Engage 2026 Speakers

Krista Burns, DC, DHA, DACNB is the founder of the American Posture Institute, author of the textbook The Posture Principles, and a TEDx speaker. Dr. Burns is a dual doctorate as a Doctor of Chiropractic and a Doctor of Health Administration. She has a Diplomate in Functional Neurology by the American Chiropractic Neurology Board. Dr. Burns is an instructor of clinical neurology for doctoral students at National University of Health Sciences.  

She has been featured on media, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News Radio, and Global Woman Magazine, and on prestigious stages, including the World Congress of Neurology and Neurological Disorders and the World Congress of Falls and Postural Stability. She was recognized as a Top 100 Doctor by the Global Summits Institute and is the host of the International Posture Symposium.  

Kristy Carbonelli, DC is the department chair of basic sciences at Parker University, where she leads faculty across foundational science disciplines and oversees critical teaching environments, including the Gross Anatomy Lab and the Willed Body Program. Her leadership centers on strong curriculum design, student support, and preparing future chiropractors to deliver care that is both effective and compassionate.  

From 2005 to 2017, Dr. Carbonelli served patients in private practice before transitioning into academia as a clinic faculty doctor from 2017 to 2019. These experiences continue to inform her of her commitment to bridging education with the practical realities of patient care and professional sustainability.  

A certified trainer in trauma-informed care, Dr. Carbonelli’s scholarship and teaching emphasize how communication, environment, and policy influence a patient’s sense of safety and engagement. She redesigned the Business of Chiropractic course at Parker to ensure students graduate with the tools to build operationally sound, patient-focused practices that support personal and professional well-being.  

Dr. Carbonelli serves as president of the Faculty American Chiropractic Association (FACA) and as faculty advisor to the Student ACA (SACA), helping strengthen advocacy, leadership, and professional development within the chiropractic community. She presents nationally on trauma-informed approaches and innovation in chiropractic education.  

Her work is grounded in a clear belief: When we intentionally design how we show up, communicate, and structure care, patients benefit and providers thrive. A compassionate practice is not accidental; it is built thoughtfully from the start.  

Cynthia Chapman, DC, MPH is an ORISE research and evaluation fellow with the Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Division of the Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement (CEPI) at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In this capacity, she works to support and analyze the effectiveness and impact of the EPC program and other programs at AHRQ.  

Dr. Chapman received her BS from Syracuse University, her Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic West, and her MPH from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society and completed a practicum at the RAND Reach Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Center. Dr. Chapman is an adjunct associate professor at Northeast College of Health Sciences. In 2023, she was selected as a participant in the MAR-PHTC Public Health Leadership Institute. At ACA, she serves on the Public Health Advisory Board and as the vice chair of the Code Utilization and Application Subcommittee , which is a part of the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee. In 2024, Dr. Chapman was selected to be an ACA Health Policy Fellow.   

Prior to joining AHRQ, Dr. Chapman was a practicing chiropractic clinician for more than 20 years with additional training in acupuncture and chiropractic care for pregnant people. She has served as a peer-reviewer for many conferences and journals and is a frequent conference presenter. She has held leadership roles in state and national professional associations, including the American Public Health Association and the Unified Virginia Chiropractic Association. During COVID-19, she aided her community as a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer.   

Closing Keynote Speaker

Brian C. Coleman, DC, MHS is a clinician-scientist with a primary interest in the application of clinical informatics in pain research. Dr. Coleman’s background as a biomedical engineer, chiropractor, and informaticist has supported his early career work focusing on data mining, machine learning, and natural language processing of electronic health record data. He has published his research in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, including the application of machine learning and natural language processing to data collected in chiropractic clinics. He has also published responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during clinical research, including leading the publication of a measure to assess individual impacts on pragmatic clinical trial study participants.  

Dr. Coleman’s work has focused on pain care and clinical research in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) as part of the Pain Research, Informatics,  Multimorbidities, and Education (PRIME) Center at VA Connecticut. His responsibilities include collaboration with the VA’s National Chiropractic Program Office, the VA Health Services Research & Development Pain/Opioid Consortium of Research, and the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory Coordinating Center (PMC3). Dr. Coleman also provides chiropractic care to U.S. military veterans at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.  

Zachary Cupler, DC, MS has been a chiropractor and licensed acupuncturist for 10 years. For the past nine years, he has served as a staff clinician at VA Butler Health Care System. He leads the interdisciplinary pain management team and provides clinical care for acute and chronic pain conditions within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service.  

Beyond the clinic, Dr. Cupler chairs the VA Butler Health Care System Pain Management and Opioid Review Committees and serves as the facility’s pain point of contact for the Pain Management, Opioid Safety and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. He was named to the SpineLine’s 2022 class of “20 Under 40.”  

