Physical Therapy

Meet Our Team

Wendy Ahearn is a physical therapist assistant who has worked at Rady Children's since 2001. She specializes in the areas of acute care and inpatient rehabilitation and is also a certified aquatic specialist. Wendy received her bachelor's degree in human movement studies at Rhodes University, South Africa, and prior to working at Rady Children's, she specialized in aquatic and land-based personal training. Wendy received her physical therapist assistant degree from Mesa College. Her goals are to improve the quality of life for her patients and help them have as much fun as possible.

Paula Ashbaugh has been a physical therapist since 1991 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2011. She is a certified athletic trainer and certified manual therapist. She attended San Francisco State University for her undergraduate degree, the University of Southern California for her master's degree and Regis University for her doctorate. Paula lived in Colorado for 15 years, where she was a clinic owner in Denver and Vail, working with high school sports teams. She is an avid skier, a yoga instructor and has an interest in aquatic rehabilitation. Paula's goal is to create individualized programs for kids and educate them so that they may be more successful in sport, life and play.

Larry Berman has been a physical therapist since 1987 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1999. Larry has special talents in the areas of orthopedic and sports medicine, exercise, and manual therapy. Larry received his bachelor's degree in physical therapy at California State University, Long Beach. Larry's goal is to provide comprehensive and quality care to children and adolescents in our community.

Alyson Cavanaugh has been a physical therapist since 2005.  Alyson has special talent in the area of early intervention and neurological rehabilitation.  She received her doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Miami.  She is NDT certified and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.  Alyson is a current member of APTA and the Global Health Special Interest Group. Her goal is to improve function in children and adolescents with disabilities or injuries.

Suzi Collins has been a physical therapist since 1990 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1994. Suzi specializes in the areas of chronic pain, sports rehab, conditioning in obese patients and manual therapy. Suzi received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy at Maryland University. Suzi's goal in working at Rady Children's is to inspire and motivate all individuals in reaching their potential. With hard work, proper guidance and manual therapy, Suzi hopes to give each of her patients an experience that will be individualized and successful.

Joan Connolly has been a physical therapist since 1985 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2006. She has experience in treating children with cerebral palsy, spinal bifida, developmental delay, torticollis/plagiocephaly and Down Syndrome. She was a physical therapist for California Children's Services for nine years. Joan received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy at California State University at Long Beach. Her goal is to help parents help their children.

Holly Elwell has been with Rady Children's since 2004. A member of the American Physical Therapy Association, she currently works in outpatient orthopedics and spends a few hours a week in the Motion Analysis Laboratory. Holly is involved in coordinating communication between the orthopedic surgeons and the physical therapy team. She also serves as a mentor for new grads and as a clinical instructor for students enrolled in physical therapy programs. She received her master's degree in physical therapy from Mount St. Mary's College, earned her bachelor's degree in physiology and neuroscience from UC San Diego, and completed two years of graduate work in exercise physiology at SDSU. Holly's mission is to facilitate each child's return to sports, play and life activities and to educate young people about how to better care for their bodies.

Michelle Fuleky received her doctor of physical therapy degree from Columbia University. She earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science at Youngstown State University in Ohio, where she played Division I tennis. Michelle has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association since 2008. It is Michelle's goal to help children of all ages reach their full potential.

Jessica Garfin has been a physical therapist since 1999. Jessica grew up playing a variety of sports through college. She has been a therapist at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego working with adolescent athletes since 2005. Jessica has taken numerous continuing education classes throughout her career to improve her orthopedic and sports training skills, such as classes that specialize in the treatment of shoulder and knee sports injuries, a year-long class that focused on orthopedic manual physical therapy and many Pilate classes. She also worked with semi-professional female soccer players, male ice-hockey players and professional female volleyball players to help them rehabilitate from their injuries. Jessica loves working with children and adolescents who are athletes as they are very motivated to return to their sport. She has the knowledge and experience in her professional and personal life to help her relate to athletes.

Jennifer Gleim has been a physical therapist since 1994 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1995. Jennifer specializes in the areas of pediatrics, orthopedics, torticollis, Ilizarov, wound care and foot orthotics. Jennifer received her master's degree in physical therapy from the University of Southern California. Jennifer's goal is to help patients return to their previous level of activity or sports as quickly as possible.

Elizabeth Hall has been a physical therapist since 2004 and has worked at Rady Children's Hospital since 2010. Elizabeth has special talent in the areas of lymphedema, acute care/inpatient rehabilitation, rheumatology, early intervention and neurological conditions. Elizabeth received her master's degree in physical therapy at Ithaca College.

