Andrew Amari, JD is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Rachel Miller, MPH is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Alice is on staff as senior payment specialist in the Payment and Practice Management Department of the APTA. She received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and a doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her specialties include integrated care delivery models, post-acute care, and long-term care. A board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy, she has lectured and written many articles on topics related to physical therapy and the older adult. She has spent the majority of her career in post-acute care and long-term care settings and has more than 36 years of experience as a physical therapist. Her professional activities include serving as a member of the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, co-leader of the NQF Opioid Stewardship Member Workgroup, APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, APTA appointee to the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, Member of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Technical Expert Panel for Skilled Nursing Alternative Payment Systems, Appointee to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for Long Term Care Quality Measures, Member of the Steering Committee for NQF's National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Nursing Home Project, and representative of the Coalition of Rehab Therapy Organizations’ Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Professional and Technical Advisory Committee.

Chase Kuhn, PT, DPT, is a specialist in APTA’s Health Policy and Payment unit, advocating for the profession of physical therapy as it relates to commercial insurers. He received both his bachelor’s degree in health science and his DPT with research specialization from the Ohio State University and subsequently participated in their Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency. He joined APTA staff with prior work experience in financial loss mitigation and hospital-based revenue cycle administration.

Andrew Amari, JD is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Rachel Miller, MPH is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Alice is on staff as senior payment specialist in the Payment and Practice Management Department of the APTA. She received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and a doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her specialties include integrated care delivery models, post-acute care, and long-term care. A board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy, she has lectured and written many articles on topics related to physical therapy and the older adult. She has spent the majority of her career in post-acute care and long-term care settings and has more than 36 years of experience as a physical therapist. Her professional activities include serving as a member of the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, co-leader of the NQF Opioid Stewardship Member Workgroup, APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, APTA appointee to the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, Member of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Technical Expert Panel for Skilled Nursing Alternative Payment Systems, Appointee to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for Long Term Care Quality Measures, Member of the Steering Committee for NQF's National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Nursing Home Project, and representative of the Coalition of Rehab Therapy Organizations’ Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Professional and Technical Advisory Committee.

Chase Kuhn, PT, DPT, is a specialist in APTA’s Health Policy and Payment unit, advocating for the profession of physical therapy as it relates to commercial insurers. He received both his bachelor’s degree in health science and his DPT with research specialization from the Ohio State University and subsequently participated in their Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency. He joined APTA staff with prior work experience in financial loss mitigation and hospital-based revenue cycle administration.

Steven G. Lesh, PhD, PT, AT Ret. graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Health Science in Physical Therapy and completed the requirements to sit for the Board of Certification exam for Athletic Training at the University of Arkansas. He completed a Masters of Public Administration through Arkansas State University and a PhD in Organization and Management through the Business School at Capella University (MN). Dr. Lesh successfully completed the requirements to earn the Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist credential from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) in 1999. In 2019, Dr. Lesh retired from active clinical practice both as an athletic trainer and as a board-certified sports clinical specialist. Starting in 2003, he joined the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Volunteer Sports Medicine Staff and in 2006, served as a Venue Medical Coordinator for the United States Figure Skating National Championships held in St. Louis. In 2014, Dr. Lesh began serving in the Marine Corp Marathon as a medical volunteer. He has physical therapy clinical experience in sports medicine, neurological rehabilitation, orthopedics, acute care, long term care, and home health. Dr. Lesh also has experience in the administration of physical therapy services as he developed a private practice in Northwest Arkansas, serving both as CEO and Clinical Director. In this role he served as the administrator for an acute care facility, two outpatient clinics, a long-term care facility, several home health contracts, and sports medicine outreach services. Dr. Lesh has earned graduate level certificates in Distance Education, Hybrid Learning and Human Anatomy. Currently, Dr. Lesh sits as the founding program director of physical therapy at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Academically, he has been physical therapy program director at Southwest Baptist University and Arkansas State University. Dr. Lesh has a keen interest in the use of learning technologies to facilitate effective and efficient learning. Current research interests include sports medicine outcomes, pain sciences, and the impact of learning technologies on the modern physical therapy student. He has strong interests in most sports (particularly hockey, soccer, and baseball), enjoys reading novels by his favorite authors (Tolkien, Colfer, Golden, EK Johnston), and books on military leadership.

