Speakers

 

Clayton T. Cowl, MD, MS

Dr. Clayton Cowl (pronounced “COLE”) has a joint appointment in the Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases and Occupational Medicine as well as the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is board-certified in Occupational Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine and has also received formal toxicology training. In his role at Mayo Clinic, he evaluates toxic inhalations and occupational or environmental lung disease and serves as co-Medical Director of Minnesota RETAIN, a federally funded program emphasizing best practice clinical models to focus on ill or injured workers and identify best practices for them to return to work safely and efficiently.

Dr. Cowl has served as a division chair, as well as being a Past President of the Civil Aviation Medical Association and the American College of Chest Physicians.  

In addition to the Minnesota RETAIN program, his research interests have been many and diverse. Dr. Cowl has ongoing projects focused on respiratory physiology and environmental aspects of pulmonary disease. This includes studies of new instruments utilized in aviation such as testing of leading design passenger and pilot emergency oxygen masks, and more recently, mobile testing devices to assess “brain fog” in patients with post-COVID syndrome and for certification examinations. Dr. Cowl has also studied a variety of occupational and environmental illnesses, including toxic inhalations and occupational asthma, and he has published epidemiological research on aircraft accidents and pilot decision-making.

 

Ben Lexau, Psy.D, LP

Ben Lexau completed a master’s degree in Cognitive and Biological Psychology from the University of Minnesota. He completed a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree from the Minnesota School of Psychology in 2001. He completed internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis with primary focus in Health Psychology. He has worked with patients with chronic pain since 2002 at MAPS Pain Clinics, Allina Health, and now at North Memorial Health. Dr. Lexau works in collaboration with the Comprehensive Medical Pain Clinic at North Memorial Health.

 

Owen O'Neill, MD

Grew up in St. Paul, undergraduate at St. Thomas.   Attended Medical School and Orthopedic Residency at Mayo.  Fellowship at Johns Hopkins.   Currently leads the Value based care initiatives at TCO, including the EXCEL program which is a bundled care program.   CEO of Crosstown and Eagan Surgery Centers.   Clinical expertise includes minimally invasive knee and hip arthroplasty, including the minimally invasive direct anterior hip replacement and the Tourniquet-less technique for knee arthroplasty.  Gives national talks regarding perioperative medical optimization of patients prior to proceeding with surgical intervention. 

 

 

Nathan Considine, DC, CCSP

Dr. Nathan Considine did undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and then enrolled at Palmer College of Chiropractic graduating in 1993.

He holds a CCSP post graduate sports certification from National College of Health Sciences.

In 1993 Dr. Considine starting practicing with LSM Chiropractic in the Madison WI area and became a partner in 2001. He is currently President of LSM Chiropractic helping to manage their 20 clinics and 30 doctors. One of these clinics is inside the University of Wisconsin athletic department and another is inside one of Madison’s major hospitals coordinating care with orthopedists and neurosurgeons.

LSM has a multidisciplinary practice involving a full time in-house radiologist and naturopath. Massage therapy is also on site. They are currently expanding to include acupuncture and physical therapy.

Dr. Considine has been in practice 29 years and primarily practices in LSM’s Middleton, WI location.

 

 

Richard Printon, DC

Dr. Printon received his Doctor of Chiropractic from the Northwestern Health Sciences University and was Certified in 

McKenzie Mechanical Diagnosis and Physical Therapy by the McKenzie Institute. Dr. Printon was in private practice from 1986 to 1999. He has been on staff at Hennepin Faculty Associates and Healthcare since 1999 and currently serves as medical director and division director for Integrative Health in the Department of Medicine. Hennepin Healthcare has a rich history of Integrative Health therapies and providers. In 1993, Integrative Health started at Hennepin Healthcare as The Alternative Medicine Clinic. Hennepin Healthcare has a variety of Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) providers. Currently there are six Integrative MD’s, one PA, one RN, eight chiropractors, eight acupuncturists, and 6 physical therapists.

At Hennepin Healthcare, Dr. Printon is a frequent presenter and publisher of treatment case studies, at Hennepin Healthcare grand rounds.

 

 

Deborah J. Bushway, PhD

Deb Bushway currently serves as the President and CEO at Northwestern Health Sciences University, a private, not-for-

profit institution well known for high quality education for chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, Chinese Medicine practitioners and others in Minnesota. With experience leading in the public, for-profit and not-for-profit environments, Bushway brings a broad perspective regarding the balance of access, innovation and quality in higher education.  She has expertise in policy regarding distance education and its surrounding technologies, including financial aid delivery.

