Le parcours d’une bénévole: d’étudiante à membre du conseil de l’ACC
April 18-24 is National Volunteer Week. We’re shining a spotlight on your Board of Directors, who volunteer their time and expertise to help drive the CCA’s work to advance the profession
Dr. Catherine Bezeau
Dr. Catherine Bezeau’s commitment to advancing the chiropractic profession started well before she became a chiropractor – and has never stopped.
While attending the chiropractic program at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, she spent her time outside the classroom as a member of both the chiropractic student association and the general student association. If that was not enough, she also attended meetings of the World Congress of Chiropractic Students in Dallas, Rio de Janeiro and Durban to build greater unity in the profession.
She explains her passion for volunteering: “I get involved in the profession to make my personal contribution, and to ensure my generation is being heard so those who come next can also have their say in the direction the profession is going.”
Adding to her school activities, she was a healthcare volunteer for the Quebec Games in Shawinigan (2012) and Saguenay (2013) where she helped athletes with their injuries. Returning to her passion of offering chiropractic far and wide, she joined a mission in Bolivia with Chiropractic Without Borders to treat, counsel and help those who needed care.
After graduating in 2013, she began practicing at the Centre chiropratique du village in Laval, Québec, alongside two other chiropractors.
Dr. Catherine Bezeau wearing PPE
Since then, her volunteering never slowed down. She joined the board of the Association des chiropraticiens du Québec in 2017, then the board of the Canadian Chiropractic Association in 2018. “I volunteer to help advance the profession, and ensure we have strong associations that propel chiropractic to where it should be.”
In recent months, Dr. Bezeau has reflected on her role in the profession. In just over a year, she returned to work from maternity leave, then shortly thereafter had to shut her clinic due to the pandemic. “I needed to redefine my ‘why.’ The answer was clear when I returned to work after the shutdown: My patients. Our patients need our care for their wellbeing and quality of life. The realization was like a burst of fresh air during all these profound disruptions.”
Dr. Catherine Bezeau with her family
She explains her work/life philosophy: “Certainly, there are times when you’re busier with your practice, at other times it’s family. There are things you can’t control, but it’s really about taking the two roles and juggling them as best you can. You just have to accept that perfection doesn’t exist, so you have to be less of a perfectionist and more in the moment. When you’re at the clinic, be at the clinic. When you’re with your family, be with your family. Enjoy everything that makes life simple and beautiful.”