Meet Your Instructors

PT, PhD, FAPTA

Dr. Sahrmann is professor emerita of physical therapy at WashU Medicine Physical Therapy. She received her BS degree in physical therapy, masters and PhD in neurobiology from Washington University, where she was a clinician and faculty member for 56 years. Her research interests were in disordered motor control and classification of musculoskeletal disorders. Dr. Sahrmann with her colleagues at WashU Medicine Physical Therapy has been a major promotor of the movement system and the development of movement related diagnostic categories to direct physical therapy treatment which formed the basis of her published books. She has lectured extensively nationally and internationally.

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PT, DPT, MSOT

Dr. Bloom is professor emerita of physical therapy at WashU Medicine Physical Therapy.  After a remarkable 45 years of service to WashU, she retired in 2024. As a superb clinician and educator, Nancy garnered respect from practitioners across the globe as a recognized expert in musculoskeletal conditions of the hip and low back. She also provided valuable insights for many clinical research projects, resulting in authorship of numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts, textbook chapters and clinical practice guidelines. Nancy had an enormous impact on clinical practice through her work within the Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy (AOPT). Her enduring contributions to the practice of physical therapy were recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association through the Henry O. Kendall and Florence P. Kendall Award and the John H.P. Maley Lecture Award.

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PT, DPT

Dr. Caldwell spent over 30 years as a key faculty member, alongside Dr. Shirley Sahrmann & Associates, to develop the Movement System Impairment concepts and syndromes. Her expertise in the upper quarter is reflected in a published case report related to the shoulder, co-authoring chapters on the Hand, Wrist, and Elbow in the Movement System Impairment Syndromes of the Extremities, Cervical and Thoracic Spines textbook, and serving as a mentor for students, fellows, and experienced clinicians.  Beyond retirement from teaching at WashU Medicine Physical Therapy, Dr. Caldwell is excited to be continuing to share her wealth of knowledge at courses.

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MS, PT

Sheila has been a practicing physical therapist since 1985, first working at a rehabilitation/amputee clinic before transitioning to outpatient care. Before moving to Stevens Point in 1996, she taught physical therapy at the University of Iowa.  She has assisted in the lab portion of Movement System Syndromes courses for many years.

While working with athletes and teaching at UW-Stevens Point, Sheila started experimenting with video analysis of sport-specific movements.

When Stevens Point Orthopedics acquired the Noraxon Movement Analysis system in 2017, Sheila developed the program, managed the system, and trained in motion-analysis technology and troubleshooting.

PT, DPT

Dr. Cornbleet recently retired from her position as an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Orthopaedic Medicine in the Program in Physical Therapy at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In 2015, Suzy received both the Missouri Physical Therapy Association “Outstanding Service Award for Education” and the Colorado University Physical Therapy “Alumni Achievement Award”. Her clinical interests are in pediatric and adolescent hip and low back pain and general outpatient orthopedics.  She has served as a mentor in the clinical practice at the Washington University School of Medicine PT Clinic. She was instrumental in the development of Washington University’s Fellowship in the Diagnosis and Management of Movement Impairment Syndromes and served as a primary mentor.

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PT, MHS

Carrie Hall has been a colleague of Dr. Sarhmann since her graduation from PT school in 1983. Carrie served on several clinical faculties, including Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern University, and currently at University of Washington and has taught concepts related to the movement system, both nationally and in Canada. She is co-author of Therapeutic Exercise: Moving TowardFunction, now in its 4th edition. After decades of running a successful clinic, Carrie is now the owner of Sisu Physical Therapy and Mentoring Services, providing mobile concierge physical therapy services and mentoring to clinicians and small business owners. She is currently the Chair for the Nominating Committee for APTA Private Practice. Carrie feels blessed to have had Dr. Sahrmann as her mentor for over 4 decades and wants to spend the remainder of her career paying it forward to the next generation of physical therapists.

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PT, DPT

Dr. Ivens is an associate professor of physical therapy and orthopedic surgery at Washington University. In addition to her involvement in the didactic entry level DPT curriculum, Renee serves as a mentor in the clinical practice at the School of Medicine. Her clinical interests are movement dysfunctions involving the spine, shoulder girdle and upper extremity peripheral nerve dysfunction. She is happy to share her knowledge and experience gained while working alongside Dr Shirley Sahrmann & Associates for over 25 years.  

