Staff: Upper East Side
Patient Care Coordination Team
Shameca Dixon, Office Manager
Joy Villavicencio, Patient Care Coordinator
jvillavicencio@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Danielle Catalano, PT, DPT
dcatalano@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Born and raised in New York, Danielle received both her undergraduate degree and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York niversity. She is a certified beginner Pilates Mat instructor and uses many techniques in her everyday practice. Danielle has a special interest in treating patients with Neurological impairments including but not limited to Parkinson's, Traumatic Brain Injuries and Spinal Cord Injuries. Danielle believes that a combination of functional exercise, manual techniques and overall wellness is the key to achieving patient's goals.
Robert Dilillo, PT, MA, Cert MDT, H&D Partner
rdilillo@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Helping people through physical ailments has become Rob's lifelong passion, one he first encountered when his father had to seek treatment for persistent back and knee trouble. Rob began doing volunteer work at physical therapy practices a family friend owned in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Inspired, Rob went on to earn Bachelor's (Hunter, 1991) and Master's (NYU, 1996) degrees in Physical Therapy.
His formative clinical years were at the highly-regarded Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, at NYU Medical Center. His supervisors at Rusk were all certified McKenzie therapists, so Rob became certified in this approach, which relies on mechanical rather than radiological methods to diagnose physical ailments and allows a therapist to predict which exercises will benefit the patient.
Rob met Greg Hullstrung while both were working at Rusk, and the two launched H&D Physical Therapy in 1997 in a small, ground-floor office in Tudor City in East Midtown. H&D now employs 20 physical therapists at three locations.
Rob has become expert in taping techniques, functional approaches to physical therapy and pre-operative physical therapy for patients about to undergo hip or knee replacements. Rob wants his patients to return to full participation in the activities they enjoy.
Amir Hanna, PT, MS, DPT
Amir received his Bachelor of Science degree in PT from Cairo University 1991, his Advanced Master of Science degree in Orthopedic PT from Touro College 2002, and Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from Touro College 2008. Amir focuses on the role the interplay between the neuromuscular and the musculoskeletal systems has in producing the presenting symptoms. Drawing on 19 years of experience and advanced training, he emphasizes manual therapy techniques and exercises in order to facilitate the resumption of normal function. Amir is a proud father of two wonderful young children.
Sara Mikulsky, PT, DPT, MSPT, NASM-CPT
smikulsky@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Growing up in the Bay Area, Sara played a lot of sports and had a lot of sports injuries. Playing soccer, she suffered ankle sprains, knee injuries, and back injuries. Sara also had a lot of physical therapy, and got to know the school physical therapist in high school.
Inspired, she went to Boston University’s five-year physical therapy program, under which she earned the Bachelor of Science in Health Studies in 2002 and the Master of Science in Physical Therapy in 2004. After working a few years, she then added the Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2007. Sara has also worked as a personal trainer since 2003 and has a certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Out in the real world, Sara has worked in outpatient orthopedics since 2004, in practices located in Boston, San Francisco and New York. She believes exercise, with a focus on core strengthening, is essential to full recovery and function. She is also trained in many specialized manual techniques, such as the Kaltenborn Method, Kinesotaping, and the Dontigy Mobilization Technique. In addition, Sara has worked with many runners, both novice and elite, to develop effective training programs.
While she's not working, Sara loves to exercise, run and snowboard. She plays football for a charity league in Manhattan and has racked up several injuries, including a separated shoulder, an almost-broken nose and a couple of ankle sprains. This allows her to continue feeling empathy for her patients!
Tonya Juge, PT, MPT, CFMT, Clinical Director
Graduated from the TMB with a Masters degree in Physical Therapy in 2001. pon graduation she moved to NYC and has worked in the Orthopedic Sports Medicine field since this time. She recently completed her CFMT (Certified Manual Therapist) through the Institute of Physical Art. Her treatment sessions focus on analyzing alignment and patient movement patterns and retraining the neuromuscular system through manual therapy and functional exercise. She enjoys treating the entire body but has a special interest in the spine. She has travelled to Africa three times with FOCOS to treat patients post spinal fusion surgery. In her spare time she sculpts and performs functional exercise, yoga, weightlifting and Pilates to keep fit.
