Rehabmart is passionate about helping both family and professional caregivers achieve their goals of better patient care. Our owners have a combined 75 years in the fields of professional caregiving as Occupational and Physical Therapists. Learn more about our expert contributors below, and visit our about page to learn more about the founding of Rehabmart, and Caregiver University to learn about hundreds of caregiving subjects. Thank you for visiting!
Co-founder/CEO of Rehabmart, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, husband, and father. Passionate about connecting special needs kids with superb nutrition, sensory integration, and complementary health strategies. Excited about Rehabmart's mission to become the premier online educational platform which empowers caregivers by spotlighting innovative devices and interventions to achieve optimal patient response and recovery.
Co-Founder of Rehabmart and an Occupational Therapist since 1993. Mike has spent his professional career working in multiple areas of Occupational Therapy, including pediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, ergonomics and inpatient / outpatient rehabilitation. Mike enjoys writing articles that help people solve complex therapeutic problems and make better product choices.
Megan has been a part of Rehabmart since its inception nearly 20 years ago. For the past several years she has been enjoying her role as HR Director while maintaining her Physical Therapy license. When she isn't working on her next in-service or working to find a new team member, she enjoys her five children, helping those who have PT type ailments, baking, practicing yoga, and working out.
Amanda is a registered nurse with over a decade of experience in hospital, clinic, and healthcare management settings. Her primary focus has been collaborating with patients to manage disease processes. Aiming at continuing active lifestyles for her patients, Amanda has become an expert in adjunct therapies.
Amanda incorporates a holistic approach to heal the body from within. She has completed extensive research in remedial treatments using oxygen, as well as becoming a professional light therapy specialist. Her reparative ethos to health has sparked engaging conversations and teaching opportunities nationwide.
Amanda has taken her passion for articulating technical medical language and transitioned to freelance writing. She enjoys bringing a clinical voice to health and wellness brands.
Mike DeWilde is an occupational therapist in the acute hospital and inpatient rehabilitation settings. He has experience working with a wide range of patients from all walks of life, and he is especially skilled in helping people recover from traumatic and neurological conditions. He’s also trained in the outpatient mental health setting, working with veterans in addiction recovery and holistic health improvement. Mike is motivated in helping drive future improvements to our health care system, such as the development of preventative health programs.
Donald Jacobsen is a registered nurse and healthcare content writer who is passionate about patient education and quality improvement. With over 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Donald has a wealth of knowledge to share with readers. He is board-certified in nursing informatics and holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Memphis. He has also earned a Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University.
After battling (and winning) cancer, Susan changed careers from being a paralegal to nursing. This decision was a direct result of the care received during her battle and all of her healthcare providers taking an interest in her as a person and not just a diagnosis. Thanks to those amazing experiences, this is the way Susan approaches nursing and caring for her patients. She is passionate about caring for all individuals but her primary focus is providing relief from the symptoms & stress of serious illnesses, the process of aging, and the particular problems of seniors.
Susan lost her right leg above the knee, to cancer, in 2013. Since that time, she has been very active in the amputee community helping to bring awareness and independence to other amputees. Read how Susan helped shape the future of new prosthetic devices.
Orthopedic surgery physician assistant, doctor of public health, and owner of a public health consulting firm. With over a decade of Active Duty Navy Experience, Deployments with the Navy SEALS, and as a Professor for Purdue University - Dr. Mattox is a highly qualified and experienced clinician with a firm understanding of orthotic needs, rehabilitation, home access needs, gait therapy, and veteran-specific health needs.
Jessi Cottrell is a Registered Nurse, copywriter, mother, and avid book reader. Her nurse background includes emergency medicine, psych & trauma, orthopedic surgery, addiction detox & rehabilitation, and school nursing. She has a passion for finding non-pharmacological methods to treat pain. This passion is fueled by her experience in addiction medicine as well as her own experiences with pain management after various surgeries.
