.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Braxton Pulley knows neurophysiology. Braxton Pulley knows chiropractic. Braxton Pulley knows teaching.

Pulley, a Michigan native and owner of Pulley Chiropractic Inc., based in the East Village, said he originally set out to be an oncologist.

But after three years of research, working as part of a high school cooperative experience at a radiation and oncology clinic in Michigan, the young man realized he was having a hard time dealing with the grim reality of death.

“I had wanted to become a doctor for a very long time,” he said. But back in 1997, a nurse at the clinic told Pulley that of the cancer patients who walked through the door, only one in three were expected to be cured.

That made a deep impression on Pulley. “It was a sobering thought process,” he recalled.

Switching gears, Pulley attended Iowa State University, earning a degree in zoology in 2000. In 2003, he received a doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport.

Today, in addition to overseeing the care of clients and managing employees at his clinic, Pulley is an adjunct professor at William Penn University, where he has designed and implemented courses on ethics, health and wellness and business management.

“They gave me a lot of leeway,” Pulley said. “Technically it’s a job, but it’s more of a hobby.”

In his second year of teaching, he was nominated for William Penn’s Excellence in Teaching Award, a validating experience for Pulley, who has no formal teaching degree.

“That really hooked me into knowing that I could make a difference,” he said.

He’s also a guest speaker for NCMIC Group Inc. and makes presentations at colleges all over the United States. Essentially, he said, his role is to address some of the pitfalls facing privately practicing medical professionals and to evaluate processes for adult learners.

But Pulley’s day doesn’t end at the clinic or in the classroom.

His civic involvement includes the Children’s Cancer Connection, formerly known as The Heart Connection, and he spends time volunteering at The Lupus Foundation of Iowa, Creative Visions and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa.

“I play the role of an old-school doc to say, ‘Here’s what I can do to do make it better,'” he said.

Pulley and his wife, Abra, have a 6-year-old daughter, Aria.