Vanderbilt Orthopaedics

Nashville: Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute

Sports Team

Tina Cole, ATC, LAT
Tina is a certified athletic trainer that joined the Vanderbilt Sports Medicine staff in 1998.   She received her B.S. from UT Martin in 1998. Tina currently serves as a clinical athletic trainer and the assistant manager of patient access. 

 

Rebecca Dickinson, PT, COMT
Rebecca earned her B.S. in physical therapy from UT Chattanooga. Rebecca is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association is an APTA-credentialed Clinical Instructor. She has also been named a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist by the Maitland-Australian Physiotherapy Seminars.
 

Hung Do, PT, ATC, CSCS, MDT
Hung is a staff physical therapist who received his degree at UT Memphis. He is also a certified athletic trainer with schooling from Belmont and Vanderbilt. Hung is a competitive weight lifter and all-around athlete. He specializes in the foot, knee and shoulder rehabilitation.
 

Barbara Edwards, M.Ed., ATC
Barbara is a certified athletic trainer with a B.S. in athletic training from Troy University. She earned her master's in exercise science from Auburn in 2005.  She provides sports medicine coverage for Harpeth High School and treats patients in our outpatient physical therapy clinic.

Matthew Hatcher, ATC
Matthew is a Certified Athletic Trainer at Cane Ridge High School.

Thomas John, PT
Tom holds a physical therapy degree from UT Memphis and an MBA and doctorate in physical therapy from UT Knoxville. He is also a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedics. He has worked with a wide range of physical problems including sprains/strains, overuse injuries and pre- and post-operative care.


Michelle Johnson, ATC
Michelle is a certified athletic trainer with a B.S. in exercise science from Belmont. She earned her M.S. in Health Promotion from MTSU in 2001. Michelle provides sports medicine coverage for Overton High School and treats patients in our outpatient physical therapy clinic.

 

Jake Landes, PT
Jake received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Belmont and is certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy through the McKenzie Institute. He is an APTA credentialed Clinical Instructor for students, and now works on the sports therapy team with a keen interest in shoulders.

 

Adam Lewis, ATC
Adam is a licensed and certified athletic trainer with a M.S. in Sport Management from MTSU, where he provided athletic training duties for the school's athletics teams. He is a Vanderbilt clinical outreach athletic trainer and provides sports medicine coverage for Antioch High School.
 
 
Emily Preston, MPT
Emily is a staff physical therapist at the Sports Medicine Center. She has a master's degree in physical therapy from East Tennessee State University. Emily is part of the MOON group performing research on ACLs and helped develop Vanderbilt Sports Medicine's ACL guidelines.


John Purdy, ATC
Following 22 years in the Army as an airborne ranger, which included two Vietnam combat tours, John has been a certified athletic trainer for 27 years at the high school, university, NFL and Olympic levels. John sees sports and total joint patients in our outpatient physical therapy clinic.
  

Brian Richardson, PT
Brian is a staff physical therapist and clinical coordinator of the Sports Medicine team. He received a master’s in exercise science from MTSU in 2004 and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Brian has many years of experience treating athletes from the high school to the professional level; he has also covered events for PBR and PRCA.

Jasper Richardson, M.Ed., ATC, CSCS
Jasper holds a master's in athletic training from the Univ. of Virginia who directs our SOAR program. He holds many certifications including Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Performance Enhancement Specialist, Corrective Exercise Specialist and Level I coaching for USA Track & Field and Weightlifting. Jasper works with the U.S. Olympic Committee and many national sports organizations.

Heather Skaar, PT
Heather is the Director of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services at the Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute. She holds a B.S. in exercise science from Miami University and master's of physical therapy from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL. Heather is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
 

Matt Svenby, ATC
Matt is a certified athletic trainer who joined Vanderbilt Sports Medicine in 2009. Matt received his B.S. from Winona State University with a degree in athletic training in 2007. He provides sports medicine coverage for The University School of Nashville and treats patients in our outpatient physical therapy clinic.

 

Dawn Thomas, MA, ATC
Dawn holds a B.S. in Health and Human Performance from UT Martin and a M.A. in kinesiology and sport studies from East Tennessee State University. Dawn provides outreach coverage for Hume-Fogg Academic and Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High Schools and treats patients in our outpatient physical therapy clinic.


Sheena White, MS, ATC
Sheena holds a B.S. in human performance and sports science from Tennessee State University and a M.S. in Kinesiology from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She is a former clinic-outreach athletic trainer for the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine.  Sheena  provides outreach coverage for Pearl Cohn High School.

 

Austin Williams, ATC
Austin earned a B.S. in Athletic Training from MTSU in 2010. He has experience in high school, college and professional levels. He sees patients in the outpatient physical therapy clinic and provides athletic training services for Hillsboro High School.

 

Eric Williams, ATC
Eric joined the Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute in 2007. He previously worked with Tennessee State University's athletic department as an athletic trainer and instructor. Eric sees patients in the VOI physical therapy clinic and travels with our doctors to off-site clinics in Kentucky.
 

The Vanderbilt Orthopedic Institute is recruiting qualified clinicians. If you are interested in working with us, please forward a resume and cover letter outlining relevant experience and continuing education.

