Amy Walters graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Psychology in 1996. She then went on to physical therapy school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She moved to Seattle after graduation and worked in sports medicine with a focus on treating adolescent athletes. She received her sports
Mary Zadnik, ScD, MEd, OTR/L, is an Assistant Professor and Program Director for the entry-level Occupational Therapy programs on the Austin, TX campus. She formerly served as an assistant scientist at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore and an adjunct professor at Towson University in Maryland. She is an experienced clinician and
Dr. Gerardi joined the University in 2017. He previously served as the inaugural Program Director of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Brown Mackie College–San Antonio. Other past academic appointments include visiting instructor in the Exercise Science program at Saint Mary’s University, an adjunct faculty member in the Baylor University/U.S. Army Doctor of Science in Occupational
Dr. Campbell earned a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from the University at Buffalo in 1994, a Doctor of Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ, in 2012, and a Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2021. His dissertation topic was “Doctor of Physical Therapy
Lacey Spark attended the University of Oregon and Pacific University for her undergraduate career before earning her Master of Occupational Therapy from Pacific University in 2010. After graduation, she worked in community mental health practice and presented at the annual American Occupational Therapy Association conference on occupational therapy groups for early intervention and treatment of
Dr. Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Dip. MDT, is a physical therapist and assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Austin. Dr. Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Dip. MDT, is a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He has been in Austin, TX, since
Dr. Matt Morretta received both his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy from Temple University. He is residency trained in orthopedic physical therapy and became an orthopedic clinical specialist in 2011. Dr. Morretta continued his clinical education by completing an orthopedic manual physical therapy fellowship through Evidence in Motion and becoming a fellow
Dr. Peyton Sykes graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology in 2009. In 2014, he earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Austin, Texas. He has worked primarily in the Austin community as an outpatient orthopedic
Dr. Kristy Demers has been a full-time instructor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program since November 2017. Prior to achieving full-time status, she was contributing faculty in numerous courses and worked part time in an outpatient orthopedic clinic. During her years in the outpatient setting, her primary focus was on the evaluation and treatment of movement
Meghan Savage, PhD, CCC-SLP is the Senior Program Director and an Associate Professor in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program. Dr. Savage, who is located on the Austin, TX campus, was previously the Program Director and served as core faculty, Clinical Director and Assistant Program Director since joining the University of St.
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. Darryn Atkinson is a physical therapist, researcher and educator focused on improving the lives of individuals with neurological injuries and their families. He began his career in 2005 as a physical therapist specializing in spinal cord injury rehabilitation at TIRR/Memorial Hermann in Houston, TX. In 2010, Dr. Atkinson joined the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury