In 2025, something unprecedented happened: two fantastic members of the profession were awarded the ACA’s prestigious Chiropractor of the Year award, Dr Dein Vindigni and Dr Andrea Huddleston. Here, we highlight Andrea’s incredible story.
Growing up as one of five sisters, Dr Andrea Huddleston believes her future passion for and work in the women’s health space was written in the stars from a young age.
“Most of my experience growing up was seeing women suffering with all sorts of different issues. For example, my older sister had rupturing ovarian cysts and would experience the most horrific pain, and my Mum also had endometriosis and huge fibroids. They were told, often by well-meaning medical practitioners, ‘This is what life is like as a woman,” she explains.
The widely accepted consensus was that women have drawn the short straw, that the normal physiological functions of their bodies are designed to cause suffering and harm, and that it was all part of their journey. Andrea believes witnessing these attitudes laid the foundation for the work she does.
“I think I’ve always had that curiosity that surely this isn’t right,” she says. “How have we got it so wrong?”
Which is why, many years down the line, winning the 2025 Chiropractic of the Year Award is an affirmation of her work in the women’s health space and its broader acceptance within the chiropractic profession.
Her journey has been driven by a broader vision she holds about raising the bar for women’s health, reminding chiropractors that women’s health is not niche.
“It’s one of the most dynamic and impactful parts of healthcare,” she says. “And chiropractic has so much more to offer in this realm that most of us realise.”
“My work brings advanced knowledge of women’s physiology, endocrine health, and the complexities of ageing and reproduction into chiropractic education and clinical practice — knowledge that should be foundational for every chiropractor who cares for women.”
This broader vision has led her on a “passionate crusade to pioneer women’s health in chiropractic,” which has seen her create and continuously improve an evidence-informed model of women’s health chiropractic care.
After those earlier experiences of seeing women’s health needs cast aside as an unfortunate reality they simply must persist with, Andrea feels the tide has shifted recently, particularly in chiropractic.
In her view, the profession has grown to embrace women’s health and accept the vital role it has to play in the space. No longer does chiropractic seem to believe it can offer very little.
“It’s definitely more broadly accepted,” she explains. “When I started teaching women’s health, I started with the very foundational topics, such as understanding the difference between the male and female anatomy and physiology and how that applies to things like technique choices.”
“From there, the landscape expanded quickly. I began innovating period pain techniques and mapping how common women’s health conditions present musculoskeletally — patterns that were being overlooked. Step by step, it became clear just how much impact we can have with conditions like period pain, endometriosis, PCOS, pregnancy, postpartum care, and so much more. Realising the depth of that impact has been incredibly profound.”
The profession’s journey towards a greater understanding of and ability to support various women’s health issues has no clear conclusion. There is no endgame. Rather, this process will constantly evolve and change in the coming months and years.
However, there are two outcomes she would love to see as a result of this growing acceptance and understanding. One is chiropractic becoming the first point of contact for women seeking healthcare support.
The other is greater public education about the “incredible role chiropractors can play in supporting women through each life stage.”
While Andrea’s crusade was influential in her joint-win at this year’s AGM, several other milestones also played a part.
“This year has been really significant because I graduated my first cohort of the Women’s Health Diplomate, the first formal postgraduate training in women’s health for chiropractors,” she explains.
The first 40 chiropractors from all across the country will have graduated, with the second cohort in the process of completing their studies.
Many factors motivated her to begin the Diplomate, including creating a national network of chiropractors equipped with the knowledge to truly support women’s health issues. Another stems from Andrea’s passion for chiropractors being primary health care practitioners.
“For us to take centre stage with how we’re supporting women, we really have to know our stuff and we have to understand what women are facing,” she explains.
“We have to understand the absolute minutiae. All of the different things that can happen, as well as the impact we can have on that as well.”
On top of this, the last 12 months have been filled with further milestones in the education space.
“I’ve taught internationally and developed the curriculum for women’s and men’s health for the Australian College of Chiropractic,” she explains.
“Having women’s health formally included in tertiary education is a major step forward for our profession. It feels significant for me.”
Despite these significant achievements in the last year, Andrea did not expect to win this year’s award.
“The calibre of chiropractors in Australia is extraordinary, so even being nominated felt significant,” she says, adding, “I never saw this coming!”
Which explains why, when she heard her name announced at this year’s ACA AGM, she felt shocked.
“Hearing my name called in a room full of colleagues whom I respect so deeply was surreal,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if it was correct.”
“I’ve dedicated my career to elevating women’s health within chiropractic, to advancing our profession academically, and to improving patient outcomes in real, tangible ways.”
“To have that work recognised by my peers is an honour.”
“It acknowledges the work of integrating deeper knowledge of women’s physiology, endocrine health, and the complexities of each reproductive life stage into chiropractic education and practice and shows just how foundational this is for practice today.”
More than just a win for herself, she notes how the award is a “milestone for women’s health in chiropractic.”
“Women’s health is not a niche, it’s a core part of healthcare, and chiropractic has so much more to offer,” she says. “Never underestimate the difference you can make.”
“Let’s keep raising the bar!”