Currently, he is a Scientific Commission board representative to Clinical Compass, a not-for-profit think tank to improve patient outcomes by advancing evidence–based care to transform health care through knowledge translation. He also serves as a member of the American Chiropractic Association’s Opioid and Research Advisory Boards and the North American Spine Society’s Clinical Practice Guidelines Council.   

Dr. Cupler’s research interest spans the evaluation and management of acute and chronic spinal pain conditions. His investigations include systematic and scoping reviews as well as retrospective observational cohorts. He has more than 15 peer-reviewed publications and has served as a subject matter expert for national and multinational clinical practice guideline development for spine condition management.  

Paul Duffy, DC is the medical director of St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Division of Chiropractic Care, which he helped start in 2023. Today, that division serves more than 20,000 yearly patient visits with five chiropractors. He is also on the faculty of St. Luke’s Chiropractic Residency as well as its Division of Primary Care Sports Medicine Residency Program, Division of Spine and Pain Fellowship Program, and Musculoskeletal Leadership team. Prior to St. Luke’s, Dr. Duffy was a staff chiropractor at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and part of the LVHN Orthopedic Institute. Before that, he was chair of chiropractic at Coordinated Health for 23 years, serving on the executive leadership team.   

Dr. Duffy supports a large chiropractic practice specializing in soft tissue cases and sports medicine, and is a chiropractic consultant for multiple universities, colleges and high schools. He has been the official team chiropractor for Lehigh University, a Division 1 athletic program, for 29 years.    

He started his career in 1989 in private practice after graduating from Palmer College of Chiropractic and holds an undergraduate degree in Biology and Physiology from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a certified Graston and Kineseotaping provider and was instrumental in establishing treatment protocols for the Palomar Class IV laser.    

Reza Eftekhar, DC is a licensed chiropractic physician with a thriving private practice spanning multiple cities, including Alexandria, Va., and Atlanta, Ga. He holds licenses in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and has extensive training in treating headaches and migraines, TMJ disorders, and injuries related to vehicle accidents.  

Dr. Eftekhar earned his undergraduate degree from the Virginia Military Institute in 2009 and completed his Doctor of Chiropractic at the University of Bridgeport in 2013. He currently serves as an assistant professor in clinical research and leadership at The George Washington University School of Medicine and practices at the GW Integrative Medicine Center, where he mentors GW medical students in clinical rotations. He previously held a faculty position at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.  

In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Eftekhar has built a substantial social media following, where he shares insights on health, wellness, and integrative care with a broad and engaged audience.  

McAndrews Leadership Lecture Keynote Speaker

David Elton, DC is co-founder of Arete Healthcare and CEO of Arete Networks. A healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group, he led major innovations in musculoskeletal care delivery, payer strategy and benefit designs, and quantifying the value-proposition of chiropractic care. Dr. Elton brings unique insights into the strategies and tactics chiropractors need to adopt in the next 5 to 10 years to remain economically viable and reach their full potential as essential members of a patient’s care team, trusted collaborators, and contributors to an optimally functioning U.S. healthcare system.  

Blake Graham, DC MS CSCS DACBSP  is a board-certified sports chiropractor with a strong background in performance optimization and injury rehabilitation. He holds a master’s degree in strength and human performance from Parker University, with post-doctorate training in sports medicine, rehabilitation, and acupuncture. He is a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.  

Dr. Graham is currently an affiliate faculty member of the University of Western States and has served as clinic faculty at Parker University and taught more than 200 hours of continuing medical education for the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He is currently the director of performance and sports medicine for the U.S. Fistball Association and served on the medical staff for multiple national and professional teams. He is the current president of the ACBSP® Board of Directors and a sports medicine and performance specialist at Delta S Performance in Golden, Colo.  

A lifelong learner and athlete, Dr. Graham brings a precise, movement-based approach to care that emphasizes root-cause solutions and performance longevity.  

Julie Johnson, DC, CFMP is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic Davenport. She created the first interdisciplinary health center in her community before returning to academia, where she currently serves as a faculty clinician and assistant professor at a chiropractic college. As a former elementary teacher, she enjoys continuing to teach by mentoring student interns and providing evidence-informed care to a diverse patient population in an academic setting. Her clinical excellence extends to her recent work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where she played a role in a nationally recognized, multi-institutional study on chiropractic therapy for chronic low back pain in veterans providing chiropractic and acupuncture care at two VA locations.  

