Board Candidate Dr. Carol Ann Weis

Dr. Carol Ann Weis Answers Four OCA Townhall Questions

1. What do you think is currently the most important opportunity (or highest priority) for the chiropractic profession in Ontario and why?

Currently, I believe that scope expansion is the most important and highest priority we face. We know that millions of people experience Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain worldwide making MSK disorders one of the leading global causes of disability. As a result, there is an increased burden on the current healthcare system, including increased physician visits, increased visits to the emergency department and increased wait for imaging, all costing millions of dollars each year. As many of you know, the Ontario government is looking to expand the scope of practice for many health care practitioners, including chiropractors. Granting chiropractors the right to order advance imaging such as MRIs and CT scans, will transform the patient experience by eliminating unnecessary delays by having to be referred back to their physicians, enable those patients without a family physician access to timely diagnostic services and improving continuity of evidence-based care. Patients will benefit from faster diagnosis, immediate treatment decisions and optimal recovery. In addition, being able to order the appropriate imaging at the appropriate time will enhance our clinical efficiency, increase patient confidence, ensure timely interventions that prevent complications and improve patient outcomes.

Overall, chiropractors can play a more central role in the Ontario healthcare system by delivering accessible, cost effective, patient-centred MSK care while taking some of the burden off the Ontario health care system. Finally, I do not think I am alone in this thinking: According to an IPSOS poll, 97% of chiropractic patients support this proposed expansion of scope,¹ the College of Chiropractors of Ontario has already drafted a standards of practice ready for approval, pending the appropriate regulatory changes² and the Ontario Chiropractic Association has been working diligently in their advocacy to support this government consultation². By focusing on evidence-based care and patient-centred outcomes, we can ensure chiropractic is recognized as a trusted accessible solution for muscle skeletal health.

1) https://chiropractic.on.ca/helping-ontarians/making-a-difference/ 2) https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006476/ontario-taking-next-steps-to-improve-health-care-access

2. What do you think is the most important role OCA Board can play during the next three years?

I believe there are three roles that the OCA board should prioritize:
1. Strengthen interprofessional collaborations – The OCA should continue to build strong partnerships not only with other health professionals including physicians, physiotherapists, acupuncturists and midwives, but with health care facilities and academic institutions so that we can create collaborative and integrated care pathways for MSK health including. We should also ensure that we target rural areas and underserviced populations to ensure equitable and accessible healthcare.

2. Public awareness and Education – The OCA should launch campaigns that highlight not only our profession in general, but how we have championed public health strategies that promote conservative, non-opioid management of chronic pain and improved patient outcomes; the fact that we have the ability to successfully treat underserviced populations (such as pregnant, postpartum and older adult patients); our role in Concussion care and return to sport; the fact that we are MSK experts and we are in a unique position to provide MSK rehabilitation to all patients; and our use of evidence based practice through clinical guidelines.

3. Member support – these are interesting times in healthcare and business. The OCA should continue to provide tools, technology adoption guidance and business resources to help members thrive and survive in a changing healthcare landscape.

3. What key difference do you want the Board to make during your tenure on the OCA Board of Directors (for 2026-2029)?

There are two items, that are inter-related, that I would like to prioritize during my tenure on the OCA Board of Directors. First, I would like to continue my work on the Aspire Strategic Data Advisory Council. This council is made up of a number of stakeholders from within and outside the profession who develop the strategy on how to best to collect and analyze any data that we collect as a profession. It is important that the data collected from across the profession is safeguarded and that those who are tasked with this ensure clear objectives, roles and policies while ensuring data ethics, quality, security and compliance with all relevant regulatory bodies.

Second, which is a loftier goal, I would like to hear from the profession at large as to what research priorities are important to you, and how the OCA can best accommodate these priorities with the data that Aspire will capture. Clinicians bring insight into patients’ needs, treatment challenges, and emerging trends in practice. This information will help to shape research priorities that are meaningful, and applicable and will serve as an essential bridge between academia and practice, promoting knowledge translation and hopefully foster a culture of inquiry within the clinical community. I am committed to ensuring that the voice of the OCA membership is reflected in the development and implementation of Aspire.

4. In what way can data, such as Aspire data, and the incorporation of tools like Artificial Intelligence be used to advance the profession, support research and enhance advocacy?

