Pathway to Practice grant

The Pathway to Practice Grant was created to help chiropractic students overcome financial barriers while taking the next step toward becoming licensed doctors. This grant is intended to assist students who need support covering travel-related expenses associated with attending NBCE board exams in Greeley, Colorado.

At Women Chiropractors, we believe finances should not stand in the way of a student’s future in the profession. Our goal is to help ease the burden of travel costs so students can focus on preparing for this important milestone with confidence.

 

Criteria for Application:

  1. Must be a female chiropractic student
  2. Students applying must be preparing to take a board exam within the year.

Terms and Conditions:

  • The amount of this scholarship is $500, nonrenewable. It is awarded twice per year to a female DC student that qualifies. By participating, the applicant agrees that womenchiropractors.org (WDC) as well as its social media have exclusive rights to publish the winner’s name and all associated information about the grant.
  • 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
  • Applications will be reviewed by a committee of the WDC board and chosen twice per year.
bio-popup-circle.png

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.

bio-popup-circle.png

Biography | Jo Davison

Jo is an internationally recognised chiropractor, speaker, and business mentor, and the founder of Blue Cow Practice. She is the author of multiple books on chiropractic leadership, communication, and practice growth.
 
Jo is passionate about helping women chiropractors create alignment between their practice and their life. As a mum of four and a home-educating parent, she understands the real-life juggle of running a business, caring for a family, and building a career that feels both successful and sustainable. She has experienced a wide range of practice models, from a seven-figure, multi-team clinic to a small family-run practice, giving her a unique perspective on what success can look like at different stages of life.
 
Jo’s mission is to help women in chiropractic thrive without burnout, overwhelm, or the pressure to follow someone else’s definition of success. She brings a powerful voice for education, mentorship, and community transformation. Her international perspective and visionary leadership will elevate WDC’s educational programming and global connections.
bio-popup-circle.png

Biography | Amanda Blonigen

Dr. Amanda Blonigen is passionate about helping our youth thrive. She is one of the first chiropractors to work within a public school system and provide chiropractic care for students at school. She is on the leading edge of chiropractic research for school aged children and is holding space for a brighter future in which all kids have access to chiropractic care. Dr. Amanda is certified through the ICPA (CACCP) and also FOCUS Academy.

bio-popup-circle.png

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.
bio-popup-circle.png

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.

bio-popup-circle.png

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.

bio-popup-circle.png

Biography | Polly Loneman

Polly Loneman is a senior marketing executive and Vice President of Marketing at NCMIC, where she leads brand strategy, growth initiatives, and integrated marketing teams across multiple lines of business. With experience in highly regulated industries, she brings a strategic, data-informed perspective to organizational leadership. Guided by her faith, Polly is deeply committed to community service and board involvement that strengthens families, supports children, and advances mission-driven impact. She is known for thoughtful governance, collaborative leadership, and a strong focus on stewardship and mission alignment.

bio-popup-circle.png

Biography | Roxanne Wagner

Roxanne and her husband have owned a chiropractic practice in Colorado since 2016. For the past five years, she has been a respected speaker and consultant, focusing on essential topics like documentation, billing, examination standards, Medicare compliance, and practice management. She also teaches Anatomy and Physiology at the Community College of Denver, educating the next generation of aspiring healthcare professionals. And as a board member of the Colorado Chiropractic Board, she contributes her expertise to advance the profession statewide. Her diverse expertise and commitment to the profession drive her passion for helping her patients and colleagues.
bio-popup-circle.png

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.

bio-popup-circle.png

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!

bio-popup-circle

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.