In addition to her clinical and academic accomplishments, Dr. Johnson is a passionate advocate for community health education and military family wellness. With a grandfather that served in WWII, she recognized the unique needs associated with military service and developed a program that has provided more than $6 million in complimentary chiropractic clinical care for active-duty service members, veterans, and their dependents within a chiropractic college system. As a result of this program, she chose to serve as president for the Rock Island Arsenal Association of the United States Army Chapter for two terms and was nominated in 2019 to become an Army reserve ambassador. Appointed by the chief of the Army Reserve, ambassadors hold a Department of Army Protocol Precedence as a major general (2-star) equivalent and work to develop awareness and advocacy for the reserves in this key outreach and engagement program. She is serving in her second three-year term as one of 11 women in the nation to hold this position, and the first chiropractor.    

Ashlee L. Kates-Ascioti, DC, MS, DACBR earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northeast College of Health Sciences (formerly NYCC) in 2016. She continued her studies at Northeast in the Master of Science in Diagnostic Imaging residency program, graduating in 2019. That same year she became a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology (DACBR).   

Currently living in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Dr. Kates-Ascioti is an associate professor and radiology residency director at Parker University. She currently serves as the president of the ACA Council on Diagnostic Imaging, as a co-organizer for the annual Resident Educational Workshop for the American Chiropractic College of Radiology (ACCR), and as a member on a variety of committees for Parker University and the ACCR. Her research interests include the impacts of pedagogical approaches in healthcare education and educational assessment outcomes.   

Robert McKnight, DC, DIANM serves as the president of the ACA Council on Chiropractic Orthopedics. He is the clinic director at Advanced Spine & Rehabilitation of Utah LLC, a multispecialty spine care center consisting of chiropractic orthopedists and medical physicians. Dr. McKnight is a board-certified chiropractic orthopedist and has been in practice for 20 years. He is also an instructor for the University of Bridgeport. Dr. McKnight has well over 10,000 hours of direct clinical training with chiropractic orthopedists, pain management physicians, family medicine doctors, and orthopedic spine surgeons. He has assisted with thousands of interventional pain management procedures and spine surgeries. Dr. McKnight is certified in regenerative medicine. He has served as the team chiropractor for professional football and baseball teams, athletes in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, professional dancers, and Broadway performers.    

Vanessa Morales DC, MPH, MS is a Professor and the Director of Clinical Assessment at Parker University, where she drives educational innovation by designing clinical curricula that integrate the biopsychosocial model and address the social determinants of health. Her work emphasizes advanced clinical competencies, including shared decision-making, interdisciplinary communication, critical appraisal of evidence, and motivational interviewing.

Beyond her leadership on campus, Dr. Morales serves as Faculty ACA Vice President, is a member of the CCE Academy, and chairs the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Accreditation and Assessment Workgroup. Driven by a deep commitment to public health, she is actively involved in research and recently completed her Master of Public Health.

At Engage 2026, Dr. Morales invites clinicians to explore how vigilance, humility, and collaboration can elevate safety standards and strengthen public trust in chiropractic care.

Michael Moore, DC, MHA, PhD is a second generation chiropractor from South Texas. He graduated from Texas Chiropractic College in 2007, earned a Master of Health Administration degree in 2017, and earned a PhD in Higher Education Administration: Educational Leadership in 2024. Dr. Moore has opened and operated a successful chiropractic clinic, served as a corporate risk manager, administered a self-funded workers’ compensation plan, and served as a post-acute healthcare administrator. Dr. Moore joined Parker University in 2018 and serves as the Differential Diagnosis course director. 

Christopher Murray, DC DABCI, ND, CME has been in practice in Hastings, Neb., since 2008. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists and has provided multi-disciplinary continuing education classes across the United State in areas of examination, diagnosis, lab analysis, and nutrition. Dr. Murray is a certified medical examiner with the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. He is the immediate past president of the Nebraska Chiropractic Physicians Association.  As an advocate for the chiropractic profession, he has testified at the state legislative level regarding the chiropractic profession’s ability and need to diagnose and perform examinations. Dr. Murray’s passion in class is to educate doctors about the importance of their portal of entry role in health care and the reality that the chiropractic profession saves lives.  

Ian Paskowski, DC has served as medical director, Spine Care and Neurosurgery Program, at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, Mass., since 2008. BID-SpineCare and Neurosurgery is an integrated group of providers serving community physicians and their patients, focused on maintaining patient-centered health care for those suffering spine-related complaints.  

Dr. Paskowski currently serves on the Hospital Physician Group Advisory Board and completed a 10-year term as co-director of Hospital CME and a 2-year term on the hospital’s board of directors.  

Adam Pembleton, DC is a chiropractor at St. Luke’s University Health Network in the Lehigh Valley, PA. He is currently a resident in the inaugural year of the network’s chiropractic residency program. He collaborates with a variety of providers in an integrated clinical practice to provide patient-centered, evidence-based care while also participating in rotations to learn about the inner workings of a multidisciplinary healthcare team in a regional healthcare network. He found his passion for working with people in pain and promoting exercise-based treatments while at The Pennsylvania State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology. He obtained his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the University of Bridgeport.   