Technology is advancing and changing quickly in all healthcare fields, including chiropractic. We are at a critical time where we can and should start utilizing electronic health records software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to collect and analyze practice-based research data from chiropractic clinics across the province. Large scale datasets can help advance the profession by demonstrating real-world measurable outcomes, safety of treatment, cost effectiveness and population health impact, to name a few. This real-world, practice-based data will make research more relevant and applicable to the chiropractic profession and the patients that we see in clinic. For example, information from clinic may reveal treatment effectiveness, patient demographics and long-term results that research studies may not be equipped to answer. We have started to see this information being collected in practice-based studies with a few clinics1,2,3 being involved and that is just a start. Having more a more robust data set will provide our provincial and national association with compelling, data-driven initiatives to advocate for and strengthen policy arguments, on our behalf, to policymakers, insurers and other stakeholders. We could present concrete data that demonstrates evidence of improved patient outcomes and effectiveness, reinforces our roles in public health strategies (e.g. reduce opioid use through conservative chiropractic care) and that the profession is aligned with healthcare system priorities, the World Health Organization recommendations and evidence-based guidelines. Data truly is the foundation for integrating chiropractic into Ontario’s health care system as a component of coordinated care.

From a clinic perspective, with an increase in musculoskeletal burden, more and more patients are looking for non-invasive, patient-focused treatments. With this, clinicians and clinics in general face greater burdens including administrative (such as managing appointments, insurance and billing), the pressure to complete documentation in a timely manner and ensuring patient engagement and follow-up. With appropriately designed, PIPEDA/PHIPA* compliant AI, there is the opportunity for clinics to tackle some of these burdens to free clinicians up to do what is most important and why they entered our profession, patient care.

1)Pohlman et al. PLOS One, 2024.; 2) Chu et al. Scientific Reports, 2023. 3) Weis et al. 18^th WFC Biennial Congress. 2025.
*PIPEDA/PHIPA – Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act/Personal Health Information Protection Act

Biographical Profile

Why did you become a chiropractor?

I was racing duathlons for several years and became injured. After seeing several physios, athletic therapists and osteopaths I reluctantly saw a friend who was a chiropractor. Within one visit he made me 80% better – but more importantly, I loved his practice style and the process of getting me better from the history to the physical to the adjustment! My life literally changed after that visit.

Where do you practise?

What is your motto or mantra?

As hard as it can be sometimes, do not sweat the small stuff. Life is really too short to worry about things that will probably not affect you in the long run.

Credentials and Designations

• Doctor of Chiropractic, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, 2008
• Master of Science in Kinesiology, University of Western Ontario, 1997
• Honours BA in Physical Education, 1992

Leadership Engagement

Community Programs and Initiatives

I have done a lot of volunteering over the years including being on the Ride Committee for Jack.org for 8 years, being the medical help/crew for a number of ultra cycling races in Canada and the US and taking chiropractic students to the Dominican Republic in the mission’s inaugural year.

My latest two initiatives: Working with Year 4 CMCC clinical interns to develop a number of pregnancy and postpartum-related educational outreaches for two underserviced women’s health organizations in the GTA. In conjunction with the Continuing Education Department at CMCC, I co-developed and co-hosted the inaugural P.O.W.E.R (Promoting Optimal Wellness and Evidence-Based Research) for Women conference in Spring 2025. The goal is to provide this conference every two year to help disseminate best practices in healthcare for the chiropractic profession.

Research Initiatives and Achievements

I am an Associate Professor at CMCC where I lecture and conduct research on women’s health, specifically back pain in the pregnant and postpartum populations. I have had the privilege of working with chiropractic and other healthcare researchers over the world on many research projects. Currently, I have over 20 peer-reviewed published papers on women’s health including safety of chiropractic care in pregnancy and postpartum (with the 2012 version being one of the top 10 downloads for that journal in 20 years), best-practices recommendations for the pregnant and postpartum population and competencies for women’s health in chiropractic education coming out shortly. As I am the course coordinator and main lecturer for Female Care, Chair of the Clinical Diagnosis Department and work as an occasional clinical supervisor at CMCC, I try to disseminate this research to our future chiropractors at CMCC and other chiropractic colleges as an invited speaker.