Dr. Jennifer Susong Crowder joined USAHS in 2015 as a contributing faculty member and transitioned to program director and associate professor for the PPOTD program in 2024. In her role, she coordinates PPOTD capstone projects. Additionally, she works as a scientific review officer leading peer review for federally funded research. Prior to joining the University,
Dr. Blackwell is passionate about occupational therapy. She splits her time between researching innovative practices, teaching graduate occupational therapy students, and providing service in community pediatric settings. Her service focuses on supporting participation in important childhood occupations in authentic environments. More specifically, she understands the challenges of addressing sensory and self-regulation needs in the classroom,
Dr. Edla da Silva is a results-oriented and multi-faceted program coordinator in the higher education and physical therapy industries. As a past coordinator of the Physiotherapy department at the University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil, she has created undergraduate and graduate physical therapy programs that have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Health
Dr. Fernandez has 35 years of clinical and leadership experience in providing and promoting rehabilitation services throughout the population’s lifespan. Her clinical experience and specialization include and are not limited to traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral vascular accident, neuro-rehabilitation, adult and pediatric orthopedics, adult and pediatric burns, adult and pediatric movement disorders, dementia,
Dr. Erik Perez earned his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg, TX and his post professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy with a concentration in Education from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Dr. Perez accepted a core faculty position in the Occupational Therapy Program at the
Dr. Kristina Hartsook has been practicing occupational therapy since 2015. She graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She then completed her Master of Occupational Therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) in 2015. She continued her education and received her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy from
Dr. De Brun is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) San Marcos, CA campus. Dr. De Brun completed her Bachelor of Science, Master of Occupational Therapy and post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy at Loma Linda University. She has a wide variety of experience as a
Robyn Martin is the Director, SLP Clinical Instruction for the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Sciences in Speech-Language Pathology from Texas Christian University. Martin has practiced as a speech-language pathologist in public schools, the hospital setting, a pediatric outpatient clinic and in the university
Dr. Summer San Lucas received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree from Westmont College in 2001. She graduated from Loma Linda University with her Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2005 and Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy in 2012. She is an American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic and pediatric
Dr. Elbaum is a faculty member for the residential Doctor of Physical Therapy program on the Miami, FL campus. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy, a Master of Music in Music Therapy and a Doctor of Education in Exceptional Education. He has served as a Research Fellow and a Visiting Scientist at the
Dr. Karen Park has extensive experience in pediatric practice in a variety of service settings including early intervention, clinic, school, hospital and outpatient children’s mental health. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics by the American Occupational Therapy Association and holds Advanced Practice certification in swallowing assessment, evaluation and intervention in California. Prior to joining the
Fabian Bizama, PT, MPT, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Flex DPT program on Austin, TX campus. He teaches Pediatric Physical Therapy, Administration and Management, Biophysical Agents, and Patient Care Management III. He completed a dual degree and graduated with a baccalaureate degree in Health Science and a Masters in Physical Therapy in 2001