Performing Arts Fellowship
The Performing Arts Physical Therapy Fellowship at CU Anschutz is a post-professional training program for physical therapists seeking advanced expertise in the care of performing artists. Grounded in the unique physical, artistic, and psychosocial demands of performance, the fellowship blends mentored clinical practice, academic coursework, and hands-on engagement within arts communities. Fellows-in-training develop the clinical reasoning, collaborative skills, and professional identity needed to support dancers, musicians, and other performers in both healthcare and performance environments.
The fellowship is designed to accommodate clinicians working in a variety of settings, with flexible timelines, individualized clinical pathways, and advance notice for required on site experiences. Didactic coursework is completed within the first 14 months, with up to three years to fulfill clinical, mentorship, and outreach requirements. This structure allows fellows to individualize their training based on their work setting, access to performing artists, and pace of professional growth.
Each applicant is required to complete the application. After completing the application, you must pay the required application fee of $75. Failure to pay the application fee will result in your application being considered incomplete.
Fellowship Faculty
Alyssa Arms, PT, DPT, OCS
Program Director, Performing Arts Physical Therapy FellowshipClinical Senior Instructor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Owner & Physical Therapist, Back in Step Physical Therapy
Dr. Alyssa Arms, PT, DPT, OCS is the Program Director for the University of Colorado Performing Arts Physical Therapy Fellowship. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Denver in 2007 and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Colorado in 2010. Dr. Arms has served on faculty in the University of Colorado Doctor of Physical Therapy Program since 2010, including roles as lab instructor, associated faculty member, and, since 2024, Core Faculty. She is a board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and owner of Back in Step Physical Therapy, a practice specializing in dancer health, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance optimization.
Drawing on more than 35 years of dance training and extensive clinical experience, Dr. Arms is passionate about advancing physical therapist education and improving healthcare for performing artists. Her clinical practice focuses on working with dancers and other performers across the lifespan, with particular interests in injury prevention, return-to-performance decision making, workload management, and performance longevity. She regularly teaches and presents on topics related to dancer health, performing arts medicine, biomechanics, and movement science for healthcare professionals, dance educators, and performing arts organizations.
As Fellowship Director, Dr. Arms is committed to developing physical therapists with advanced expertise in performing arts medicine through mentorship, clinical excellence, leadership development, and community engagement. She is dedicated to strengthening the role of physical therapy within the performing arts community and preparing clinicians to support performers in achieving long, healthy, and sustainable careers.
Emily Gee, PT, DPT, OCS
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipAssistant Professor, Director Musicians' Wellness Program, University of Colorado Boulder College of Music
Dr. Emily Gee, PT, DPT, OCS, is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Musicians’ Wellness Program at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music. A classically trained cellist, her own experiences with playing-related injuries led her to pursue a career in physical therapy focused on health promotion, wellness, and injury prevention for musicians.
Dr. Gee earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of California San Francisco/San Francisco State University and later completed the Regis University Residency in Orthopedic Physical Therapy. Prior to her current position, she worked in outpatient orthopedic and interdisciplinary settings treating patients with acute and chronic musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions as well as providing post-concussion and vestibular rehabilitation. As a PT and certified yoga instructor, she takes a holistic approach to care, integrating mindful movement and breath practices into wellness education and rehabilitation. She has provided mentorship and clinical instruction to DPT students and orthopedic PT residents. An active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the Performing Arts Medicine Association, she currently serves on the APTA Colorado Board of Directors.
At CU Boulder, Dr. Gee’s clinical and educational work focuses on wellness, injury prevention, and health promotion for musicians. She designed and teaches a wellness curriculum for music students and leads interdisciplinary wellness education, clinical consultation, research, and injury-prevention initiatives for the College of Music. She has worked with student and professional orchestral musicians, including members of the New World Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. Dr. Gee has presented research, workshops, and professional development courses at state, national, and international physical therapy and performing arts medicine conferences.
Sammi Harmon, PT, DPT, OCS
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipPhysical therapist I, UCHealth
Owner, The Dancing Doctor LLC
Physical therapist, Golden PT and Pilates
Samantha Harmon, PT, DPT, OCS (Sammi) grew up in Aurora, Colorado. Her interest in physical therapy began with her personal experience with injuries as a ballet dancer. She received a BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah, and went on to perform professionally with Colorado Ballet and several other dance companies in the Denver area. In 2017 she graduated with her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She has over 7 years of experience working in outpatient orthopedics and 4 years of teaching Pilates. She has also been a physical therapist for the professional dancers of Colorado Ballet, and was the PT for the touring company of Frozen the Musical for over 2 years. She has presented a poster at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, and is the current chair of the Nomination Committee for the Performing Arts Special Interest Group of the American Physical Therapy Association. Her passion is helping performing artists attain their full performance potential while educating them in pain management and prevention strategies. She also enjoys working with individuals with chronic pain, dizziness and balance disorders.
Erin Hayden, PT, DPT, OCS
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipChildren’s Hospital Colorado Sports Physical Therapy
Dr. Erin Hayden, PT, DPT, OCS, is a residency-trained, board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and clinician-educator specializing in adolescent sports medicine at Children’s Hospital Colorado. With more than two decades of physical therapy experience, she has a particular interest in performing arts health, including musician health, dancer rehabilitation, and injury prevention for performing artists.
Dr. Hayden earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Kinesiology and Music from the University of Colorado Boulder before completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and post-professional Orthopedic Clinical Residency at the University of Southern California (USC). Her background as a musician continues to shape her clinical, educational, and scholarly interests.
