WDC Scholarship Award

Linda Elwart Atkinson D.C. Legacy Award Application

Every year, Women Chiropractors gives away a $1,000 to a woman DC, chosen by the criteria below. This is given in honor of Linda Elwart Atkinson DC, who was a blessing to many, who did great things in our profession, and one whom we want her legacy to live on. Apply below to be considered for this $1,000 gift. 

Women Chiropractors

Criteria for Application:

The candidate must be a woman doctor of chiropractic in practice for 2 or more years and be a womenchiropractors.org dues paying member. Submit a 100 word minimum, not more than 300 words essay on “What the Women Chiropractors Community has meant to me”. In this statement 300 word maximum, explain how this award will aid you in practice. Applications must be received by the WDC no later than May 25, 2025 to be considered.

How the WDC will assess your essay: Sincerity, creativity, value to our members and/or readers.
How we announce the winner: The winner will be announced on the www.womenchiropractors.org website and social media on June 5, 2025. You will be contacted no later than June 4, 2025 if you are awarded this scholarship, via email.

Terms and Conditions:
– The amount of this scholarship is $1000, nonrenewable. It is awarded annually to a new female DC each year. By participating, the applicant agrees that womenchiropractors.org (WDC) as well as its social media have exclusive rights to publish the essay or content submitted.
– Selection of the winner is at the sole discretion of the Women Chiropractors Board.
– Only one submission per person is accepted. Duplicated, copied, incomplete, faulty, late, or non-english submissions will be rejected.
– Any taxes will be the responsibility of the recipient of the prize winner

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Biography | Neema Moore

Dr. Neema Tillery Moore is originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  She is passionate about supporting and empowering woman professionals and entrepreneurs  to gain confidence, optimize their health, and walk in their greatness.  Her academic background, with degrees in Biology Secondary Education and a Doctor of Chiropractic from the prestigious  Palmer College of Chiropractic, showcases her commitment to education and healthcare.

Having participated in a chiropractic mission trip to India, where she provided care to over 3,000 patients, reflects her passion for making a positive impact on a global scale. With over a decade of experience, she has owned and currently manages two successful chiropractic practices—one in Woodbridge, Virginia, and a satellite office in Haymarket, VA.

As an accomplished speaker, business owner, and Amazon best-selling author of the book “Confidence NOW,” she actively advocates for women’s empowerment and provides valuable tools to help them build confidence even after facing life’s challenges. The book aims to inspire women to courageously pursue their dreams without letting obstacles hold them back.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Dr. Neema enjoys bringing women together for empowerment by hosting luxury retreats and conducting workshops in wellness and personal development. Her personal life is also noteworthy, as she balances being a wife to an entrepreneur and business owner and a mother to teenage twins.

Dr. Neema Tillery Moore’s achievements and dedication to uplifting women through various platforms make her an influential figure in her community and a source of inspiration for women looking to build confidence, wellness, and success in their lives.

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Biography | Alexis Lignos

An architect of award-winning media campaigns, Alexis Lignos is a certified digital marketing professional with a passion for transforming ideas into impactful results. Alexis graduated from Montclair State University in 2012 with honors, having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in Public Relations. After graduation, she pursued a career as a publicist specializing in healthcare, where she was responsible for securing earned media coverage in top-tier publications and navigating crisis communications.

Alexis is currently the Marketing Director of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to building positive awareness regarding the benefits of chiropractic care.

In her free time, Alexis enjoys spending time outdoors and with family.

“It is an honor to serve the Women Chiropractors’ mission to advance the chiropractic profession and support the role of women in that advancement. The level of support, networking and knowledge-sharing WDC provides its members is a key benefit to all women seeking balance in their personal and professional lives. I look forward to elevating awareness of this growing community.”

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Biography | Michelle Turk

Dr. Michelle Turk is graduate of NYCC. After running a multi-doctor, family chiropractic practice, she began coaching other chiropractors. For over twenty years, she has shared her experience and expertise, leading her fellow DCs towards personal and practice success. She is the owner of Positive Impact Coaching and Consulting.