PT, DPT

Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor of physical therapy at Washington University in St Louis. She is an alumnus of the program and a recent faculty member. Although her role as a faculty member is recent, she has been teaching in the program for several years and received the Patty K. Scheets Award for Excellence in Physical Therapy Education. Over the years, Jill developed a passion for teaching and mentoring students. She has a varied clinical background, working in both the outpatient orthopedic as well as the outpatient neurological setting.

PT, DPT

Dr. Lind graduated from Washington University Medicine with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Prior to graduate school he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma. Since graduating Robert has helped to establish and maintain the golf clinic while working as a full-time clinical associate in the outpatient orthopedic department of Washington University in St. Louis.  Since 2024, he is the proud owner and managing director of Method Athletics, an outpatient physical therapy clinic in Frankfort, Illinois.  He leads his team of physical therapists to specialize in 1-on-1 athletic training and physical therapy to individualize the training and rehabilitation programs to the clients specific needs.

PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. McDonnell is retired from the position of Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Surgery. She is a board certified orthopedic specialist since 1996 and a Fellow of the Education Leadership Institute. Most of her career she had been actively involved with colleagues at Washington University in developing diagnoses and treatment strategies related to Movement System Impairment Syndromes with a focus on the upper quarter. Her clinical and research focus have been on patients with upper quarter impairments.

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PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Morotani is the president of Nexus Motion and Learn Movement System.  She treats patients with neuromusculoskeletal pain conditions in the Los Angeles area.  Maiko is one of the translators for the Japanese version of Movement System Impairment Syndromes of the Extremities, Cervical and Thoracic Spine textbook.  She teaches the kinesiopathologic concepts to the Japanese community on a monthly basis, and serves as a clinical mentor to local clinicians in Southern California. She served as a regional mentor for WashU Medicine Physical Therapy's movement system clinical fellowship.  She was a keynote speaker at the Asian Confederation of Physical Therapy Congress in Bangkok, Thailand.

PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Dr. Piraino is a residency and fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist. He works at Houston Methodist Clear Lake in a hybrid role in patient care, clinical education development and delivery. He previously served as a national faculty and steering committee member at Select Medical for their continuing education courses and orthopaedic residency program, and at the University of Southern California in a full-time clinical faculty role. He authored the 2017 monograph on Neuromuscular Healing for the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and has published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy and the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. His primary areas of focus are advancing physical therapy practice in movement expertise while improving comprehension of the cellular mechanisms underpinning tissue healing and our interventions. 

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PT, DPT

Dr. Renee Roth Powers is the founder and owner of Fundamental Motion Physical Therapy and Athletic Recovery. She has practiced physical therapy for 25 years. After discovering Dr. Shirley Sahrmann’s textbook in 2010, she has been dedicated to learning and applying the Movement System approach to her practice. She enjoys treating a wide range of musculoskeletal issues with particular interest in patients with hip-spine syndrome and scapulohumeral diagnoses. She has operated an out-of-network orthopedic physical therapy practice for 19 years. Dr. Powers is a competitive amateur cyclist and has competed extensively in the US and Europe. She dedicates a portion of her practice to working with elite amateur cyclists and triathletes. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Montana, a Masters of Physical Therapy from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor's of Science in Biology from the University of Maryland. She has participated in every Advanced Movement System course since 2012.

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PT, DPT, WCS

Dr. Spitznagle is a professor in physical therapy and OB-GYN at Washington University in St Louis. She is also the coordinator for Women's Health clinical residency at WashU PT.  Her educational mission is to provide physical therapists around the world with the knowledge needed to help others move better. Her expertise spans the thoracic spine to the pelvic girdle. Tracy firmly believes that all people benefit when we understand how pregnancy affects the movement system.  She received the APTA Humanitarian Award in 2018.  She is a reviewer for many prestigious journals including PMR, Journal of Sports Rehabilitation, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, and International Journal of Urogynecology.  She has been invited speakers nationally and internationally including Ethiopia and Japan.

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PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Thuet is assistant professor of physical therapy and orthopaedic surgery, and the program coordinator of orthopaedic residency at Washington University Medicine, Program in Physical Therapy.  His clinical interests include musculoskeletal rehabilitation, pre/post surgical rehabilitation, concussion, and vestibular rehabilitation.