Jesper Dahl DC CCSP CCEP MRCC FRCC (sports) Chiropractor Graduating from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in 1989 has meant a long career with a clear focus on helping people better understand their condition to enable them to get better. For 7 years, Jesper worked full-time with professional golfers travelling to events on the European and US PGA Tours. Coordinating all aspects of therapy, diet, conditioning and training schedules, it soon became clear that ‘the basics’ done well was central to the principle of adding even a small margin to the performance of already top-rated athletes. He travels less now but still works with a few top-level professional golfers in the same capacity. But has returned to a general practice in the clinic he and his wife owns in Maidstone, UK. Jesper also helped establish the physical therapy department at the Kent Institute of Medicine & Surgery (KIMS) a private tertiary hospital in Maidstone, Kent. The outpatient department has representation of all the MSK specialisms available in the UK, working together to develop protocols for any condition ranging from post-surgical rehabilitation to the management of lifestyle-related musculo-skeletal conditions. Jesper’s varied programme of lectures and seminars has been taught on five continents and in settings from national conferences to much smaller group settings.
Dr Kendrah Da Silva Chiropractor
Dr Kendrah Da Silva Chiropractor Kendrah Da Silva is currently serving as immediate past president after her third term as the president of the Chiropractic Association of South Africa (CASA), the largest national chiropractic association on the African continent. She became involved with the Association shortly after graduation, and has been involved with CASA in some capacity for over a quarter of a century, including as a CASA council member since 2000. During her tenure with the association, she developed expertise in South African health coding systems and was a contributor to the WFC’s submission to the global consultation on ICD-11. As an experienced leader, she represents a region that is no stranger to health care challenges, with many countries seriously under-served and a shortage of chiropractors to meet the need for spine care and disability prevention. She has represented the association internationally and nationally on many forums, currently involved in the NHI implementation and other national health initiatives. She was instrumental in the presentation to the Health Market Inquiry, to highlight barriers of entry to healthcare in SA. She is also in private practice in Pretoria, South Africa. Currently she serves on the Public Health Committee of the WFC, and was elected onto the WFC council for the African region in 2019, and as the vice-president of WFC in 2021. She has taken on the role of the vice-chair of the Professional Board for Chiropractic and Osteopathy this year. She has presented on various platforms including at the WFC congress, national congress, ACF congress, Health Inquiry commission and WCCS to name a few! She also represented the Allied Professions by being signatory to the Health Compact for the establishment of a NHI in South Africa. Kendrah is a part-time lecturer on the chiropractic program at the university of Johannesburg, where she now teaches Chiropractic principles and practice to the third year students. She has been a leading voice in successive World Spine Days, inspiring activities to highlight the importance of spine health and disability prevention.
Dr Fatima Ismail Chiropractor, UJ Chiropractic HOD
Dr Fatima Ismail Chiropractor, UJ Chiropractic HOD Dr Fatima Ismail is a qualified Chiropractor, the Head of Department at the University of Johannesburg as well as a Senior Lecturer and DPhil Student. She strive for excellence in terms of patient outcomes and in driving for improvement and pursuit of new innovations, with a special focus on chiropractic education. Her expertise includes interactive and engaging teaching and learning practices and supportive research supervision. Her publications include several peer reviewed articles and research presented at national and international conferences.
Dr Glen Paton Chiropractor/Full-time Staff Member UJ
Dr Glen Paton Chiropractor/Full-time Staff Member UJ Dr Glen Paton is a full-time lecturer at the University of Johannesburg in the Chiropractic Department. He qualified in 2013 from the University of Johannesburg, thereafter, he has worked in a well-known sports-based chiropractic clinic in the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg. In 2016 he attained his Internationally Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (ICCSP) qualification through the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic. In 2019, he completed the upgrade to the ICCSP and received his International Certificate in Sports Chiropractic (ICSC) and was the 4 th chiropractor in world to be awarded it. Lastly, he completed a PhD in clinical anatomy through the University of Cape Town in 2021 after 5 years of hard work. His focus was on the prevalence and morphological characteristics of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae within the context of the South African population. His research interests include clinical anatomy, spinal variations, and chiropractic education.