Morgan Price, DC is a staff chiropractor at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, Wash. She is an attending for their chiropractic residency program and educates a variety of chiropractic and non-chiropractic residents and students in her clinic. Dr. Price is also a provider in a multidisciplinary clinic in her VA system called “Movement is Medicine,” which consists of herself, a physiatrist, and a rehab psychologist, and that focuses on exercise programming and patient activation.     

Ashley Randermann, DC, MS is a Texas-based chiropractor and educator with a strong foundation in neuroscience and wellness. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Allied Health from Texas A&M University in 2015, followed by her Doctor of Chiropractic and Master of Science in Neuroscience from Parker University in 2019.   

Since graduating, she has focused on evidence-based musculoskeletal care, prenatal and pediatric chiropractic techniques, soft tissue modalities such as myofascial cupping and dry needling, and functional movement training for clients of all ages. Her professional profile emphasizes patient education and tailored treatment plans.  

Dr. Randermann also serves as a clinic faculty doctor at Parker University’s chiropractic wellness clinics, contributing to training the next generation of clinicians. Beyond her clinical and academic work, she competed as a nationally ranked junior equestrian, bringing an athlete’s mindset to her approach in performance and rehabilitation.  

Based in Dallas, Texas, her practice embraces a whole health philosophy with a focus on mobilizing the body, improving function, and empowering patients through movement, education, and care.  

Della Schmid, DC, MS has been a practicing chiropractor for more than 32 years in Newtown, Conn., while running her own private practice since 1993. A major contributor to her community, her chiropractic practice was recognized by the Newtown Chamber of Commerce in 2011, earning the Business of the Year Award. She also earned the Connecticut Chiropractic Association Community Service Award in 2001, underscoring her service-oriented nature.  

 In April of 2025, Dr. Schmid was elected to the AMA Healthcare Professionals Advisory Committee (HCPAC) as an advisor representing the American Chiropractic Association.  As an ACA member, Dr. Schmid volunteers on the association’s Code Utilization and Application and Code Utilization and Application Subcommittees, which fall under the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee. In these roles, she offers expert guidance to ACA staff and members on coding and related matters. In January 2025, she successfully completed ACA’s inaugural ACA Health Policy Fellowship, which was designed to develop competencies in the creation, revision, and valuation of chiropractic and physical medicine CPT codes and the navigation of the AMA CPT and RUC processes.  

Dr. Schmid demonstrated her collaborative approach to health care by sharing her extensive knowledge and clinical experience as a chiropractic consultant with the Leeway Hospital in New Haven between 1996 and 2007. She enjoys the outdoors in her spare time, especially the beach, walking her dog, and gardening.  She loves to entertain and cook for family and friends. 

Samuel Staula, DC earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree summa cum laude from the University of Bridgeport and is board certified, with additional certification as a Primary Spine Practitioner through the University of Pittsburgh. He treats spinal and musculoskeletal disorders using a combination of manual therapy, directional preference, and soft tissue techniques, and believes in collaborative care within a multidisciplinary setting.  

Health is more than the absence of disease; it’s physical, mental, and social well-being. As a chiropractic physician, Dr. Staula focuses on all aspects of a patient’s condition to deliver thoughtful, evidence-based care. No two patients are the same, so he takes the time to ensure an accurate diagnosis, build a tailored treatment plan, and educate patients on how to meet their goals. Real progress means identifying and addressing the root cause, whether it’s biomechanical, inflammatory, stress-related, or a mix, and breaking the cycle of re-injury.  

Before joining St. Luke’s, he helped build an integrated spine care program at Beth Israel Deaconess – Plymouth Hospital, where he served as associate director. Dr. Staula triaged patients from emergencies, urgent care, and primary care, coordinated testing and imaging, and worked closely with physical therapists, orthopedics, and neurosurgery. He was honored to present grand rounds and received multiple Honored Caregiver Awards.  

Whether working with professional athletes or everyday patients, he prides himself on being a strong listener and advocate. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, tennis, hiking, beach days, great pizza, and time with his wife, two boys, and dog.  

Alli Totzke, DC, MPP practices in Virginia at Montpelier Family Chiropractic. She works in a rural area where it’s common to have patients show their appreciation with farm-fresh vegetables. She serves as vice chair of the ACA Health Policy and Advocacy Committee and is also involved with the Chiropractic Future Strategic Plan, the Unified Virginia Chiropractic Association, and the American Public Health Association. Adding to her practice skills, Dr. Totzke practices acupuncture and is Webster certified. She is a graduate of National University of Health Sciences in Illinois and later earned a master’s degree in public policy. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games and working on local public policy efforts.