Dr. Wood is a licensed naturopathic doctor in Washington D.C. and founder of Visionary Health. A graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Wood is a professor at John Patrick University in the Integrative and Functional Medicine Department as well as an adjunct professor at the American College of Healthcare Sciences in Holistic Nutrition. He began his career as a specialty physician for two leading supplement US companies, Neuroscience Inc. and Life Extension. Over his fifteen-year career in integrative and holistic medicine, he has worked in diverse capacities including as an educator; writer; medical advisor, consultant and formulator for supplement companies and treatment centers in the US and the EU; public speaker; and clinician. He has long been a practicing advocate of lifestyle medicine, fitness and mind body medicine approaches initially spurred by aging family members not getting help from traditional medicine and is passionate about innovating and bringing natural and integrative medicine to the masses!
Heather is a registered nurse and freelance health writer with a Master's degree and over 24 years of nursing and leadership experience. Heather cares for patients of all ages in various healthcare settings, including inpatient acute care nursing, GI procedural nursing, cardiac lab, infertility clinics, pediatrics, and surgical services. Heather is dedicated to providing high-quality care and sharing reliable, evidence-based information that empowers people to make informed decisions about their and their loved ones' health.
Morgan Hopkins is a licensed doctor of physical therapy and freelance medical writer. She practiced clinically in outpatient orthopedics for 8+ years specializing in intramuscular dry needling, dance medicine, and post-operative care. Morgan seeks to be a leader in the continued shift toward preventative healthcare, helping people optimize movement now so they can move for years to come. She is a firm believer in complementary therapies, holistic wellness, and functional fitness and is thrilled to be able to educate others through Rehabmart’s platform.
Rod is a registered nurse with previous clinical experience as an EMT-B, hospice provider, and emergency room nurse. He now works as an operating room nurse at a Level I Trauma Center and research hospital, where sanitization and environmental control are absolutely crucial to positive patient outcomes. He spent over 30 years in the military and aerospace industry and holds a doctorate in computer science. He is fascinated with exponential technologies and passionate about their impact on society and culture, with interests in improving healthspan, espousing positive aging, practicing holistic wellness, and increasing functional fitness.
Scott Grant, founder of Graying With Grace, is a Certified Senior Advisor® and Senior Home Safety Specialist® with over 20 years of experience in the home medical and senior care product markets. Scott is passionate about helping seniors and their caregivers find reliable, unbiased advice to age gracefully and with dignity. Graying With Grace is a trusted resource on product recommendations, services, and activities for seniors.
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Kelsey Lauer, a dedicated registered nurse, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in supporting seniors to age gracefully in the comfort of their own homes. With years of experience in perianesthesia, stepdown ICU, and surgical telemetry, Kelsey understands the unique challenges and needs that arise as individuals age.
Kelsey's academic accomplishments include holding bachelor's degrees in both English and nursing. This unique combination of disciplines reflects her passion for effective communication and her desire to provide exceptional care to those in need. With a passion for exploring diverse medical subjects and “translating” them for the benefit of patients and their families, Kelsey Lauer finds great joy in writing. Her expertise in this realm has led to the publication of her works in multiple esteemed platforms. Kelsey's journey reflects a remarkable blend of creativity, compassion, and a genuine desire to make a positive difference. With her engaging writing style and dedication to healthcare, she continues to inspire and empower others through her words and actions.
Susie is a social services professional with a Master’s degree in Gerontology and more than 20 years of experience working directly with older adults. Her drive to provide elders with the highest quality of life has led her to create essential programs, including those providing transportation services and critical home repairs so elders can age in place; educational programs that address issues of aging, and a variety of support groups that provide encouragement and socialization. If she had to choose the work she finds most fulfilling, it would be the supportive counseling she provides for older adults and their family members.
Susie believes that our attitudes about aging are just as important for our overall well-being as our genetics and environment, and she strives to empower older adults to embrace their own right to self-determination.
Henry is known as a purveyor of neuroplasticity-based treatment and co-founder of Saebo, a leading provider of novel and evidence-based stroke recovery solutions. For over 20 years, he has provided hundreds of national and international brain injury/stroke courses certifying thousands of occupational and physical therapists worldwide.
Henry’s first stroke product, the SaeboFlex, was placed on permanent public display at the Wellcome Medicine Galleries exhibit at the Science Museum in London. The SaeboFlex was alongside other medical breakthrough technologies spanning the last 500 years, including the first MRI machine and the penicillin mold.