Dr. Slike began working in higher education in 2016, where she served as an adjunct faculty member for both the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Husson University prior to becoming the Program Director for the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Kennebec Valley Community College in 2021. She has been working full time as an Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at Husson University since 2022. As a physical therapist she has experience with orthopedics, oncology, lymphedema, and neuro rehabilitation. Dr. Slike earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a Minor in Psychology from Husson University, a Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Husson, a Master’s in Health Administration from St. Joseph’s College of Maine, and a Doctor of Education with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University. Her advanced clinical training includes certifications as a lymphedema therapist and an oncology rehabilitation specialist.

Andrew Amari, JD is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Rachel Miller, MPH is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Alice is on staff as senior payment specialist in the Payment and Practice Management Department of the APTA. She received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and a doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her specialties include integrated care delivery models, post-acute care, and long-term care. A board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy, she has lectured and written many articles on topics related to physical therapy and the older adult. She has spent the majority of her career in post-acute care and long-term care settings and has more than 36 years of experience as a physical therapist. Her professional activities include serving as a member of the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, co-leader of the NQF Opioid Stewardship Member Workgroup, APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, APTA appointee to the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, Member of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Technical Expert Panel for Skilled Nursing Alternative Payment Systems, Appointee to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for Long Term Care Quality Measures, Member of the Steering Committee for NQF's National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Nursing Home Project, and representative of the Coalition of Rehab Therapy Organizations’ Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Professional and Technical Advisory Committee.

Dr. Pearce (she/her) is the Senior Director of Programs and Research at LoveYourBrain, a national nonprofit that delivers evidence-based holistic health programs for the brain injury community. She oversees the design, implementation, and evaluation of LoveYourBrain Yoga, Mindset, and Retreats programs on a large scale. She has trained over 2,500 clinicians, yoga teachers, brain injury advocates, people with brain injury, and caregivers in how to adapt yoga, mindfulness, and psychoeducation for this population. She has developed a range of TBI-specific evidence-based yoga and mindfulness program curricula and integrated them into 60+ community and 30+ clinical contexts and online. She recently completed a NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Dartmouth College investigating the impact of yoga and meditation for people with neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury, and has published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals on these topics. She lives in Vermont with her husband, the Executive Director of LoveYourBrain Foundation, and their three children. You can learn more about her here.

Jessica Schwartz is an award-winning orthopedic residency-trained Doctor of Physical Therapy, a national spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association, founder of Concussion Corner Academy®, host of the Concussion Corner Podcast®, and a persistent post-concussion symptom survivor, advocate, and concussion educator.

After spending a full year in rehabilitation and experiencing the profound dichotomy of being both doctor and patient, Dr. Schwartz identified gaps in concussion treatment and management in the global healthcare community. Her role has been to identify cognitive blind spots for healthcare providers focusing on comprehensive targeted physical examinations, rehabilitative teams, and concussion care management.

Her vision is to facilitate collective competence across the healthcare continuum to better identify, treat, and care for the concussion patient of today while putting the "care back into healthcare" for this underserved patient population.

Dr. Schwartz hopes that by educating each other about the multi-system nature of these injuries and the scopes of practices of the multidisciplinary providers that have access to and have the ability to care for this cohort of patients, she will be able to facilitate a better patient-clinician encounter.

By speaking candidly about her experience with living with persistent post-concussion symptoms for over a decade, she hopes to facilitate learning from provider to provider, patient to provider, and caregiver to provider, honing in on the power of storytelling and collegial communication from a place of candor, evidence, and enthusiasm.

Kathleen T. Bechtold, Ph.D., ABPP is a clinical psychologist who is board certified in clinical neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology and specializes in the assessment and treatment of individuals with brain injury. She is an Associate Professor within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has been an active researcher for the past twenty years with over 50 publications focusing on recovery and adaptation to brain injury. She is the Psychology Training Director for the Johns Hopkins Department of PM&R and provides supervision and training to psychology postdoctoral fellows, physiatry residents, and neuropsychiatry fellows in brain injury care. Dr. Bechtold is the President of the American Board of Rehabilitation of Psychology, serves on the American Board of Professional Psychology Ethics Committee, and previously served as a Trustee to the American Board of Professional Psychology. She provides national consultation and mentorship to professional colleagues regarding business practices as well as the legal and ethical considerations for the practice of psychology. 

