On the evening of Wednesday, July 20th, the CU Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation held its 2022 Annual Welcome Event at the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. Despite a heavy rainstorm, the reception was well-attended with nearly 50 guests who enjoyed dinner and networking with new colleagues. The department welcomed our 6 incoming residents, 6 incoming fellows, 18 new faculty members, 3 new staff members, 4 research services professionals, and 5 post-doctoral fellows. In addition, the department congratulated 6 faculty members for their recent promotions, 2 for their retirements, and CU Physical Therapy Program Director Michael Harris-Love, PT, MPT, DSc, FGSA, FAPTA, on recently being named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association.

The following residents have joined the department:

• Emily Gianetti, MD
• Megan Machek, MD
• Christian Nicolosi, MD
• Louis Nikolis, MD
• Annelise Rasmussen, MD
• Andrea Wakim, MD

The following fellows have joined the department:

• Eduardo Carrera, MD - Pain Medicine: PM&R Track
• Syed Mahmood, MD - Pain Medicine: Adult Anesthesia Track
• Gautam Sharma, MD - Pain Medicine: Peds Focused Track
• Denesh Ratnasingam, MD - Peds Rehab
• Jeremy Roberts, MD - Peds Rehab
• Daniela Iliescu, MD - Spinal Cord Injury

The following faculty members have received promotions:

• Bryann Debeer, PhD - Associate Professor
• Adam Kinney, PhD - Assistant Professor
• Jeri Forster, PhD - Associate Professor
• Robin Peterson, PhD, ABPP - Associate Professor
• Cristina Sarmiento, MD - Assistant Professor
• Anne Stratton, MD - Associate Professor of Clinical Practice

The following faculty members have joined the department:

• Allison Alessandra, DO - Interventional Pain Medicine, General MSK and Electromyography, VA
• Zachary Arcona, PsyD, MS - Pediatric Psychologist
• Taylor Bashore, MS, BSN, FNP-BC, RN - Nurse Practitioner
• Dominique Chao, PsyD - Rehabilitation Psychologist (Department of Psychiatry)
• Chelsea Cogan, PhD - Psychologist, VA
• Kelsey Darlington, MD - Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, VA
• Lauren Desmarais, DO - Pediatric Rehab Medicine, Colorado Springs
• Jonathan Finnoff, DO, FACSM, FAMSSM, RMSK - Sports Medicine, Inverness Steadman Hawkins Clinic
• Toby Kinney, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, MBA, PhD(c) - Physical Therapy Program Sr. Instructor
• Franchesca König, MD - Cancer Rehabilitation
• Anne Lehan, MSN, AGNP - Nurse Practitioner
• Danielle Melton, MD - Amputation Medicine
• Debra Petersen, APRN, MBA, MSN - Nurse Practitioner, Broomfield
• Vera Staley, MD - Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, Denver Health
• Kyle Stoffers, MD, MBA - Spine and Regenerative Medicine
• William White, DO - Spine, EMG, Inpatient Rehab
• Carissa Wengrovius, PT, DPT - Physical Therapy Program Instructor
• Jordan Wyrwa, DO - Pediatric Rehab Medicine

The following staff members have joined the department:

• Kelly Batory - Administrative Assistant
• Zachary Noriega, MPA - Communication Program Manager
• Amy Sturrock, MA - Physical Therapy Academic Services Senior Professional

The following research services professionals have joined the department:

• Tabitha Alverio
• Andrew Ebert
• Jessica Plew
• Emerald Saldyt

The following post-doctoral fellows have joined the department:

• Emma Beisheim-Ryan, PT, DPT, PhD
• Laura Churchill, PT, MPT, PhD
• Alexander Garbin, PT, DPT, PhD
• Shawn Hanlon, PhD
• James Tracy, PhD

The following faculty members have retired from the department:

• Mary Jane Rapport, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA - Physical Therapy Program
• Paul Mintken, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT - Physical Therapy Program