WSD Global Executive Committee

Dr. Rebekah Wilks, DC  
Project Lead & Co-Chair

Rebekah Wilks graduated from the University of Western States in Oregon, USA, and currently serves as a staff chiropractor at the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs hospital in Florida and serves as adjunct faculty at four chiropractic institutions. She holds a B.S. in Cell & Molecular Biology and a B.A. in Business, Chemistry, and Communications from the Texas Tech University Honors College.

Rebekah is a strong advocate of evidence-based, people-centered, interprofessional and collaborative care with an emphasis on patient education and awareness on spinal health and wellness worldwide. She also serves as Director of Strategy and Policy with the World Federation of Chiropractic, and has represented this organization at the WHO World Rehabilitation Alliance.

Dr. Richard Brown DC, LL.M, FRCC
Member

Richard Brown is the Secretary-General of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC). Richard was a practising chiropractor in Gloucestershire, UK for 25 years during which time he served as the President of the British Chiropractic Association and Secretary-General of the European Chiropractors’ Union.

Richard has also spent time as a volunteer in Botswana, working with under-served communities as part of World Spine Care. He is the Vice-President of World Spine Care and is the founder of the Chiropractic Research Council, a UK charity.

Dr. Rebecca Bauer DC, MSACN, BSc., CES
Member

Rebecca Bauer graduated from Brock University with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. Rebecca went on to graduate from Northeast College of Health Sciences (formerly New York Chiropractic College) with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, and a Masters of Applied Clinical Nutrition degree. She is passionate about unifying and advancing the chiropractic profession by increasing awareness, access to care and enhancing interprofessional collaboration.

Rebecca practiced for 5 years in Niagara Falls Canada before committing to her full time Faculty role at Northeast College of Health Sciences. Rebecca enjoys teaching evidence-based case management, integrative healthcare practices, and clinical nutrition. As a former national level gymnast, Rebecca enjoys treating local NCAA athletes addressing proper biomechanics and performance optimization.

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Dr. Dinesh Palipana, MD, LL.B, OAM 

Member & Patient Advocate 

Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate, and researcher. While in medical school, he was involved in a car accident that caused a spinal cord injury.

Dinesh has completed a Bachelor of Laws at the Queensland University of Technology, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the College of Law, Emergency Medicine Certificate at the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, and Doctor of Medicine and Griffith University. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors under a Disability Leadership Scholarship.

Dinesh works in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital. He is a researcher and senior lecturer at the Griffith University. Dinesh is a researcher in spinal cord injury, co-leading the BioSpine research team. He is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team. Dinesh was a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission. He is an ambassador to the Human Rights Commission’s Includeability program. He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia. He is an advisory board member to HealthyLife, a Woolworths company. Dinesh is a John Monash Scholar. He is an independent non-executive director of George Steuart & Co, one of the oldest companies in the world and oldest in Sri Lanka. Dinesh is a non-executive director of the Housing Hub, started by the Summers Foundation.

Dinesh was the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019. He was the third Australian to be awarded a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award. He was the 2021 Griffith University Young Alumnus of the Year. Dinesh was the Queensland Australian of the Year for 2021. In 2022, Dinesh was listed as number 33 in the Courier Mail’s top 100 power list for Queensland’s most influential in health and wellbeing. His autobiography, Stronger, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2022.

Dinesh’s socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dineshpalipana/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/dinesh.palipana/