Northeast Announces Spring 2026 Commencement Speaker: Dr. Kristina Petrocco-Napuli

Northeast College of Health Sciences will welcome alumna Dr. Kristina Petrocco-Napuli (D.C. ’03), a global leader in chiropractic education, as keynote speaker for Spring 2026 Commencement this August.

A sought-after international speaker who has presented on five continents and is current president of Activator Methods International, Petrocco-Napuli will return to the Seneca Falls, N.Y., campus, her alma mater, where she earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2003.

“I am forever grateful to call Northeast my alma mater. This institution shaped me in ways I can’t fully put into words, and I carry Northeast with me in everything I do,” said Petrocco-Napuli, a founding and current faculty member of Northeast’s Human Anatomy and Physiology Instruction program who also completed a chiropractic technique fellowship at the College. “It’s not just where my journey began, it’s home.”

Northeast Grad to Global Health Care Leader

Petrocco-Napuli has built a career defined by leadership in action, founding programs, leading academic departments and guiding professional organizations. Her leadership includes two elected terms as chair of the Council on Chiropractic Education as well as in elected and appointed roles with the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education and the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

As founding and past president of the American Chiropractic Association Council on Women’s Health and a fellow of both the International College of Chiropractors and the American College of Chiropractors, Petrocco-Napuli’s influence spans multiple sectors of healthcare education and policy.

Among her many honors, she has received the American Chiropractic Association Academician of the Year Award, the Beatrice B. Hagen Award for Women in Leadership, and most recently, the prestigious Joseph Janse Lecture Award from the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards.

Petrocco-Napuli has also contributed extensively to peer-reviewed journals, podcasts and professional publication sharing her expertise in women’s health, ethics, curriculum design and adolescent care.

As she addresses the newest Northeast doctors and master's degree students as they embark on their professional journeys, her words will surely certainly reflect Petrocoo-Napuli’s lifelong commitment to the profession is sure to inspire the next generation of Northeast College leaders.

Celebrating the Next Generation of Chiropractors

Commencement marks the culmination of Ceremony Week, a Northeast College tradition that also includes the Commitment to Excellence Pledge for incoming D.C. students and the Transitions Ceremony honoring those entering the clinical phase of their chiropractic education. Spring Commencement will be held Aug. 1, 2026.

For more information, visit Northeast College Commencement.