Saebo’s tagline is “No Plateau in Sight” with the understanding that there is no expiration date on neuroplasticity. Henry believes that patients can continue to make gains many years post-stroke and live a happy, healthy, and more independent life.
Winnie is an occupational and certified hand therapist with a passion for developing good technology in the healthcare space. For over 20 years, she has been a hand specialist at the NYU Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation, adjunct professor at Long Island University, and developer of healthcare technology that matters like Squegg.
Brittany is an occupational therapist who has worked in a variety of rehab facilities. She has always expressed an interest in patients’ internal motivation for therapy and the use of assistive devices, which led her to pursue a PhD in Integrative Mental Health. This research-based training has also led her to develop her writing career to educate patients of all ages on how to improve their health. Brittany has published four books, written over 300 articles, and has been quoted in media outlets such as WebMD, Healthline, and NBC News.
Jeanine has been a nurse for twenty-seven years with an extensive background in perioperative services, school/community health, quality/education, and leadership/administrative roles. Jeanine creates high-quality health content and is a mom (to 4 fabulous kids), dog mom, and avid hiker.
Amanda is a certified family nurse practitioner and freelance health writer. With eight years of nursing experience, she has worked in a variety of specialties including urgent care, post-surgical, intensive care, and travel nursing. She is passionate about patient education and strives to make a positive impact on her patients’ well-being.
Dr. Ali is a physician by education and a writer by choice since 2005. He earned an MD degree in 2008 and later completed Harvard Medical School's lifestyle medicine training in 2012, before obtaining a PhD in holistic health elsewhere in 2013. He brings more than 15 years of experience working in a remote environment. Now a digital nomad, he’s currently a health and wellness writer.
Diane Vitillo is a Polio survivor who has worked in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation for over 25 years. Throughout her childhood and adolescent years, she developed many innovative strategies and techniques in order to compensate for the loss of mobility and use of her right shoulder. While working as a healthcare professional with special needs children and stroke survivors, she saw the need to design and manufacture a USA-made product that would facilitate independent donning of an AFO and shoe. The Original AFO Assist is now helping hundreds of people all over the world step back into life.
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Brian Mohika began his medical career as a traveling phlebotomist, and then studied his way to a 4-year nursing degree from the University of Massachusetts. Throughout his career, he’s listened to patients describe their challenges with catheters these real-life conversations are what inspired him to create a solution. He is the CEO of CathWear, LLC, where his primary objective has been to create a customer-focused, education-oriented, purpose-driven company for patients wearing leg bags post-procedure.
A 40-year veteran of the industry, Chris Jacobs has spent the better part of his life as a biomedical engineer, helping countless patients in the process, using contemporary medical devices from variable-rate pacemakers to cardiopulmonary bypass machines.
A friend with Type 2 diabetes came to Chris in early 2006, complaining about a problem common to diabetic patients: due to the extreme pain that comes with lancing fingertips, his friend was hesitant to perform regular tests, despite knowing fully well the potentially serious health concerns that could be caused by neglecting them. Inspired by his friend’s plight, Chris set to work on the most important project of his life - over the course of a decade, he combined cutting-edge technology and intricate pain nerve analysis to devise a painless lancing solution, now known as the Genteel Lancing Device.
Ileana has made Occupational Therapy her vocation for the last 40 years and counting. She has worked with Special Education students at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels over the past two decades, authored and published four books covering a range of topics related to sensory strategy implementation, and made several substantial innovations in remedying sensory-based problem behaviors, including her patented Scale of Sensory Strategies Tool Kit™.
Nancy has worked in the Physical Therapy field for almost 30 years in a variety of settings to include geriatrics, acute care, pediatrics/school therapy, home health, outpatient, management, and she has extensive expertise in rehabilitation. After noting the effects of mindset and perspective on therapy outcomes, Nancy began a focus on whole body health. She is a published author, freelance writer, and a health and wellness consultant.
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Sophia has worked as a nurse in a clinical setting with a variety of different patient populations including geriatrics, renal patients, and oncology patients. Her love for writing is equally as great as her love for taking care of others. She hopes to make an impact on the world by positively influencing those who read her writing.