Robert J. Nelson, P.T., M.S., M.A., M.Phil.
rnelson@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Known universally as Bob, specializes in orthopedic manual physical therapy, especially deep tissue massage and motor pattern training, to help patients return to strength, well-being and full function. After 20 years in academia and journalism, he graduated from Columbia University's Physical Therapy program in 2003, and has amplified his training with extensive postgraduate course work in Manual Therapy of the Spine and Extremities, including joint mobilization techniques, motor pattern training and aquatic physical therapy. Bob believes that establishing a close working relationship with patients is essential to recovery and tries to incorporate his wry, dry sense of humor into patient interactions. He is alert to any vocalizations that might emanate from a patient during treatment sessions, especially the code word "uncle!" Bob is a maniacal cyclist and triathlete, but always stops for pedestrians and for small dogs with wide eyes.
Teresa Parziale PT, MPT
tparziale@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Randi L. Schatz, OTR, CHT
rschatz@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
The profession of hand therapy has changed in the 25-plus years Randi Schatz has been rehabbing wrist, hand and finger injuries. "The collaboration between hand surgeons and hand therapists is much closer than it used to be," Randi says, citing a conference where hand doctors and therapists mingle. And as surgery has advanced, therapy has advanced with it. "Surgeons always casted the hand, years ago," she recalls, which resulted in scar formation and loss of mobility. Now, therapists work on mobilizing scar tissue a week after surgery. Outcomes are geared to function - can a patient hold a steering wheel or a handful of M&Ms, or not? - rather than to measurements of strength or range of motion.
Randi grew up in a Buffalo suburb, the daughter of a dentist and a dental hygienist, so health care was definitely on her radar. Boston University's Sargent College of Allied Health Professions had a five-year Master's program, so she enrolled there and earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1983. To specialize in hand injuries, therapists had to demonstrate competence to the American Society for Hand Therapists (ASHT), which Randi did in 1987. Once the Certified Hand Therapist exam was offered, in 1991, by another organization, Randi was among the first to pass.
She has been giving back to the profession in other ways as well. Randi reviewed research articles for the Journal of Hand Therapy for more than 14 years and still writes book reviews for the publication. Randi has taken scads of continuing education courses, with special emphasis on sports and traumatic wrist injuries. She also lectures on a wide variety of topics, including nerve injuries, joint replacements, Dupuytren's contractures, arthritis, sports injuries and hand anatomy.
Randi has three children and enjoys traveling, running and Pilates.
Elan Schneider, PT, MSPT, CYT
eschneider@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Elan Schneider holds a Master's degree in Physical Therapy from SNY Downstate Medical Center, and is a certified yoga instructor. He has worked in various health care settings treating patients with orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders, and chronic pain conditions, as well as an ergonomic consultant and on-site physical therapist at several Costco warehouses. Elan has a strong clinical interest in treatment and prevention of chronic pain conditions including back pain and is a member of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
Elan uses manual techniques including DNM, PNF, trigger point release, and neurodynamics. Elan's treatments also integrate gentle therapeutic yoga to help restore healthy pain free movement, and achieve functional goals. Elan values the patient therapist relationship as an important part of the healing process and takes time to listen to patients as well as educating them about their condition and recovery.
Beth Wright Rooney, PT, DPT, CertMDT
erooney@ hdphysicaltherapy.com
Beth attended Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus where she earned her Masters degree in Physical Therapy in 1987 and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2007. She has worked in a variety of adult care settings including geriatric rehab, acute care hospital, home care and outpatient care. Highly motivated to learn new treatment techniques and sharpen her clinical skills, Beth actively pursues professional continuing education. In 2009, she became certified in the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy of the spine.
Her treatment approach is guided by the principle that optimum function with minimal pain requires a body with good strength, flexibility, postural alignment and coordination. For each person she designs a customized program combining manual treatment, functional exercise and a home program to restore optimum functional ability. Beth believes that educating people about how their bodies are meant to move, teaching them how to improve their movement and showing them activity modification techniques for reducing excessive strain on vulnerable body parts are essential for achieving lasting results.
In her free time, Beth volunteers with a local community theater group which raises money to benefit NYC based charities. She enjoys traveling, hiking and ballroom dancing with her husband.
