Engage 2021 Educational Sessions- Pre-recorded (RETIRED)

Dr. John Stites recently retired from Palmer College of Chiropractic as the Professor and Director of Clinics.  He has a DC degree and has a Diplomates in Radiology and Orthopedics. He has worked as an editor, editorial board member and peer reviewer for a number of publications including JCCA and Spine. He provides chiropractic care in a Community Health Care center. Dr. Stites has served as the chair of the Chiropractic Health Care section of the American Public Health Association and is currently serving on the Governing Council. He has participated in advisory councils for the Iowa Department of Public Health as well as for managed care organizations. For the past six years he was invited to be a tutor in the seminal workshop in Evidence-Based Clinical Practice at McMaster University. Dr. Stites has developed multiple workshops and programs on Evidence-Based Clinical Practice and has lectured extensively on the subject for chiropractors and complementary and integrative practitioners. A 1979 Palmer graduate, he has been on faculty since 1983.

Craig Nelson, DC, graduated from Northwestern College of Chiropractic in 1978 and was in private practice for 10 years. In 1988, Dr. Nelson joined the faculty of the Center for Clinical studies at Northwestern College. During his tenure there, he was an investigator in four randomized clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of spinal manipulation. Dr. Nelson has extensive experience reviewing and evaluating the scientific literature for the purpose of clinical guideline development for both academic and business interests. He has been published in a wide range of scientific journals and is currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics. In 2001, Dr. Nelson completed an NIH fellowship in Health Services Research at the University of Minnesota. He is currently director of health services research at American Specialty Health.

Thomas LaBrot, DC, has taken a leadership role in policy development, standards of care, and medical-legal consulting. Dr. LaBrot is a Certified Health Insurance Executive (through AHIP ELP-MD Fellowship Program) and he holds diplomat status with the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Management Physicians (ABQUARP). He has more than 25 years of experience as a treating chiropractor. He is currently vice president of clinical services and professional affairs for American Specialty Health (ASH), the nation’s largest complementary healthcare company. His responsibilities include utilization management, quality management, credentialing, and policy development as well as managing relationships between ASH and state and national professional societies and associations. 

Dr. Joelle Santiago is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport School of Chiropractic (UBSC). Her grandparents were both graduates of Logan University, her mother and two uncles are graduates of New York Chiropractic College. During her undergraduate studies at Assumption University she studied Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies. During her undergraduate education, she developed a passion for advocating for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. At UBSC, Dr. Joelle served as president of the Student Connecticut Chiropractic Association.  She is the 3rd vice president of the Connecticut Chiropractic Association, and a past secretary. Dr. Santiago also serves as vice president and treasurer of the Northeast Chiropractic Council. She practices in Avon, Conn., with her mother, Joanne Santiago, DC. Dr. Joelle continues to encourage her peers to engage in cultural competency to foster a welcoming and inclusive clinical setting. 

Dr. Brandon Smolarek is a Michigan native who has personal experience with the opioid epidemic, having had family members whose only option for pain was surgery—which resulted in a magnitude of opioid prescriptions. Seeing his family members struggle with pain management, Dr. Smolarek understood early on the importance of conservative management. He started his healthcare experience as a collegiate athlete who worked with trainers and physicians, providing preventative care to help athletes stay competitive. While in college, he studied Biology and Chemistry at Suffolk University in Boston, where he continued his journey into the healthcare field while also participating in undergraduate research. Upon graduation in 2016, Brandon enrolled in the University of Bridgeport School of Chiropractic (UBSC) in May 2020 to do his part to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. He is currently a research associate with Carelink Health Services Group, founded by Dr. Michael Ingui, which has a vision of improving the quality of patient care by providing chiropractic care as a complementary management option to combat chronic pain and reduce unnecessary opioid prescriptions. 