Spine Team

 Cory Hustad, PT, ATC, MBA, COMT
Cory is the assistant manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services. He holds a degree in physical therapy from the Univ. of Wisconsin-LaCrosse as well as an Athletic Trainer Certification. He focuses on spine rehabilitation and has been named a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist by the Maitland-Australian Physiotherapy Seminars.

Jill Chabot, MSPT
Jill is the manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services in the Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute. She holds a master's in physical therapy from Andrews University in Michigan and specializes in spine rehabilitation.
 

Jennifer Fletcher, PT
Jenn, a staff physical therapist, earned her doctorate in physical therapy and masters in occupational therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She also has experience in aquatic physical therapy and general orthopaedic diagnoses. Jenn is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the Aquatics Section of the APTA.

Jimmy Gilmore, PT
Jimmy began has been at Vanderbilt in 1995 in various capacities and hold degrees from TSU and Belmont. He works with spine patients as well as general orthopaedics patients.

Niki Harvey, ATC
Niki has been certified athletic trainer at Vanderbilt Sports Medicine since 2009  She earned her B.S. in athletic training from Concord University in 2004. Niki provides athletic training services to McGavock High School and treats patients in the outpatient physical therapy clinic.

 

Nicole Motzny, PT, DPT
Nicole earned her clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Creighton University. She completed her manual therapy certification through The Manual Therapy Institute and has training in pelvic floor dysfunctions from the Herman & Wallace Institute. Nicole is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Women's Section of the APTA.

Elizabeth Purses, DPT
Elizabeth is a staff physical therapist at Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in Allied Medicine at Ohio State, followed by her doctorate in physical therapy from Northwestern.

Brenda Robinson, PTA
Brenda is a staff physical therapist assistant. She received her degree in 2010 from Volunteer State Community College. She is a member of the Spine Team and Joint Trauma Team.

 

Melinda Sandy, PT
Melinda is the clinical coordinator for the Spine, Joint and Trauma Teams. She received her B.S. in physical therapy from the University of Tennessee-Memphis and has practiced orthopaedic physical therapy for 20 years. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
 

Grant Schlisner, PT
Grant is an APTA-credentialed Clinical Instructor and is certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Treatment from the McKenzie Institute.
 

Matt Svenby, ATC
Matt is a certified athletic trainer who joined Vanderbilt Sports Medicine in 2009. Matt received his B.S. from Winona State University with a degree in athletic training in 2007. He serves a clinical athletic trainer and offers outpatient adult orthopaedic IT support.
 
 

Total Joint/Trauma & General Orthopaedics Team

Haley Brochu, MSA, ATC
Haley holds a B.S in Athletic Training from Mercyhurst College and a M.S.A. in Sport Administration from Belmont University. Haley provides athletic training coverage for University School of Nashville and works in Vanderbilt’s outpatient rehab clinic.
 

Sheila Gaffney, PT, MS
Sheila has been a physical therapist for 43 years. She holds a Master’s in Health Services Administration, and her specialties are arthritis, joint replacement, trauma, amputees and oncological orthopaedics. Sheila is a Certified Clinical Instructor and has developed post-operative guidelines for cancer patients with megaprosthesis placement.
 

John Purdy, ATC
Following 22 years in the Army as an airborne ranger, which included two Vietnam combat tours, John has been a certified athletic trainer for 27 years at the high school, university, NFL and Olympic levels. John sees sports and total joint patients in our outpatient physical therapy clinic.
  
 
Elizabeth Purses, DPT
Elizabeth is a staff physical therapist at Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in Allied Medicine at Ohio State, followed by her doctorate in physical therapy from Northwestern. 

 
 

Williamson County:  Vanderbilt Orthopaedics at Cool Springs 

Amy Aston, PT
Amy is a staff physical therapist with training from UT Memphis.  She has 11 years experience as an outpatient orthopedic therapist. Amy earned her specialty certification in aquatic therapy in 2001 through the Aquatic Therapy and Rehabilitation Institute.
 
 

Tabitha Harder, PT, DPT, OCS
Tabitha is a physical therapist trained at UT Memphis; she holds a doctorate in physical therapy. She has been named an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. She focuses on manual therapy and spine rehabilitation.

Julie Holt, PTA
Julie is a physical therapist assistant at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics at Cool Springs since March of 2009.  She graduated with an Associate Degree in Allied Health for Physical Therapy from Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN.  Julie has over 11 years of experience in treating Orthopaedic patients.   She has a personal interest in shoulder, knee and spine rehabilitation.
 

Mary Jackson, MSPT, CEAS
Mary is a physical therapist with a masters degree in physical therapy from UAB. She is also a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist. Mary has 22 years of experience treating orthopaedic and sports medicine patients. She focuses on manual therapy and spine rehabilitation.

Flavio Silva, PT, OCS, MTC, CEAS
Flavio Silva holds a bachelors degree in physical therapy from Londrina State University in Brazil. He is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, a Certified Clinical Instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association and a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist. He is also certified in manual therapy by the University of Saint Augustine.
 

Jonathan Vieira, MS, ATC
Jonathan holds a B.S. from Samford and an M.S. from Mississippi State. He sees patients in the Cool Springs outpatient physical therapy clinic and provides athletic training services for Nashville Christian School. 

Elaine Weisberger, PT
Elaine graduated from the University of Central Arkansas and has over 20 years experience in orthopaedic and sports physical therapy. Her special interests include shoulder and knee rehabilitation.