his Manhattan clinic.
Among the convictions were four felony counts of rape and 40 felony counts of aggravated sexual battery, in addition to five misdemeanor convictions. Investigators determined that the crimes occurred over a five-year period, between 2017 and 2022, while Petersen was practicing as a licensed chiropractor.
State regulators said the criminal convictions provided sufficient grounds to permanently revoke his professional license, preventing him from practicing chiropractic medicine in Kansas.
The disciplinary action came after the Board of Healing Arts reviewed the case during an administrative hearing earlier this year. The board concluded that Petersen’s conduct constituted serious violations of the standards required of licensed healthcare professionals and warranted the strongest possible disciplinary measure.
Petersen practiced chiropractic medicine in Manhattan for approximately 39 years before his legal troubles ended his career. His clinic was closed before his criminal trial began in August 2025 in Riley County District Court.
Following his conviction, Petersen was sentenced in October 2025 to 330 months in prison equivalent to 27½ years for the offenses committed against multiple victims.
He is currently serving that sentence at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas.
The revocation of Petersen’s chiropractic license marks the final administrative action stemming from one of the state’s most significant cases involving professional misconduct in the healthcare field. The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts said the decision reinforces its commitment to protecting the public and ensuring that healthcare professionals who commit serious criminal offenses are permanently barred from practicing in the state.
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