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. Ashley Hall Campbell joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) in 2021 as an Instructor with the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program on the Austin, TX campus. She was promoted to her current position in December 2023. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Lutheran University and
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. Carmina “Minnie” L. Rafael is a physical therapist with more than 25 years of professional experience. She has been a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy since 2012 and an American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Geriatrics Certified Expert for Aging Adults since 2011. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy
Laura Moe began her career as an occupational therapist in 2017, after graduating from the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) San Marcos, CA campus. As a school-based practitioner, she has continued to expand her emphasis on multi-sensory learning approaches, sensory regulation programs, and Learning
Dr. Kristin Schaffer Mendez is a clinician-scientist and educator who specializes in adult neurogenic communication disorders. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Schaffer Mendez started her career as a speech-language pathologist. She partnered
Since 2015, Dr. Faris Alshammari has been a full-time professor specializing in neurophysiology, neuroscience, neuromuscular II, neuromuscular III, pain science, physical therapy for neurological cases and research methods in physical therapy. With more than 15 years of clinical experience, he has worked extensively with inpatient and outpatient neurologic patients. From 2010 to 2015, he led
Dr. Catherine Andrea is an associate professor at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She teaches a variety of classes including Pediatric and Neuromuscular courses. Dr. Andrea has worked as a clinician throughout the United States for more than 15 years. She has experience treating an array of clients and specializes in pediatric
Maureen Johnson, PhD, MS, OT/L, BCPR, C/NDT, known as “Dr. Mo,” received her bachelors and post-professional master’s in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University and her Doctor of Philosophy in Education with a focus on learning, instruction and innovation. She has more than 30 years of experience with a variety of patient populations primarily
Dr. Evan M. Pucillo joined the faculty at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2017. Prior, Dr. Pucillo served as a research associate and outpatient neuromuscular therapist for the Utah Program for Inherited Neuromuscular Disorders at the University of Utah’s Department of Neurology in Salt Lake City, UT. Dr. Pucillo earned his
Prior to joining the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2017, Dr. Ed Bezkor was a faculty member in the DPT program at San Diego State University, where he was awarded the Most Influential Faculty Member in 2015 and 2017. He was also a faculty member in the biomedical department at Pacific College