Celebrating Women in Leadership at Parker Seminars Las Vegas

BCA President, Catherine Quinn, recalls her experience receiving a ‘Women in Leadership 2022’ Award at the world’s largest chiropractic event in Las Vegas and discusses the importance of vision and ambition in great leadership

As we start to build hope that our community can begin to get together in-person again, I had the great pleasure to travel to Las Vegas in February to attend Parker Seminars Las Vegas alongside 3700 fellow chiropractors. As well as giving me the joys and connection that come with inperson events, this experience strengthened my passion for ensuing that BCA’s own events really do provide an immersive experience focused on what you, our members, can do to develop your professional life, as well as opportunities to reflect on what you have learnt along the way and share this with others on the same path.

A key moment for me was hearing Rear Admiral Jerome Adams MD (the 20th US Surgeon General, 2017-2021) advocate for the work committed to by the chiropractic profession. During an interview with the President of Parker University, Dr William Morgan DC, he celebrated the influence that chiropractors have on society and the value that non-surgical care can bring to the health of patients. He said, “I call upon you all to continue finding new and innovative ways to promote health and wellness”; words worth reflecting on!

The best attended event of the weekend had to be hearing Michael Phelps, winner of 28 Olympic medals (including a record-setting 23 Gold medals) discuss the pursuit of dreams. He encouraged us to “Dream, Plan, Execute…”, a lesson for all aspects of life! He discussed with great honesty and openness the challenges he has faced with his mental health through both the ups and downs of his swimming career, reminding us all that great leadership in any field comes with a great challenge and all that matters is how we go through and overcome this challenge.

The inaugural Abstracts for Clinical Evidence (ACE) event also took place throughout the seminar weekend and provided our research colleagues with the opportunity to share new evidence and insights. It was delivered by an international team of clinicians and scientists using the latest technology, iPosters – a virtual, interactive, multimedia poster platform.

Parker Las Vegas provided a great opportunity to meet with many other international leaders in the chiropractic profession, reinforcing relationships with BCA’s friends and supporters, including the World Federation of Chiropractic, Canadian and American Chiropractic Associations, and the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. These organisations share our vision for chiropractic, and we look forward to developing ways in which we can use our shared knowledge and experience to bring benefit to the UK profession as well as contribute to the profession internationally.

I was also honoured to deliver a talk at this wonderful event on the importance of ambition and diversity in leadership. I encouraged younger chiropractors to be proud of their ambition and to believe in themselves and their abilities. Focusing on female chiropractors, I said: “Know that an inspired person, an inspired leader really can change the world. Your role as a healthcare professional automatically makes you a leader. Being a leader means having strong core values and a vision of what to do with them. Vision is at the centre of every decision made and it is the energy that drives you on. Vision is what will inspire those around you to follow your lead and share in your passion.

I urge each one of you to ask yourselves: What do we do? Do we take up space or do we diminish ourselves to make others more comfortable? What is it in life that you think you can’t accomplish? Or what is it that people have said that you cannot do? Wouldn’t it feel unbelievable to prove them all wrong? Because I believe ambition should be celebrated. It’s just believing in yourself and your abilities. Imagine this: What would happen if we were all brave enough to be a little bit more ambitious? I think the world would change…but let’s start with chiropractic.”

During this inspiring weekend, it was a great pleasure to be recognised by Parker University and the World Congress of Women Chiropractors (WCWC) with their 2022 “Women in Leadership” Award at the closing ceremony. It was a great honour to be awarded alongside my international peers, Dr Debbie Wright (President of the Canadian Chiropractic Association) and Dr Michele Maiers (President of the American Chiropractic Association) who have been strong, influential, and compassionate people to work alongside over the past few years.

Parker Seminars gather some of the biggest names in chiropractic to provide tips and training on technique, patient communication, philosophy, health and wellness, personal development, and other specialties, including marketing and business management.

The BCA would like to congratulate Catherine for her outstanding achievement in recognition of her strong leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Since her election in 2017, Catherine has presided over the modernisation of the UK’s largest professional association, uniting members behind a patient-centred mission.

Parker’s President, Dr William Morgan DC, said Catherine’s leadership has focused on “building bridges, rather than walls”.

BCA CEO, Tom Mullarkey MBE, said, “Anyone who knows Catherine and her unstoppable energy and drive, and her utmost determination to contribute to the success of the profession, will not be surprised to see her lauded by her peers. And for her to receive this most prestigious international award, marking her out as one of the foremost women leading the profession at world level, is something for us all to be especially proud of. With our new Vision and Mission, and under Catherine’s leadership, the BCA is embarking on a most ambitious and far-reaching enterprise to ‘up our game’ in the eyes of our healthcare peers. And these ripples are already being felt, all around our world”.

Massive congratulations also go to Dr Debbie Wright and Dr Michele Maiers for their dedication to the chiropractic profession and strong, influential leadership.