In the past, she has worked closely with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Undersecretary at the US Department of Education in Washington, DC, as a consultant to the Lumina Foundation regarding CBE, at the University of Wisconsin – Extension,  as a founding Board Member for Quality Matters, as Vice President of Academic Innovation, Provost and interim President at Capella University and as a full professor at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota.

She pioneered the development and implementation of a successful competency based, direct assessment program.  She co-authored the book “A Leader’s Guide to Competency-Based Education:  From Inception to Implementation”.   

She believes that the higher education ecosystem must continue to create space for collaborative leadership to leverage educational technology in support of our nation’s most pressing higher education needs:  equity, achievement, access and quality. 

 

Amanda Gebhardt-Fitzgerald, D.C.

Dr. Gebhardt-Fitzgerald is originally from Oakes, North Dakota. She graduated with honors from the University of Jamestown with a BA in Biology in 2001. This prepared her to attend Northwestern Health Sciences University and receive her Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2005.

After working as an associate chiropractor in Plymouth, MN, she began working for Northwestern as an assistant professor and faculty clinician. She provided patient care and integrated intern education into her practice. Shortly after moving to their Woodwinds clinic in 2007, she took on the additional role as Chief of Staff, allowing her to manage some of the day-to-day tasks and business activities of the clinic. It would eventually prepare her to own her own practice by honing her leadership and management skills. In 2015, Northwestern Health Sciences University decided to divest themselves of the Woodwinds clinic, and Dr. Fitzgerald, along with Dr. Smith, purchased the facility, making the Natural Care Center of Woodbury an independent and solely provider owned clinic starting in September 2015.

She has a general family practice, and enjoys treating all ages, from newborns to elderly individuals and believes that chiropractic care, and its adjunctive therapies, can benefit a wide variety of conditions and ailments. She feels that looking at the individual as a whole is incredibly important, and often works in conjunction with other health care providers, both in-house and externally, to get patients the best care and results possible.

Dr. Fitzgerald has a special focus in soft-tissue conditions, whether due to repetitive overuse or an injury, and utilizes Graston®, an instrument-assisted manual therapy technique in her treatment plans. Other conditions she has a special interest in treating are migraine headaches and sprain/strain or whiplash-type injuries. She is also certified in chiropractic acupuncture and has participated in continuing education that focused on nutrition and rehabilitation.

Dr. Fitzgerald is married and has one daughter. In her free time she enjoys photography, hiking the beautiful state parks in Minnesota, and spending time with her family.

 

Nicholas Dougherty, DAOM, L.Ac, Dipl.Ac.

Dr. Dougherty is a clinical Acupuncturist in St. Paul, MN with the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing and Allina Health, one of the leading institutions for Integrative Health in the United States. He has been a Licensed Acupuncturist in Minnesota and Board Certified Diplomate of Acupuncture with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Herbal medicine (NCCAOM) Diplomate since 2013. In addition, Dr. Dougherty serves as the current President of the Minnesota Acupuncture Association and sits on the Board of Commissioners for NCCAOM.

Dr. Dougherty has experience in multiple health settings such as multidisciplinary and solo practices throughout his career. Through this work, he has garnered a unique view on the integrative approach to healthcare.

Dr. Dougherty is a graduate of the Master’s program at the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) 2009 as well as earning his Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) in 2018 with a focus on integrative psychology and reproductive health.

 

Joseph Cunniff, D.O, D.C.

Dr. Cunniff is an interventional physiatrist with over 35 years of healthcare experience. He is affiliated with the 

Courage Kenny Spine Clinical Service Line at Allina Health and has offices in Minneapolis, Edina, Plymouth and Buffalo, MN. Prior to relocating to Minnesota in 2016 he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Cunniff is a Diplomate of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the American Board of Pain Medicine.

After graduating from Western States Chiropractic College in 1987 Dr. Cunniff worked in the chiropractic field for 10 years before returning to school for advanced medical training. In 2002 he graduated from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Following a one-year internship in Internal Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MA he completed a three-year Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He returned to Worcester to complete a one-year fellowship in Interventional Spine procedures at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

Dr. Cunniff is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Spine Intervention Society.