President: Katie Larson
Katie is a 3rd year DPT student at A.T. Still University in Mesa, AZ. Originally from sunny Southern California, she ventured to The Ohio State University to complete her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science. Katie is passionate about orthopedic manual physical therapy and first attended AAOMPT’s Annual Conference in 2010 where she became hooked. In 2010-2011, she served as the AAOMPT sSIG Conference Committee Chair. She also represented ATSU and the state of Arizona at PT Day at Capitol Hill in 2011. In her free time, she is an avid runner, hiking enthusiast, gardener, and will always be a buckeye at heart. Katie is thrilled to be leading the AAOMPT sSIG this year and eager to collaborate with fellow students in our journey to become expert clinicians.
Vice President: Jenni Carlos
Jenni is a 2nd year student at Regis University. She is a native from the Pacific Northwest and attended Linfield College in McMinnville, OR where she played basketball and graduated with a B.S. in Exercise Science. She enjoys playing basketball and considers March Madness a second Christmas. In her free time, she enjoys running, skiing and hiking. Jenni states that “I have always been interested in Physical Therapy, especially with my “injury-prone” athletic career.” She is looking forward to spreading the word about AAOMPT and facilitating student involvement in this organization.
Secretary: Jillian Grey
Jill is a 2nd year DPT student at the University of Hartford and lives in Enfield, CT. She graduated in 2010 from University of Hartford with a Bachelors degree in Health Sciences. She is a member of the Physical Therapy Student Association, and the former undergraduate secretary. Jill works as a rehab aide and part time personal trainer at a local PT clinic as well as a dance teacher. In her spare time, Jill enjoys playing soccer, rugby, and running. She is looking forward to running in the Disney Half Marathon in January 2012. Jill is excited to contribute her skills and ideas as the sSIG secretary.
Treasurer: Meridith Hackel
Meridith is a young, dedicated, and driven student currently attending her second year of the DPT program at A.T.Still University in Mesa, Arizona. Meridith has a strong passion for the profession of physical therapy which stems from her own experiences as a patient during her youth athletics. Her enthusiasm for the orthopedic aspect of the profession has exponentially grown as her knowledge of manual therapy and its benefits to the patients have enhanced. Outside of school, Meridith enjoys exercising, being outdoors, and spending time with her fiancé.
Member at Large: Kyle Cherney
Kyle is a 3rd year student at A.T. Still University in Mesa, AZ. He has had a keen interest in orthopedics and manual therapy from the start of his DPT studies. It has become increasingly apparent to him that skilled manual therapy is a prerequisite for delivering the best care possible for the majority of patients. He joined AAOMPT a year ago for this reason (among many others) and discovered a group of professionals devoted to advancing our field of practice. He is excited to be a part of such an enthusiastic group and looks forward to working with fellow students in our pursuit of professional excellence.
Membership Committee Chair: Megan Fitzsimmons
Megan is a 3rd year student at Regis University in Denver, CO. She is a Colorado native and dreams of living in her beautiful homeland forever. She is extremely passionate about the field of physical therapy and is also active and interested in the APTA. She is currently the APTA CO Chapter sSIG President, and held the position of AAOMPT sSIG Treasurer last year. She contributed to the compilation of musculoskeletal faculty roster from PT schools in the U.S. that the sSIG will use to expand the scope of student involvement. She cannot wait to see how the schools around the nation begin to become more active in AAOMPT this year, and has huge aspirations for the group!
Conference Committee Chair: Danny Westergard
Danny Westergard is currently a 2nd year DPT student at A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona. Danny was introduced to manual therapy in his first year of school, and has since cultivated a passion for this field of physical therapy. In his life away from school, he spends his time cycling, camping, and hiking with his wife and black lab.
Social Committee Chair: Charlie Kinney
Charlie is in his 2nd year of physical therapy school at Regis University. A native of Michigan, he attended Michigan State University for his BS in Kinesiology and specialized in athletic training. He is pleased to have the opportunity to serve the members of the AAOMPT s-SIG and promote evidence-based practice in the field of physical therapy over the next year.
APTA Liaison: Ellie Allan
Ellie is a 2nd year student at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. She arrived at school with experience in teaching skiing and pilates and after world travel. She is currently working hard at passing all of her classes, as well as being involved in planning of graduation parties, being a mentor to younger students and seeking out professional opportunities in the form of conferences, research and volunteer opportunities. Ellie is excited to become an active and passionate member of the physical therapy profession as well as the APTA and AAOMPT and looks forward to combining her teaching expertise and physical therapy knowledge in order to work with athletes and clients of all ages and abilities. Aside from studying and reading journal articles, Ellie enjoys skiing, climbing, biking and hanging out with her family.
Web Administrator: Emily Hoke
Emily, originally from the Pacific Northwest, land of temperate
rain and Gore-tex, after completing her undergraduate at the University of Puget Sound decided to cross the continental divide for more sunshine and snow. She is currently a 3rd year student at the
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus in Denver, CO. In the past two years, she was the AAOMPT SSIG president from 2010-2011 as well as the Governmental Affairs Representative for the Colorado Chapter of the APTA SSIG for 2011-2012. During the 2010-2011 year with the SSIG Leadership Team, Emily led the executive team in re-writing the Rules and Regulations for the AAOMPT SSIG, maintaining student membership at over 200 student members and raising over $4000 for the SSIG at the 2011 Annual Conference in Disneyland.