Michelle is grateful to be able to serve on the WDC Board. After many years in our profession, she appreciates the opportunity to give back in this way. When asked why she enjoys serving this organization, she responded, “My years in practice and as a coach have allowed me to really see a wide variety of practices. What I’ve learned is that there is not one right way to practice. It is essential for each doctor to define what their own ideal practice is and take daily steps to achieve it. No one can define success and fulfillment for us. We need to start supporting and encouraging each other, even those who practice differently than us. Women chiropractors often face the additional challenge of balancing practice and family, and we have not yet earned an equal voice profession wide. It is my hope to support and empower women chiropractors to achieve their own version of success and to step up to our rightful place in this great profession.”

Michelle’s particular areas of expertise include effective doctor-patient communication, patient education and retention, leadership, and using statistics in practice management.

On a personal note, Michelle is married to Andrew Schneider, and they have young adult twin daughters.

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Biography | Cyndy Shaft-Toll

Dr. Cynthia Shaft-Toll DC FPAC is the founder of Women Chiropractors

If you meet Dr Cyndy in person you will know how passionate she is for this movement to help all women chiropractors achieve the dreams they had when they applied for admission to chiropractic college. Dr Cyndy who is the mother of 7 and grandmother of 8 comes from a large family of chiropractors. She saw first hand not only from her own challenges of balancing her life versus the male DCs in her family ,but the other cousins and her sister who are DCs.
Growing up in the profession she knew early on that a Woman Chiropractors organization was necessary. After a painful divorce she had to rebuild her life and practice. Because she knew the success models and the people who she could turn to for real advice about how to do this quickly and effectively she surpassed the numbers her former husband and herself had reached in 4 years during a severe recession. . Dr Shaft realized there were so many other women who were chiropractors in similar situations who didn’t have the advantage of knowing what to do or which way to go often being taken advantage of in the process.
It was this realization and driving force that produced this burning passion to form a woman chiropractors organization so other WDCs could connect with each other and collaborate on how to solve and win at the challenges of our great profession and to produce a sisterhood of chiropractors. She reached out to anyone and everyone she knew sharing this idea. She started writing and teaching at her state association and Dr Nancy Cooper joined her in this helping her formulate these ideas. Later on more and more strong female chiropractors caught this vision. The Women Chiropractors Fb group went viral and now is an incredible resource group for females all over the globe reaching over 60 countries so far.
In 2016 Dr Cyndy decided it was time to start a nonprofit and 9 female chiropractors formed what is now Women Chiropractors
In 2017.
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Biography | Cristina Padilla

Dr Cristina Padilla Bravo was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where her family currently resides. In 2008 she graduated from University of Puerto Rico for undergraduate studies in Biology, Her interest for women’s wellness and healthcare led her to New York Chiropractic College in 2011.

During her time at NYCC, Dr Padilla furthered her passion for Nutrition, Pediatric and Prenatal Chiropractic Care by becoming Webster Certified by Jeanne Ohm in 2012, via the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). While continuing her clinical education in Buffalo NY, Dr Padilla began her training with the ICPA for the pediatric certification program. Currently, she is working on completing the clinical research to finalize the requirements for the Certificate in Pediatrics from the Academy Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics (CACCP).

After graduating in from NYCC in 2014, Dr Padilla relocated to Jacksonville FL to continue her career. Wanting to pursue her dream of being a business owner and after observing a constant need to make Chiropractic care more accessible to families, in the fall of 2017, Thrive Family Chiropractic, a house call Chiropractic practice, was born.

The idea behind a house call practice came from the desire to conveniently deliver individualized, patient-centered care to families in NE Florida, primarily women during and post pregnancy as well as families with children. The vision for Thrive Family Chiropractic is that Chiropractic and Wellness become part of a family’s routine or a family activity, rather than “something they should do or have to do”. Currently, she provides her services at homes, gyms, businesses and/or birthing centers.

Dr Padilla is an active member of several international groups like Women Chiropractors (WDC) and the ICPA. Locally, she currently holds the President seat for a second consecutive year at the River City BNI Chapter, she is an exclusive member of the Jacksonville Maternity Directory and the North Florida Birth Alliance and manages, along with other birthworkers, the Jacksonville Natural Birthing and Parenting group, a Facebook group with over 1,000 women. She also serves on the board for Sanctuary on 8th Street in Jacksonville. In 2019, she participated as a panelist for House Call Chiropractors at the Florida Chiropractic Association’s The National, its yearly convention in Orlando, Fl. Most recently, Dr. Padilla participated from the 2020 Women Chiropractors Re-Entry class and was awarded the Linda Atkinson Memorial Award by such organization and as of December 2020 is certified as a Birthfit. She continues to further her techniques and education towards the promotion of wellness, preconception and craniosacral technique to help families from the pre-conception stage through postpartum and specifically to cater to infants with plagiocephaly and tethered oral tissue conditions (TOT’s).

As a new member of the WDC Board, Dr Padilla wants to further improve the access of mentorship and resources to recent female DC graduates in order to best prepare them for entrepreneurship, something she felt she was missing during her first few years in practice. She also wants to promote mentorship for under represented WDC to increase representation across our profession, not only for women but for WOC and Hispanic/Latina Chiropractors.

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Biography | Karen Hudes

Dr. Karen Hudes is a chiropractor who is a member of both the Canadian Chiropractic Association and the Ontario Chiropractic Association.  She obtained her Doctor of Chiropractic Degree at the National University of Health Sciences in Chicago, Illinois, in December, 2000.  She has been licensed to practice chiropractic in Ontario since February, 2001 and has been in private practice since that time.  She holds an Honours Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo as well as a Bachelors of Science Degree in Human Biology from the National College of Chiropractic, and a Certificate in Acupuncture.  Dr. Hudes is a certified functional abilities evaluator and has been conducting insurance exams for over 13 years.  She is Rehabilitation specialist and is a Fellow of the Canadian Chiropractic Specialty College of Physical & Occupational Rehabilitation.  Dr. Hudes has been a member of different committees for the Canadian Chiropractic Examining Board for more than 10 years and was just named to the board of the Canadian Chiropractic Specialty College of Physical and Occupational Rehabilitation.  She participated in the alpha class for the WDC Re-entry Program while restarting her clinical practice in the fall of 2017 and winter of 2018 and was the recipient of the WDC Linda Elwart Atkinson Memorial Scholarship in 2018.  She was presented with a WDC Achievement Award at the first WDC conference in Orlando, Florida in October 2018.

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Biography | Donna Craft

Women Chiropractors bring you the best of the best female chiropractors.  If your heart is taking you toward a path involving nation, state, and local leadership, look no further than Dr. Donna Craft.  She is a powerful and highly influential female chiropractor who has, and continues to, spread chiropractic to the masses on a GIGANTIC scale creating a legacy for all women chiropractors to embrace and follow.

• FIRST woman elected as the President of the NBCE after holding numerous other prestigious positions within the NBCE since 2003

• ONE of the member of the first DICCP in 1996

• Founding member of the ICA Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics

• Chair for two years of the Michigan Board of Chiropractic 1996-2004

• 2002 MCS Chiropractor of the Year

• Inducted Palmer Academy of Chiropractic Fellow  in 2015

• Named International College of Chiropractors, Inc Fellow in 2016

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Biography | Nancy Cooper

I was so lucky to grow up in a family of Chiropractors. My dad was a very active chiropractor in Michigan and I learned so much from him, not only about chiropractic, but creating a community in chiropractic. I used to play upstairs while the chiro guys gathered in the basement talking about chiropractic and changing the world!  Times have changed since those days, but I still seek out that chiropractic community and am excited to find one with Women Chiropractors.

I am a mom, a Pediatric Diplomate, and business owner.  I have had my own practice since 1987 and found my passion 15 years into my career…pediatrics. My personal practice is limited to pediatrics and moms, with my favorite being the babies. I own two successful practices-one in a suburb of Indianapolis and a newer office on the other side of town exclusively for moms and kids.

When I think of this group of Women Chiropractors and how I can contribute, all I can say is…I have been through it all! Audits, bankruptcy, single with one income, maternity leave and more. While it is never my intention to compare life’s low points with others, I will say that all of us on the Women Chiropractor’s board have our own stories of tragedy and triumph, perhaps just like you. Life’s greatest highs and lowest lows create us to be who we are today. 

I was so happy when Dr. Cyndy asked me to be a founding board member of the Women Chiropractor’s group. This is an amazing assembly of women…No boys allowed! I’m looking forward to meeting you all, face-to-face in the future and regularly online!