Nancy Haney is the physical therapy department manager at Rady Children's. She's been a physical therapist since 1974 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1998. Nancy received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Boston University and her master's degree in rehabilitation medicine from the University of Washington. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and a Pediatric Section member. She is certified by the APTA as a pediatric certified specialist. Nancy is certified in pediatric and baby neurodevelopmental treatment and is trained in TAMO (Tscharnuter Akademie of Movement Organization) treatment of movement disorders. Nancy has a special interest in treatment of children with torticollis and developmental delays. Her goals are to recruit, train and support the highest-quality pediatric and sports medicine physical therapists and to provide state-of-the-art physical therapy treatment for  children and adolescents.

Jennifer Harris has been a physical therapist since 2001 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2002. Jennifer has special talent in the areas of developmental pediatrics, including treating children with neurological, congenital and orthopedic impairments, as well as in adolescent orthopedics including children with sports injuries and post-surgical needs. She has taken many continuing education courses in pediatrics and orthopedic treatment. Jennifer received her master's degree in physical therapy at Russell Sage College/Sage Graduate School.

Kelly Heffron graduated in 2004 from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. In January of 2007, Kelly graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy at Midwestern University. Kelly has experience in the treatment of general orthopedic, sports medicine, geriatric, pediatric, pre/postnatal and neurological patients. Kelly has treated both adult and pediatric orthopedic patients. Kelly expanded her skills to work more closely with the pediatric and adolescent population. Since working at Rady Children’s Hospital, she has been treating a variety of diagnoses from neurologically involved to orthopedic patients.  Since graduation Kelly has taken a variety of continuing education courses and attended the APTA conferences. Each of these have helped Kelly to continue to grow as an evidence based clinician, who values the importance of keeping up with the newest research on therapy services.

Mary Hermes has been a physical therapist since 1999 and joined Rady Children's Hospital in 2011. She received her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Valparaiso University and her master’s degree in physical therapy from Columbia University. She has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) since 1997 and is a clinical specialist in pediatrics (PCS). She is also an APTA credentialed clinical instructor. Prior to moving to California, Mary owned a pediatric private practice in Chicago, which specialized in multidisciplinary treatment of medically fragile children under the age of 3. Mary is experienced in treating children of all ages, and her goal in working at Rady Children’s is to teach families how to integrate therapeutic techniques into their daily routines.

Meeta Jost has been a physical therapist since 1999 and has worked at Rady Children's since October 2003. Meeta specializes in the areas of pediatrics and orthopedics and is currently the PT for the Cardiac Prevention Clinic. Meeta received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and master’s in physical therapy from Shenandoah University in Virginia. She enjoys running races in her spare time, as well as snowboarding and hiking when she is not chasing her two little girls. Meeta’s goal in working at Rady Children's Hospital is to return her patients to full function as quickly and safely as possible.

Katherine Keller (KC) has been a physical therapist since 1999 and started as a new graduate here at Rady Children's. KC specializes in the areas of pediatrics and orthopedics and is currently the PT at MDA clinic here at Rady Children's Hospital. KC has played softball, volleyball and soccer in high school as well as volleyball at a Division II University, where she went to the NCAA Division II National Tournament her junior year. After college, she decided to try running and has completed 3 half marathons and is in training for her fourth. She enjoys working with children, helping them achieve their goals.

Julie Klus has been a physical therapist since 2003 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2009. Julie specializes in the areas of developmental, acute care, rehabilitation and orthopedic pediatric physical therapy. She also has experience in geriatric rehabilitation. Julie received her master's degree in Physical Therapy at Duquesne University. She is currently pursuing holistic health studies to complement her physical therapy skills. 

Allison LeBlanc has been a physical therapist since 2012 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2013. Allison received her bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in pre-physical therapy from San Diego State University in 2008.  She received her doctorate of physical therapy from the University of St. Augstine in 2012.  She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the pediatric and research sections. Allison's goal is to provide outstanding patient care.

Stephanie Lestino graduated from the University of Southern California with her doctorate of physical therapy in 2010 and has been a physical therapist at Rady Children’s Hospital since March 2012. Stephanie received her bachelor's degree in 2000 from the University of California, San Diego in microbiology, with minors in psychology and Chinese studies. She then went in search of an HIV vaccine, conducting research and receiving her master's of public health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2004. Although she found the research interesting, she missed daily interactions with people rather than cells in a laboratory. After volunteering in several physical therapy clinics and hospitals, she found that she welcomed the refreshingly unpredictable and joyous day to day events of working with children with special needs.

