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Parkinson & Other Movement Disorders Center's
Rehabilitation Team

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The rehabilitation team is made up of licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists.

Meet the Rehabilitation Team

 

  • Lauren Davis, MA, CCC-SLP

    Lauren Davis, MA, CCC-SLP

    Lauren Davis, M.A. is a certified speech-language pathologist who helps individuals maximize their speech ability language comprehension and expression, social and cognitive-communication skills. She also assesses and treats voice and swallowing disorders. She provides assessment for alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices. Ms. Davis holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She is also certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment approach (LSVT) and trained in SPEAK OUT!, which addresses the motor speech deficits associated with Parkinsonism.

  • Steven Keller, MPT, CAFS, CEAS, GCS

    Steven Keller, MPT, CAFS, CEAS, GCS

    Steven Keller, MPT, CAFS, CEAS, GCS received his Master's of Physical Therapy degree in 2004 from California State University, Northridge. He moved to San Diego in 2005 and began working specifically in the outpatient setting.  

    Steve applies a functional, patient centered, approach to all of his treatment plans. He enjoys treating a variety of orthopedic and neurological patients. This includes pain in any joint, post-surgery rehabilitation and fractures. He also has experience treating people with Parkinson’s, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS. He is especially passionate about working with people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. In 2013 he was certified in LSVT BIG which is a unique program focused on getting people with Parkinson’s to move bigger and talk louder.  He is a Certified Geriatric Specialist.

    In addition, his certification in Applied Functional Science focuses on practical movements that occur throughout our day. Steve is able to customize exercises that work in the 3 separate planes of movement we all live and play in. He is also a Certified Ergonomic Specialist. 

  • Julie Larsen, OTD, OTR/L

    Julie Larsen, OTD, OTR/L

    Julie is an occupational therapist who treats patients with neurological disorders and is paneled by California Children's Services (CCS). Julie received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from UCLA, a Master of Arts degree in Occupational Therapy from USC, and a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from USC with emphasis on mental health. Prior to UC San Diego, Julie worked at Loma Linda University Medical Center specializing in pediatric and adult neurological rehab working with stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, low vision, developmental delay, and autism. 

  • Danny O'Malley, OTR/L

    Danny O'Malley, OTR/L

    Danny O'Malley, OTR/L, is a registered and licensed occupational therapist who has spent his career specializing in the treatment of spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, neurological disorders, and strokes. O'Malley places the patient's personal goals at the center of therapy in order to maximize return to function with tasks that make life meaningful. O'Malley studied at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

     

  • Cory Troyer, DPT

    Cory Troyer, DPT

    Cory Troyer is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) certified in Parkinson Wellness Recovery (PWR!) who treats individuals with a variety of neurologic conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders, Stroke, Brain Injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, Vestibular and Balance Disorders. She enjoys using evidenced-based practice to progress patients towards their functional goals through the use of movement.  

    Dr. Troyer attended Central Michigan University where she earned a bachelor's degree in Health Fitness in Preventative and Rehabilitative Programs with a minor in Nutrition. She earned her doctoral degree in physical therapy from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan and it was during that time where she found her passion for working with people with neurological disorders. She has worked in a variety of settings including skilled nursing, acute care, and outpatient. 

  • Patricia Lipinski, MS, CCC-SLP

    Patricia Lipinski, MS, CCC-SLP

    Patricia Lipinski, MS, CCC-SLP, is a certified speech-language pathologist who evaluates and treats adult patients with speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders. She provides evaluations and treatments for adults with a variety of disorders, including aphasia, dysphagia, movement disorders, neurological disorders, cognitive-communication disorders, and traumatic brain injuries. She is also trilingual, speaking English, Polish and Spanish, and a qualified medical interpreter for the Polish language.

    Patricia earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds speech language pathology licenses in both New Jersey and California. Prior to joining UC San Diego Health, Ms. Lipinski was a speech-language pathologist at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Marlton, N.J. for six years. She has worked as a speech-language pathologist in a variety of hospital settings, including acute care and inpatient rehabilitation.

     Ms. Lipinski is certified by SPEAK OUT!, which specializes in strengthening and preserving speech and voice for people with Parkinson's disease and related disorders.

  • Lexi Deming, PT, DPT, NCS

    Lexi Deming, PT, DPT, NCS

    Lexi Deming, PT, is a licensed doctor of physical therapy (DPT) and a board-certified neurologic clinical specialist (NCS). She treats individuals with various neurological disorders including stroke, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, central nervous system neoplasms, and a wide range of neuromuscular disorders such as muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She also treats individuals with other balance disorders and post-COVID related neuromuscular impairments and mobility limitations. She earned her doctoral degree in physical therapy from SUNY Upstate Medical University and a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from SUNY Cortland.
  • Ben Vasquez, PT, DPT, NCS

    Ben Vasquez, PT, DPT, NCS

    Ben Vasquez, PT, DPT, NCS, is a board-certified physical therapist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of people with neurologic dysfunction in both acute care and outpatient settings. Ben is the primary physical therapist for the acoustic neuroma program at UC San Diego Health.

    Ben completed his residency in neurologic physical therapy at Northern Arizona University and Honorhealth in Scottsdale, Ariz. He earned a doctorate in physical therapy from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif.

    Ben holds a neurology specialist certification (NCS) from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. His professional interests include vestibular rehabilitation and teaching.

  • Caesar Muncada

    Caesar Muncada

  • Christina Cheng

    Christina Cheng