New CCA Chief Execut ive: an int erview w it h Ayla Azad (cont inued)

A number of locum jobs followed, before Dr Azad was contacted by a medical doctor from the town of Ajax, just outside Toronto, who was looking to take on a chiropractor to work at his clinic

Dr Azad recalls, "At that time, my only understanding of Ajax was that it was a bleach cleaning product! I remember going for the interview and the first question being, 'You had better be able to work with other health care providers Can you do that?'

"I liked the interprofessional, balanced approach and accepted the offer, moved into a 10x10 room, inherited an old Elite adjusting table, and started my practice."

Hungry to seize every opportunity, shortly after this, Dr Azad took on an additional role as a part-time technique tutor at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College She thrived there and gradually expanded her teaching portfolio, while still building her client base at Total Rehab. As the only Thompson Technique practitioner in the area, her reputation quickly established a booming practice.

However, after almost 22 years of clinical practice, the physical stress of being a chiropractor in a busy practice began to take its toll. By this time, she had been serving on the board of the Ontario Chiropractic Association for some years, including holding the office of President, and had developed a love of association administration and leadership She was also serving as an appointed CCA representative on the board of the WFC

She reflects, "I was at a point in my career where I had developed a great deal of teaching experience, had served on boards and was still a practicing chiropractor. But I still felt that there was more for me to achieve. I wanted to continue giving back and develop a legacy of having done something that truly made a difference.

"I spoke with a friend and mentor, Bob Haig, who had served as the CEO of the Ontario Chiropractic Association and asked him what I should do. Without hesitation, he advised me that I needed to gain an additional qualification and recommended that I study for an MBA.

"So that's exactly what I did I enrolled at Athabasca University in Alberta, which had a strong reputation for online MBAs, and provided the flexibility I needed for a full time working Mom of two children After two-and-a-half years, I graduated and began to look for opportunities to use my newly acquired skills."

In March 2020, Dr Azad was recruited by the CCA as Director of Professional Practice Around this time, the COVID19 pandemic had been declared a public health emergency of international concern

"It was a crazy time to be onboarded," says Dr Azad "I had to navigate myself through taking on a new role while supporting the thousands of