Prior to joining Children’s Hospital Colorado, Dr. Hayden served as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy at USC, where she contributed to the development of the USC Thornton School of Music Health and Wellness Program and led health screening initiatives for the Thornton School of Music and USC Kaufman School of Dance.
Dr. Hayden remains committed to physical therapy education through guest teaching, post-professional education, residency faculty roles, and mentorship. Her scholarly interests include performing arts and sports physical therapy, injury prevention, health promotion, and health professions education. She has presented nationally at APTA Combined Sections Meeting and leading performing arts medicine and sports medicine organizations.
Dr. Hayden is committed to fostering thoughtful clinical reasoning, lifelong learning, mentorship, and individualized professional development for performing arts physical therapists.
Megan Mitchell, PT, DPT, MPH
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipAdjoint Faculty University of Colorado PT UCCS and Anschutz campuses
Instructor in acute injury management for Cogent Steps LLC
Emergency/Acute Care PT Swedish Medical Center, Emergency Operations Specialist ASPR
Graduate of the University of Colorado Physical Therapy Program 2010. Clinical expertise has been built around acute care with specialization in development and implementation of emergency department practice. Since 2019, she has been an instructor in acute injury recognition, rapid trauma assessment, and management for sideline sports coverage. Early foundations in performing arts have spanned competitive team dance and cheer and further complemented by playing the harp and violin. She currently functions as CU PT faculty for medical conditions education and teachs content in disaster medicine.
Emily Scherb, PT, DPT
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipCEO, The Circus Doc
Owner and Physical Therapist, Pure Motion Physical Therapy
Dr. Emily Scherb is a physical therapist and educator specializing in the care of circus and performing artists. She holds an A.B. in Physical Anthropology, with a minor in Modern Dance, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy, both from Washington University in St. Louis, which recognized her with its School of Physical Therapy Alumni Achievement Award in 2020. Since 2013, she has owned Pure Motion Physical Therapy in Seattle, where she treats circus performers and, as "The Circus Doc," develops educational programming for circus artists, instructors, and healthcare providers. She previously served as a Regional Mentor for Washington University's Movement System Clinical Fellowship. Dr. Scherb is the author of Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts (2018), the only text of its kind, and co-author of recent peer-reviewed research, including a 2025 study on pelvic floor symptoms in female aerialists, as well as lead author of two monographs in the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy's Independent Study Course, Clinical Management of Circus Artists. A frequent presenter at the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) and International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS), she co-chaired the 2025 PAMA International Symposium at Johns Hopkins University and has presented repeatedly at the APTA's Combined Sections Meeting, most recently on shoulder movement analysis across overhead-sport populations. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Performing Arts Medicine and the board of Seattle Dance and Performing Arts Medicine.
Sarah Troicky, PT, DPT, ATC
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipOwner at Trinity Physical Therapy and Wellness
Resident PT at Denver Center of Performing Arts Theatre Co
Dr. Sarah Troicky, is physical therapist and licensed athletic trainer specializing in performing arts medicine and dance physical therapy. She is the founder and owner of Trinity Physical Therapy & Wellness, a concierge physical therapy practice serving the Boulder and Denver communities.
Sarah has a particular passion for working with dancers and performing artists, helping them recover from injury, build resilience, and stay healthy throughout demanding training and performance schedules. Her clinical experience includes treating dancers, actors, vocalists, aerialists, and other performing artists, as well as individuals with orthopedic injuries, chronic pain, post-surgical conditions, and mobility concerns.
Sarah earned her Master of Athletic Training and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees from Pacific University and her Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado. She is a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) and is actively involved in advancing health and wellness within the performing arts community.
Through Trinity Physical Therapy & Wellness, Sarah provides individualized, evidence-informed care designed to meet performers where they are—whether they are returning to the stage after an injury, preparing for an upcoming performance, or working to build a stronger, more sustainable body for their craft.
Brooke Winder, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Lecturer, University of Colorado Physical Therapy Performing Arts FellowshipAssociate Professor, Cal State University Long Beach Department of Dance
Owner, Renew Motion Physical Therapy Inc.
Dr. Brooke Winder is a clinician and educator focused on orthopedic and pelvic health, hypermobility, and lifespan wellness in dancers and other performing artists. She holds a BFA in Dance from Chapman University and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. Dr. Winder has served on faculty coordinating the Dance Science degree program at California State University Long Beach since 2016, where she has taught courses in dance anatomy, kinesiology, conditioning, quantitative analysis of injuries, functional movement assessment, and Pilates. She serves patients through her Southern California-based clinical practice, Renew Motion Physical Therapy. Dr. Winder is a Board-Certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy, a BASI-Certified Pilates Instructor, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA.
Dr. Winder has presented her pelvic floor-focused research at several national and international conferences, including for the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science, Performing Arts Medicine Association, and the American Physical Therapy Association. She has been published in the Journal of Women’s & Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Clinical Biomechanics, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, and Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice. Dr. Winder teaches continuing education courses for rehabilitation professionals that focus on addressing pelvic health in artistic athletes, and has authored and co-authored pelvic floor-focused chapters in books including Myths of Menopause: A Guide to Increasing Your Menopause Wisdom, The ‘Female’ Dancer: A Soma-scientific Approach, and Dance Injuries: Reducing Risk and Maximizing Performance.
Contact:
If you would like additional information, you may contact:
Program Director
Alyssa Arms, PT, DPT, OCS
[email protected]