Rob Landel, PT, DPT, FAPTA is Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California, where he is the Director of Clinical Residency and Fellowship Programs. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA. With over 35 years of experience treating people with orthopedic, neurologic and vestibular complaints, Dr. Landel has lectured and trained therapists and physicians in the US, Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa in managing these patients. He founded USC Physical Therapy Associates, the division’s Faculty Practice, and the division’s first residency program (orthopedics). Dr. Landel has published on a variety of topics in orthopedics and in vestibular rehabilitation and has received national awards in teaching and research. His current clinical interest is the diagnostic dilemma and management challenge posed by patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms of dizziness.

Allison Nogi is a neurologic clinical specialist and graduated from Emory University in 2016 with her Doctor of Physical Therapy. She then went on to complete a neurologic residency in physical therapy at Emory University. She has practiced at both Emory University and Johns Hopkins Hospital.

As a clinical specialist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Allison was on the leadership team that created the Vestibular Rehabilitation Triage Program, which is a clinical program that uses physical therapists as direct providers, reducing wait-times for individuals with chronic and acute dizziness. Through this program, she has showcased the value of physical therapists having direct access to appropriately treat or refer patients to the most appropriate specialist. Allison also helped establish the outpatient Brain Injury Clinic at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, which facilitated a multi-disciplinary treatment approach for individuals with complex brain injury. Outside of clinical care, Allison also created the Johns Hopkins University Vestibular Competency course, an online continuing education course aimed at promoting further understanding of the vestibular system and its influence on disease and symptom presentation.

Throughout her career, Allison has been involved in research. While at Johns Hopkins, she was a member of Dr. Michael Schubert’s Laboratory of Vestibular Neuroadaptation. At Emory University, she is involved with Dr. Mark Lyle’s Rehabilitation and Applied Movement Performance Laboratory. Outside of academic research, she consults with BrainQ Technologies for their EMAGINE trial, which is a multi-site trail in the United States that uses a device to potentially promote neuroplasticity and recovery in acute stroke survivors.

Currently, Allison practices at Emory University’s Dizziness and Balance Center. In parallel to clinical practice, she is pursuing her PhD at Georgia Tech with her research focusing on the influence of the vestibular system on descending postural control in both healthy individuals and individuals with brain pathology.

Emily Plavchak, is the Senior Physical Therapist with Encompass Health Northwest Tucson. She received her Bachelors in Health and Kinesiology from Purdue University in 2015, and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Trine University in 2019. Her career has primarily been in the inpatient rehabilitation setting, where she has developed a passion for treating neurological conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinsons, etc. She has certifications in stroke rehabilitation (CSRS), brain injury (CBIS), and vestibular assessment and management from the American Institute of Balance. She is also an active member on the STOP committee through Encompass Health where she educates staff on techniques for safe patient mobilization.

Jessica Schwartz is an award-winning orthopedic residency-trained Doctor of Physical Therapy, a national spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association, founder of Concussion Corner Academy®, host of the Concussion Corner Podcast®, and a persistent post-concussion symptom survivor, advocate, and concussion educator.

After spending a full year in rehabilitation and experiencing the profound dichotomy of being both doctor and patient, Dr. Schwartz identified gaps in concussion treatment and management in the global healthcare community. Her role has been to identify cognitive blind spots for healthcare providers focusing on comprehensive targeted physical examinations, rehabilitative teams, and concussion care management.

Her vision is to facilitate collective competence across the healthcare continuum to better identify, treat, and care for the concussion patient of today while putting the "care back into healthcare" for this underserved patient population.

Dr. Schwartz hopes that by educating each other about the multi-system nature of these injuries and the scopes of practices of the multidisciplinary providers that have access to and have the ability to care for this cohort of patients, she will be able to facilitate a better patient-clinician encounter.

By speaking candidly about her experience with living with persistent post-concussion symptoms for over a decade, she hopes to facilitate learning from provider to provider, patient to provider, and caregiver to provider, honing in on the power of storytelling and collegial communication from a place of candor, evidence, and enthusiasm.

Rob Landel, PT, DPT, FAPTA is Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California, where he is the Director of Clinical Residency and Fellowship Programs. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA. With over 35 years of experience treating people with orthopedic, neurologic and vestibular complaints, Dr. Landel has lectured and trained therapists and physicians in the US, Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa in managing these patients. He founded USC Physical Therapy Associates, the division’s Faculty Practice, and the division’s first residency program (orthopedics). Dr. Landel has published on a variety of topics in orthopedics and in vestibular rehabilitation and has received national awards in teaching and research. His current clinical interest is the diagnostic dilemma and management challenge posed by patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms of dizziness.