Dr. Michael Ingui graduated summa cum laude in 2014 from the University of Bridgeport School of Chiropractic (UBSC). He began a career in private practice in Ramsey, N.J., and returned to UBSC in 2015 as an adjunct professor. In 2017 Dr. Ingui completed a two-year fellowship in neuromusculoskeletal medicine, earning his diplomate, and became board certified by the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. Afterward, Dr. Ingui began full-time work with UBSC as an assistant professor of clinical services. He was fortunate to work on a joint project between the school and the New Jersey Pain Collaborative, where he developed and implemented an on-site chiropractic program at two New Jersey community health centers (CHCs). He served as the head chiropractic clinician for the project and became the first chiropractor in New Jersey to be credentialed at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) and participate in the state Medicaid CHC reimbursement program. Dr. Ingui developed a passion for population health and finding solutions to address social disparities. He began a two-year program at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, earning a Masters of Applied Science. He founded CareLink Health Services Group in 2019 to help healthcare organizations and primary care teams better manage people living with pain without the use of opioids and other pharmaceuticals.

Mia Ortega, DC, is a staff chiropractor for Sentara Healthcare, which offers chiropractic and acupuncture services at hospitals in Suffolk, Va. She is a diplomate of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and a member of the American Chiropractic Association and the Virginia Chiropractic Association. Dr. Ortega graduated from the University of Bridgeport School of Chiropractic (UBSC) in 2014, and after associating in private practice, decided to return to UBSC to complete the three-year residency program formerly known as Chiropractic Orthopedics. During residency, she rotated to eight different community health centers, offering evidence-informed chiropractic care to underserved populations. While living in Connecticut, she served on the board as compliance officer for the Connecticut Chiropractic Association. Dr. Ortega earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech prior to pursuing chiropractic.

Dr. Tuck is a graduate of the National University of Health Sciences and has practiced in southwest Virginia since graduating in 1997.  As a second-generation chiropractor, he is very passionate about advancing and integrating chiropractic as a part of the healthcare team through quality care delivery and patient satisfaction.  Tuck has served in multiple leadership roles over the years including past president of the Virginia Chiropractic Association, past executive director and board member of the Association for the History of Chiropractic, and on numerous local non-profit boards.  In addition, he has been the recipient of the Blacksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce small business person of the year and the VCA's Chiropractor of the year.  Currently, he serves on the ACA Board of Governors and on the Virginia Board of Medicine.  Locally, he serves on his county Economic Development Authority which helps work with local industry improving the local economy.  Tuck is president of Tuck Chiropractic Clinic, which is a group practice with eleven locations throughout southwest Virginia.

Steve Baker is the Vice President of The Great Game of Business, Inc. and coauthor of Get in the Game as well as the update of the number one bestseller, The Great Game of Business—20th Anniversary Edition.   

Known for his engaging and irreverent style, Steve is a top-rated, sought-after speaker and coach on open-book management, strategy and execution, leadership, and employee engagement.   

His audiences range from Harvard University to the Department of Defense, and he is a regular at Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 Conference. He has served on the Board of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and SRC Holding’s Ownership Culture Initiative. 

Dr. Bill Lauretti spent over 15 years in private practice in Maryland before joining the Chiropractic Clinical Science faculty at New York Chiropractic College in 2005. He has written numerous journal articles and textbook chapters about the safety of chiropractic neck adjustments, and has lectured extensively on the topic. He is a Spokesman for the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), who has been interviewed by major news outlets about chiropractic risks, including CNN, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Reuters International News Service. He is a Fellow of the International College of Chiropractors, a past recipient of ACA’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement, and was named the Maryland Chiropractic Association’s Chiropractor of the Year 2000.

Dr. Sharp has over 30 years of experience as a chiropractic physician and has been a member of the ACA for over 20 years.  Dr. Sharp runs a successful practice in Winston Salem, NC (Sharp Chiropractic) and is a recognized expert in the area of coding, documentation and compliance.  He previously served as North Carolina Chiropractic Association president and currently serves as a member of the ACA Coding Advisory Board.  He has spoken at several ACA conferences and offered training at various state chiropractic events throughout the nation on the topics of coding and documentation.