Donna Marmolejo received her bachelor's degree in biochemistry from California State University of Fullerton and a doctorate of physical therapy degree at Loma Linda University. She has been a physical therapist since 2006 and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 2008. Donna has special talents in the areas of developmental pediatrics, torticollis, pediatric orthopedics and is a certified educator of infant massage. She is also part of two grant-funded early intervention programs for Rady Children’s Hospital; Children’s Care Connection (C3) and KIDSTART. Donna has prior experience working for private outpatient pediatric clinics, home-based early-intervention, as well as working as an acute inpatient therapist at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Donna’s goal is to improve the quality of life for children by increasing their functional abilities and confidence.

Karen McCord has been a physical therapist since 1985 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1995. Karen specializes in the areas of spinal defects, arthrogryposis, neonatal intensive care, torticollis, durable medical equipment, splinting/orthotics, developmental delay, early intervention and rehabilitation. Karen received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy at the University of California at San Francisco. She is certified in childbirth education.

Linda Morgan-Lodin has been a physical therapist since 1976 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1988. Prior to arriving in San Diego, Linda worked in Japan and Brazil, establishing pediatric physical therapy departments. Linda has experience working with all ages and diagnoses. She specializes in treating children with neurological or genetic disorders. Linda received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy at the University of Pittsburgh. She is certified in infant massage.

Sylvia Nielsen has been a physical therapist since 1976 and has worked at Rady Children's since 1992. Sylvia has special talents in the areas of muscle disease treatment and management, equipment needs (including wheelchairs, bracing and other mobility assistive devices), and treatment of torticollis and other developmental disorders. Sylvia received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Chicago Medical School and her master's degree in public health from San Diego State University. She is a current member of the American Physical Therapy Association. Sylvia is a certified educator of infant massage and leads parent groups to teach nurturing touch. She has also studied TAMO (Tscharnuter Akademie of Movement Organization) with Ingrid Tscharnuter and uses the technique when appropriate.

Ellen Norton has been a physical therapist since 1976. She returned to Rady Children's in 2005 after working here from 1984 to 1987. Ellen has a wide variety of pediatric experience, having working in inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as in home care and early intervention programs. She published original research in developmental torticollis and authored chapters in "Physical Therapy for Children." Ellen received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Katrina Saunders has been a physical therapist at Rady Children's since 2003. Katrina received her master's degree in physical therapy from Chapman University. She is a certified licensed physical therapist. Katrina's goal is to help others to do more than they thought they could do.

Luci Schmeiser has been a physical therapist since 2010 and has worked at Rady Children's Hospital since 2011. She is local to North County San Diego, growing up in Escondido. Luci received her doctorate of physical therapy from the University of St. Augustine, San Diego and her bachelors degree in human development from Cal State San Marcos, where she competed at the national level in Track and Field. Luci specializes in working with children of all ages and was a pre-school teacher and high school track coach before becoming a physical therapist. Luci's goal is to serve the needs of North County San Diego youth.

Monica Sheppard has been a physical therapist since 2001 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2004. Monica specializes in pediatrics, early intervention and torticollis. Monica has a background in school-based therapy, as well as outpatient clinical practice. She received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin and master's in physical therapy from the University of Minnesota.

Beth Shiff has been a physical therapist since 2001 and has worked at Rady Children's since 2003. Beth specializes in the area of orthopedics and sports injuries. Beth received her master's degree in physical therapy from Simmons College in Boston. She is an APTA-credentialed clinical instructor and has recently taken courses on Pilates mat, kinesiotaping, core stabilization, low back/hip/SIJ, foot/ankle, and the shoulder. Beth's goal is to provide outstanding physical therapy services and education on injury prevention, allowing for safe return to sport and/or prior level of function.

Danielle Sidoti received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of St. Augustine in San Marcos. She earned her bachelor’s degree at San Diego State University with a major in Kinesiology, Pre-Physical Therapy and a minor in Psychology.  During her time at SDSU, Danielle was captain of the school’s Division I Softball team. She later went on to Italy to play professional softball for Caserta, where her team won the Italian Cup and their league championship in 2009.  Danielle has a special interest in developmental pediatrics and sports orthopedic rehabilitation and has also provided physical therapy services through Rady’s KidSTART and C3 programs during her last clinical internship. She has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association since 2010. Her goal is to improve the quality of life for every patient she sees, big or small.

Stephanie Torres has been a physical therapist at Rady Children's since 2006. She specializes in adolescent orthopedics, developmental pediatrics and torticollis. Stephanie also provides physical therapy services to the Down Syndrome Clinic and Chronic Pain Clinic at Rady Children's. She received her bachelor's degree in nutrition science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she competed on the Division I Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Stephanie received her doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Southern California and has also earned her certified strength and conditioning specialist credentials. Stephanie has completed several marathons and continues to compete in half-marathons year round.