Dr Willem Boshoff Chiropractor
Dr Willem Boshoff Chiropractor Dr Boshoff has been in clinical practice since 1970 and is currently in private practice at the Wilgeheuwel Hospital. He is also an Honorary Research Associate School of Anatomical Sciences at the Wits Medical School. Dr Boshoff has affiliations to the Chiropractic Association of South Africa, World Spine Care, the South African Spine Society, South African Pain and the South African Medico-Legal Association. His most recent paper presentation was at the South African Spine Society Congress in Cape Town in 2023, title: “The Impact of Facet Joint Aberration on Discal Degeneration “ Dr Boshoff has also completed and Emergency Medicine course at the University of Witwatersrand, instructors courses in Gonstead Full Spine Adjusting and Thompson Technique. He has also attended seminars for various Chiropractic Adjusting Techniques. He continues to maintain a keen interest in the bio-pathological and physiological conditions that affect spinal function.
Dr Brad Beira Chiropractor and Legal Advisor Dr Beira is an experienced clinician, corporate executive and medicolegal advisor with 24 years of governance, legal and health risk experience. Since 1996 he has been in private practice, headed the international health risk practices for two multi-national risk management brokerages and supported the design and distribution of health risk solutions and supported quality outcomes in healthcare and lectured on health system architecture and medical ethics in South Africa and Internationally.
Ian Grey Physiotherapist Ian qualified as a physiotherapist in 2001 at the University of Pretoria. He became a credentialed clinician in the McKenzie method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy in 2011 and completed his Diploma in MDT during 2015. He was the first clinician to represent South Africa at the McKenzie World Congress in Denmark where he also took the Diploma final exam. Ian is faculty of the McKenzie Institute and has been teaching in Southern Africa since 2019. Ian has been the official representative for the McKenzie Institute International since 2014 and in this capacity has acted as course organiser and host of the McKenzie Institutes Educational Program and Certification process in Southern Africa with the assistance of GRB Physiotherapists. Ian has been a private practice owner since 2005, and in 2015 GRB Physiotherapists became the first McKenzie accredited practice in Southern Africa where Ian is still a co-director of the practice. He alongside his co-directors of GRB Physiotherapists established the McKenzie Institute of Southern Africa in 2019 and serves as Chairperson of the branch.
Dr Avinash Kolloori Neurosurgeon
Dr Avinash Kolloori Neurosurgeon Dr Avinash Kolloori qualified with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Microanatomy and Physiology in 1999 from the University of Witwatersrand. He went on to study his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from 2000-2005. In 2011, Dr Kolloori went on to study and FCS in Neurosurgery. Dr Kolloori completed his Neurosurgical Registrar in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital from 2008-2011. He then went on to work for the Gauteng Department of Health at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital as a neurosurgeon from 2012-2016. Dr Kolloori has been in private practice at the Life Fourways Hospital from July 2014 to present. Dr Kolloori was invited to Seoul, South Korea by medical device company, Vivid surgicals to train in the technique known as, percutaneous plasma disc decompression. In April this year, he performed the procedure for the first time in South Africa. The procedure is minimally invasive and only requires local anaesthetic and usually allows the patient to go home the same day as the procedure. He has gone on to perform quite a few of these successful procedures.
Dr Adriaan Liebenberg Neurosurgeon Dr Liebenberg is a neurosurgeon and the director of the Health Collective, an international company that is active in healthcare provision. He oversees the PAIN collective, an interdisciplinary network of pain clinics that promote health and self-management of the chronic diseases that cause chronic pain. Dr Liebenberg’s undergraduate studies and specialisation was at the medical campus of Stellenbosch University at Tygerberg hospital, and he holds a master’s degree in Neurosurgery from Stellenbosch University, and he holds a Fellowship in Neurosurgery from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. Dr Liebenberg also completed a period of further study and professional development as a clinical fellow at Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre, in Sussex, England from 2001 to 2005. It is during this period that he became actively involved in presentations both locally and internationally and he has published papers in peer-reviewed journals, chapters in textbooks and is the published author of multiple textbooks in neurosurgery. Since August 2005, he has been in private practice and has been the team leader of an interdisciplinary team for the last 18 years. Dr Liebenberg believes that at its core, healthcare is about the trust relationship between the patient and the healthcare provider.