Dr. Marci Fults is a widely published pediatrician with expert writing and consultant experience in diverse settings across medical research, education, content, & product. Prior to completing her medical education and training, Dr. Fults began her career in pediatric clinical research and developed a deep interest in improving the quality of life of adults and children with chronic medical conditions. She is passionate about advancing medical content, education, and technology with a focus on improving healthcare outcomes for patients.
Ruey is a prolific clinician, researcher, inventor and entrepreneur. Over his academic career, he received over $10 million research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published 70 peer review research papers, and has over 30 issued or pending U.S. and international patents.
Sonia Story has studied with many of the world's finest experts in Neurodevelopmental Movement programs, completing training in Rhythmic Movement Training, Brain Gym, Neuro-Sensory-Motor & Reflex Integration, and more. She developed the Brain and Sensory Foundations curriculum to share powerful movements for transforming brain, body, and sensory challenges. She teaches live and online courses for parents, OTs, PTs, SLPs, VTs, educators, counselors, health practitioners, and caregivers, and continues to learn from her clients of all ages. Learn more about Sonia at moveplaythrive.com.
Phillip spent his childhood and undergraduate years in Southern Ohio, where he attended Miami University. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from this institution in 2008, he moved to Chicago to attend medical school at the University of Illinois. Phillip graduated from medical school in 2016 with his Ph.D. and M.D. He is currently completing a residency in pathology. Together, Phillip and his wife have three children. When Phillip isn’t practicing medicine, he enjoys researching and writing about a variety of topics in the medical field. He also enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing games with his family.
Johanna Galyen is a Registered Nurse, blogger, mother of 4 (including a teenager who is taller than her!), and an avid cruiser of the Caribbean. She began working as a CNA in college and kept her love of medicine after getting her B.S. in Nursing. In the past 16 years, she has helped thousands of patients in Internal Medicine, Neuro-Trauma Med-Surg, Emergency Rooms, and Tele-Health. She is passionate about helping others increase their understanding about their health conditions and always brings a bit of love in all that she does.
Sara McEvoy, PT, DPT, is a licensed and board-certified Doctor of Physical Therapy. She has direct clinical experience within the long-term acute care and skilled nursing settings, and has a special interest in geriatrics and neurological rehab. She is also a freelance writer who creates content almost exclusively within the health and wellness fields.
Brian Prell is the owner of Rehabilitation and Performance Center in Greensboro, GA where he has developed manual therapy practice for peripheral joint and spine care and collaborated with an audiologist to develop a vestibular and non-vestibular balance clinic. He's also collaborated with a cardiologist as the only practice in the state of Georgia to offer the Dean Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Program for reversing heart disease.
Lindsay Douglas is a licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in geriatric dysphagia. Her clinical background includes acute care, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and home health. Her time in corporate director positions added valuable experience in skilled documentation, interdisciplinary teams, and CMS regulations. When not working with patients and clinicians, Lindsay enjoys adventures with her husband, two boys, and their adopted hound dog.
Martina Tierney, Occupational Therapist and Author of The Clinician's Seating Handbook, brings over 30 years of clinical seating practice with both adults and children, in care facilities, hospitals and rehabilitation environments. Clinical Director and Founder of Seating Matters, Martina continues to research new solutions to seating challenges and educates audiences throughout the world on her findings.
Martin Jansen was born in the Netherlands. After graduating from the Occupational Therapy college in Amsterdam he has worked throughout his 31 year career in acute rehab hospitals, acute care hospitals as well as outpatient services with a wide variety of illnesses and disabilities. He continues to work full time as an Occupational Therapist. Martin is passionate about helping patients regain their independence as much and as quickly as possible. He has received additional training in the use of medical equipment and enjoys the opportunity to write about his experience and help others problem solve any difficulties they experience as a result of some form of physical limitation.
CEO and founder of AbiliLife with a Ph.D. in organizational behavior, former caregiver to her mother, a Parkinson's disease patient for 25 years. Courtney is dedicated to developing products to improve patients' quality of life. In addition to developing products, Courtney enjoys educating young students about the importance of STEM and entrepreneurship.
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