Spinal Cord Injuries

Maureen Johnson, PhD, MS, OT/L, BCPR, C/NDT, CHSE-A

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

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Pamela Kasyan-Howe, OTD, OTR/L, EdS

Dr. Pamela Ann Kasyan-Howe received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Florida in 1993, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Florida International University in 1997, and a post professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from South University in 2016. She received an Education Specialist degree for Computing Technologies in Education from

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Miguel Garcia, PT, DPT, EdD

Dr. Miguel Garcia is a core faculty member in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Miami, FL campus. He has been teaching in the DPT Flex program since 2009 and leads the various neurological courses within the DPT curriculum. He was promoted to his current position

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Antonette Fernandez, DrOT, OTR/L, CNDT

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,

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Kristian Llaca, EdD, OTD, OTR/L, ATP, CSRS, BCTS, CHSE

Kristian Llaca has been a practicing occupational therapist for five years working in different healthcare settings ranging from acute care, home health, inpatient rehab and private practice. He graduated from Florida International University with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. Since then, Llaca has specialized in the adult neurological population while working at West Gables

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Behdad Tahayori, PT, PhD

Born and raised in Iran, Dr. Tahayori studied physical therapy at Master’s level at Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. He did his PhD in Kinesiology and Neuroscience at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) examining spinal plasticity and its mechanisms in CNS diseases. At IUB, he did some basic science studies to better understand the

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Neeraj Kumar, PT, DPT, PhD

Dr. Neeraj Kumar is an Associate Professor in the College of Rehabilitative Sciences on the Dallas, TX campus. He has a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy (1996) from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India; a master’s degree in sports physiotherapy (1998) from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India; a PhD in rehabilitation science (2009) from

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Leonard Elbaum, PT, EdD

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

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Gabriela Perez, OTD, EdD, MS, OTR/L

Dr. Gabriela Perez entered the role of teaching as a lab assistant in 2018 and came onboard at the University as full-time faculty in March 2020. She started her career as a physical therapist assistant in 2009 and remains practicing. Dr. Perez earned her bachelor’s degree in education with a focus on health and fitness,

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Mohammed Ata, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS, C/NDT

Dr. Mohammed Ata is an Associate Professor with the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Prior to joining the University, he worked as an adjunct Associate Professor at City University of New York. Dr. Ata earned his bachelor’s degree, Master of Science in Physical Therapy and Doctor

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Kristin Domville, OTD, MOT, OTR/L

Dr. Kristin Domville has been practicing as an occupational therapist for 15 years. She began her clinical career working with pediatric clients in the outpatient and home health setting and then transitioned to working with adults in the acute and subacute rehab settings. The diagnoses she treated in the rehab setting included CVA, Parkinson’s, multiple

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Teka Clark, OTD, MOT, OTR/L

Dr. Teka Clark is an experienced occupational therapist from Jacksonville, FL. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, continued to pursue her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Florida A&M University and completed her doctorate in Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health

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