Valerie Faul obtained her Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2005. With extensive experience in various healthcare settings such as outpatient care, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehab and home health, including assisted and independent living facilities, she specializes in upper extremity (UE) dysfunction, particularly of the shoulder.
Jennifer Diminuco’s professional experience includes working in the outpatient setting focusing on upper extremity rehabilitation and neurological rehabilitation at multiple clinics in San Diego, CA and Dallas, TX. During her work as a clinician, she has served as a Level II occupational therapist (OT) fieldwork clinical instructor through various universities. Her most recent clinical work
Dr. Lee Ann Hoffman is an occupational therapist with more than 25 years of international clinical experience across diverse healthcare systems. She specializes in assistive technology and complex rehabilitation, with a particular focus on 24-hour Posture Care Management (PCM). She is a Rehabilitation Engineer and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) certified Assistive Technology
Dr. Mayra Mendez-Schiaffino received her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Brenau University in 2016 after completing her undergraduate studies in Clinical Psychology at Kennesaw State University in 2010. In 2021, she earned a post-graduate certification in Low Vision Rehabilitation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). In 2023, she received her Doctor
Dr. Blanche Leeman joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences as an Associate Professor in the Flex Occupational Therapy (OT) program in 2023. Prior, Dr. Leeman was a contributing faculty member in the Post-professional OT program as a capstone advisor. Dr. Leeman started her occupational therapy career in 1997, working in hand therapy
Dr. Eman Fayed has worked in education for more than 10 years and joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences as contributing faculty in 2020. She became a core faculty member in 2023. Dr. Fayed has served in administrative roles, including as a clinical supervisor and coordinator of internship affairs. Her areas of
Dr. Dana Kolbfleisch earned her Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Chatham University. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in psychology and Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned a specialty certificate in health and wellness in occupational therapy from Salus University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Health
Dr. Cheryl Sheffield has 30 years of experience as an occupational therapist in Canada and the United States. She joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) in 2018, where she transitioned from a contributing faculty member in the post-professional Doctor of Physical Therapy program to core faculty in the Master of Occupational
Dr. Rudie Spigarelli has practiced in several outpatient clinical settings including multi-disciplinary, mobile, orthopedic and vestibular clinics. She has experience and certification in concussion management, manual therapy, visual-vestibular functional integration training, clinical instruction and practice management. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, Texas Physical Therapy Association and Vestibular Rehabilitation Special Interest Group
Dr. Soper has a background in orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions with more than 30 years of clinical practice. She obtained her Doctor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management and Leadership from California Intercontinental University in 2021. She joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences core faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2022. Her
Maeve Murtagh graduated from Texas Christian University with a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. During the last five years, Murtagh has worked in multiple settings serving the adult and geriatric populations, including outpatient, skilled nursing (long- and short-term care) and acute care. She has performed diagnosis and treatment of disorders related to
Dr. Christine Salmon has more than 11 years of combined teaching and clinical experience in physical therapy, including more than five years providing clinical instruction for students from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences and other institutions. Her clinical work focuses on evaluating and treating the geriatric, orthopedic, cardiac, and neurological patient population.