at making chiropractic more accessi-ble to Canadians by installing DCs firmly into mainstream health care through collaboration, research and the development of more integrative policy. Unrealistic as this paradigm may have seemed some decades ago, the industry has seen it come to frui-tion and Dr. Moss’s tireless efforts have played no little part in this. Discussions surrounding her formida-ble contributions to the profession’s de-velopment don’t even attempt to avoid mentioning Dr. Moss’s gender. Dr. Moss is the first female president at CMCC, and is, today, the sole female president of any chiropractic program in the world. Discussions concerning her gender often focus on the fact that she is a woman who has been influential in a male-dominated profession, to the point of, on many oc-casions, completely supplanting her male leadership positions.” Friends and colleagues enjoy pointing out her capacity to balance being a chi-ropractic leader, educator, organizational leader and advocate with other elements. Freedman notes, “In addition to being a hands-on president of CMCC, she is also a wife and mother.” CMCC’s Butkovic clearly enjoys her moments with Dr. Moss, “comparing notes on how our grandchildren are doing.” It is not significant that Dr. Moss has done battle in a male-dominated board-room. It is, instead, important to note the role she has been able to play in initiating a balance within the profession, between approaches espoused by male practition-ers and the perspective of a female – who is also a caring daughter, wife, mother and grandmother – in developing and nurturing what is, after all, a healing art. Jean has served as an inspiration to everyone she has worked with and a role model to other chiropractors who would like to make a difference in the profession. We can only hope that she continues to contribute to the advancement of the care of people with spinal disorders for many years into the future. – Dr. Scott Haldeman colleagues and/or their approaches. This has not always provoked the kindest of reactions. In remembering her days as an in-structor, Dr. Moss notes, “I was one of the very few female clinicians and tech-nique tutors and spent quite a bit of time helping the female students become more effective adjusters. However, the attitude of some of the male interns was interesting: the idea of having a woman show them how to adjust a patient didn’t necessarily always go down well. I even remember being introduced once to a patient as ‘Nurse Moss.’ ” But there are many who laud Dr. Moss, as a woman, for her accomplish-ments. Dr. Biggs states, “She has become a role model and mentor to me, particu-larly since there were so few women in 24 Canadian Chiropractor October 2013 Mentors, moments and musings The list of Dr. Moss’ mentors and he-roes is an extensive one, but right at the top is her family – her husband Frank Tantalo and children, Nick and Tania. As she says “without their support none of this would have been possible. There have been many, many reorganized weekends and special family events that had to be organized around my sched-ule. Never once have they complained and yet my travel schedule must have sometimes driven them crazy.” She is very clear that the success of CMCC “can only be achieved by signif-icant teamwork.” After much consider-ation, she decided not to name individ-uals – as there are simply too many – who, over the years, have contributed in many different ways to the story of CMCC. These individuals know who they are, she says. “I am extraordinarily lucky to have had the privilege of serv-ing the profession and being in a posi-tion to influence its direction. I can’t thank enough all of those who have supported me and CMCC over the past 23 years.” This last comment brings Dr. Moss to consider one of the highlights of her career. “My most memorable moment as CMCC president occurred on the opening of our new facility at 6100 Leslie St. I see the building as a state-ment about CMCC and the profession: it symbolizes what a profession can do when it pulls together.” “Unfortunately,” she says, “there continues to be division within the pro-fession and difficulty establishing an identity. A great deal of time and re-sources are spent on these discussions – time that could be better spent on other things. We all need to remember that those who are most hurt by this waste are our patients, our potential patients and the health of Canadians. “My initial inspiration for taking this path has never faltered. One of the greatest thrills is to successfully treat a patient and make an impact on their life.” Dr. Moss concludes, “If it were pos-sible to meet those who initiated our profession, I would ask them how they felt about the profession they founded and where it is today. I would ask if this was the future that they had envisioned.” Dr. Moss has been a global visionary and a leader within the profession of chiropractic. Her pioneer spirit has fuelled her passion to influence and improve the direction that the profes-sion is taking – and every first that she achieved, initiated or supported, has continued to remind her of how much is possible. In September, CMCC has announced Dr. Moss will be stepping down as pres-ident effective June 30, 2014. The author would like to thank Dr. Moss for her support and for her thoughtful and in-structive comments, over the years. For more profiles, visit www.canadianchiropractor.ca. www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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