Dr Junaid Shaik Chiropractor, Full-time Lecturer DUT
Dr Junaid Shaik Chiropractor, Full-time Lecturer DUT Dr. Junaid Shaik is a prominent figure within the chiropractic community in South Africa, boasting a distinguished career spanning nearly 25 years, characterised by both academic and clinical excellence. Throughout his tenure, he has contributed significantly to medical education by instructing chiropractic, and medical and nursing students at the esteemed Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. In addition to his instructional responsibilities, Dr. Shaik has displayed a strong commitment to mentorship, having successfully supervised over 30 Master's students, while also serving as an examiner for post-graduate studies at the University of Johannesburg and as a reviewer for numerous reputable accredited journals. Notably, Dr. Shaik's pursuit of knowledge extends to his doctoral thesis in medicine, which is currently undergoing examination, and his completion of the coursework for his Masters in Medical Law. His academic pursuits mirror his dedication to the advancement of healthcare and medical knowledge. Moreover, Dr. Shaik's research interests are firmly grounded in paediatric tuberculosis and biomedical ethics, demonstrating his concern for crucial public health issues. Beyond academia, Dr. Shaik holds esteemed positions, serving as a member of the Ethics Committee of a prominent higher education institute in KwaZulu Natal and the Animal Research Committee of a leading South African University. These roles underscore his commitment to ensuring ethical practices in research and healthcare. He fervently advocates for the integration of chiropractic into the mainstream health landscape of South Africa. He perceives the time ripe for chiropractic to emerge from the confines of "complementary health" and to fully establish itself within the broader healthcare framework. His passion for this cause is evident in his unwavering dedication to advancing chiropractic's recognition and acceptance within the country's healthcare system. Despite his remarkable achievements and exceptional clinical acumen, Dr. Shaik remains approachable and modest, making him not only an outstanding professional but also an inspiring and compassionate mentor. Outside of his professional pursuits, Dr. Shaik finds solace in the outdoors and enjoys a skillful game of table tennis.
Dr Desiree Varatharajullu Chiropractor, DUT Chiropractic HOD
Dr Desiree Varatharajullu Chiropractor, DUT Chiropractic HOD Dr Desiree Varatharajullu is an academic in the Department of Chiropractic. She is the current Head of Department as well as the Clinic Director for the Chiropractic Day Clinic at the Durban University of Technology. She received her PhD: Health Sciences and M.Tech: Chiropractic degrees from the Durban University of Technology. Desiree had lectured part-time and ran two private practices before joining the Department of Chiropractic at the Durban University of Technology as a full-time academic in 2013. She is a locum Chiropractor on a part-time basis in order to keep her practice skills current and incorporate practical knowledge obtained from there into her teaching. Desiree’s current roles includes managing the department as the head of department, lecturing students, being a clinical instructor at the Chiropractic Day Clinic as well as at community service initiatives and supervising Masters research students and undertaking collaborative work. Her areas of interest include pain, geriatrics, headaches, qualitiative research and epidemiology. Desiree is involved in the publication of research which she supervises as well as a journal reviewer.
Dr Phillip Webster Orthopaedic Surgeon Phillip Webster is an orthopaedic upper limb surgeon retired from private practice for medical reasons and currently working as a visiting consultant to the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand as well as consulting in digital transformation of healthcare. He has convened and instructed at local and international shoulder arthroscopy courses and seminars. Phillip has chaired two conferences for the SAOA and been a faculty member for the last 10 years at their conferences and instructional courses. For the last two and a half years has volunteered for B4SA in the Healthcare Stream of the COVID vaccine roll out by the NDOH, specifically in the outreach program. Phillip completed a BSc and MBBCh undergraduate and postgraduate orthopaedic degrees at the University of the Witwatersrand and was employed as a consultant at Johannesburg Hospital and commenced private practice in 1997. He was awarded the Mannie Lunz Prize for Orthopaedic Registrars in 1996 and Synthes Orthopaedic Prize in 1997. He was a Smith and Nephew Travelling Fellow in 1997 and was awarded the DGOT German Travelling Fellow in 1997. Phillip is a past-president of the South African Society for Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and the South African Orthopaedic Association. He is a reviewer for the SA Orthopaedic Journal.
Have a look at the times and venues of the social events we will be having this year.
Thursday night is the Cocktail Evening which will be on the pool deck of the @Sandton Hotel.
Friday is the Social Evening which will be held at Cafe28 Inanda, Sandton.
Saturday is the Gala Dinner, to be held at the @Sandton hotel in the Main Conference Venue.
These events are all great ways for you to connect with your colleagues, develop new relationships, and have a little fun while doing so!