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Biography | Sandy Andersson

Dr. Sandy Andersson is the former owner of Family Chiropractic of Lederach in Harleysville, PA. Following 40 years in practice, she retired in May, 2021. Her practice incorporated massage, reflexology, acupuncture, nutritional coaching, and her additional passion as a yoga teacher into the chiropractic center creating an environment of health, healing, connection, and community. 

Dr. Sandy is the founder of Yoga for Happy Spines, previously in-person classes, and now a Youtube channel. She is the mom of four adult children and 4 grands.  Now as a retiree, leads an active and healthy lifestyle which includes pickleball, yoga, hiking, and biking. She enjoys staying connected with chiropractors through the WDC and looks forward to continuing to develop the connection, community spirit, and support this organization has brought to our profession.

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Biography | Ashleigh Creeden

Ashleigh Creeden is a skilled and passionate leader and learner in nonprofit business management. Having completed her degree from Concordia University Ann Arbor, MI, she has worked in various types of nonprofits for 12 years. Beginning initially in churches, she transitioned to nonprofit higher leadership 6 years ago, taking a start-up nonprofit from the beginning stages of incorporation through full business set-up, fundraising, and successful growth through marketing and networking. She came on board with Women Chiropractors in 2020 as Director of Operations and became Executive Director in 2021. She has enjoyed growing in knowledge in the field of Chiropractic, as well as leading Women Chiropractors through next levels of business growth and development. On a personal note, Ashleigh is married to Tony and together they have a beautiful daughter, Evelyn, and one on the way who we will meet in April of 2024!

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Biography | Michelle Wendling

Dr. Michelle Wendling DC owns All Seasons Chiropractic Sustainable Health Center a full body chiropractic practice she started right out of school in 2006. Her passion at ASCSHC is to get you better and SHOW you how to STAY better! She has over 30 years’ experience working on the human body and running her own businesses, including Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy, & personal training; giving her a unique perspective on the body and how to make each person invincible! She specializes in full body chiropractic adjustments, exercise therapy and effective patient education.

Dr. Michelle Wendling started mentoring chiropractors in 2009 to become more successful in practice through improved patient education, better adjusting skills & streamlined practice procedures. She welcomes students and young docs to shadow at her practice as often as they like. Her patients are supportive of her passion to help chiropractors be their BEST. She enjoys showing chiropractors new ways to look at the body, simple and effective treatment protocols, and ways to enhance their patient education skills to increase retention, referrals, and revenue! She now has well over 150 videos covering those topics created as a resource for chiropractors all around the world

Dr. Michelle states, about serving on the WDC Board, “I am excited to serve on the board of WDC in 2021 because this is a pivotal time for women chiropractors. WDC has been bringing women chiropractors together to share and support each other for years and has become an asset to our profession. Women have so many hats in addition to being business owners, and we are better when we help each other to succeed! WDC has reduced the walls of competition and built a platform for collaboration and I’m excited to contribute my time and skills to our awesome profession!”

She has grown other organizations, including her own practice, and charity groups by bringing people together and creating a “win win” environment so that everyone involved experiences success. She believes that the more we help each other, the more we grow, and the bigger the waves of change we can ignite. She is highly organized and skilled in seeing the “how” to support and create an organization’s “what.” She has also been teaching adjusting technique and simple rehab for 10+ years in order to enhance patient care and elevate their results. She is passionate about seeing our profession succeed.

On a personal note, Michelle has a thirst for adventure and travel, so after 15 years in practice, she is selling her practice and heading out on the road with her husband to travel and “work” for the next few years. She says, “I would love to stop by YOUR practice and connect with you, so reach out and say “hi!” I look forward to creating a new community, filled with amazing women chiropractors, in this mobile lifestyle!”

Achievements:

Dr. Michelle (as her patients affectionately refer to her) was voted Rising Star Chiropractor of the Year in 2013 and 2015 by the Colorado Chiropractic Association for her passion to support the profession and her commitment to helping chiropractors succeed in Colorado.

In 2013 she was elected to the Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners by Governor Hickenlooper and continues to serve as vice president to protect the public in chiropractic matters.