Alumni Accomplishments
Class of 1999
Brian Abraham, PT, DPT
Class of 1999; DPT from Boston University
Susan Acosta, PT, DPT
Class of 1999; DPT from AT Still, ASHS
Allison Carson, PT, DPT
Class of 1999; DPT from AT Still, ASHS
Michael Cox, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS
Class of 1999; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS); earned certification as a Sports Clinical Specialist (SCS); DPT from Hardin Simmons
Rhonda (Jeske) Manning, PT, DPT, PCS
Class of 1999; earned certification as a Pediatric Clinical Specialist (PCS); DPT from UTMB
Fred H. Luster, DPT, MPT, PT, Cert-MDT, Cert-FMS, Cert-CI, Cert-GT
Class of 1999; DPT from University of Montana-Missoula
Brian Ranney, PT, OCS, CSCS
Class of 1999; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS)
Jenna Tebo, PT, DPT, C/NDT
Class of 1999; DPT from Arcadia University
Class of 2000
Dr Andy Lodato, PT, ScD, COMT
Class of 2000; earned an ScD from Texas Tech University. He co-owns a private physical therapy practice, PhysioCare, in the Seattle, Washington metro area.
Class of 2001
Heather Allen, PT, DPT
Class of 2001; DPT from AT Still, ASHS
Denise Olsen, PT, DPT
Class of 2001; DPT from AT Still, ASHS
Class of 2004
Amy Amabile, PT, PhD
Class of 2004: Earned her PhD and is currently working as an Assistant Professor and Course Director for Anatomy in the Department of Physical Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She received her PhD in Anatomy from the Ohio State University in May 2016, where her dissertation was entitled: “Correlation of Selected Trunk and Hip Muscle Cross-Sectional Areas with Incidence and Severity of Low Back Pain in Adult Males and Females.” She recently had an article published in the journal Respiratory Medicine Case Reports: Amabile, AH, Moffatt-Bruce, SD and DePhilip, RM. Trapped lung and cardiomegaly in a 78 year-old male with congestive heart failure. Respiratory Medicine Case Reports. 2016;18:4-7.
Nicole Avillar, PT, DPT
Class of 2004; DPT from AT Still, ASHS
Elizabeth Cobos, PT, DPT
Class of 2004; DPT from AT Still, ASHS
Class of 2005
Jimmy Moody, PT, NCS, CBIS
Class of 2005; earned certification as a Neurologic Clinical Specialist (NCS); he was appointed to the Board of Governors of the American Brian Injury Association. Mr Moody serves as the clinical coordinator at Mentis El Paso and as a guest lecturer for the 海角社区 DPT Program. Read more at ; was recently appointed as Chief Executive Officer at Cobalt Rehabilitation Hospitals in El Paso.
Iliana Tarango, PT, OCS
海角社区 Class of 2005
Class of 2006
Christopher S. Patacsil, PT, DPT, CSCS
海角社区 Class of 2006; DPT from Temple University
Class of 2010
Daniel Paggen, PT
Class of 2010; certified in the McKenzie Method (Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy).
Class of 2011
Sarah F. Anderson, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, FAAOMPT, OCS
Class of 2011; earned certification as an Orthopedics Clinical Specialist (OCS); Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy: certified in the McKenzie Method (Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy).
David Krause, PT
Class of 2011; Dr. Krause and colleagues’ article “Making of a Successful Early Mobilization Program for a Medical Intensive Care Unit” was published in the June 2016 edition of the Southern Medical Journal.
Class of 2012
Katherine Carson, PT, DPT, OCS
Class of 2012; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS); Dr Carson was at AT Stills University Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program in Mesa, Arizona.
Marcos Lopez, PT, DPT, OCS
Class of 2012; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS); Dr Lopez was at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center – Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program in Dallas, Texas.
Francisco (Pancho) Melendez, PT, DPT, OCS
Class of 2012; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS)
Matthew McLean, PT, DPT, OCS
Class of 2012; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS)
Cara Nordin, DPT
Class of 2012: successfully authored a book chapter: Scott A, Nordin C. Do dietary factors influence tendon metabolism? In: Ackerman PW, Hart DA, eds. Metabolic Influences on Risk for Tendon Disorders. Springer: 2016:283-289. ISBN:978-3-319-33941-2 (Print) 978-3-319-33943-6 (Online)
Class of 2013
Nicholas Valencia, PT, DPT, OCS
Class of 2013; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS); Dr Valencia practices in Arizona in out-patient sports physical therapy setting.
Class of 2015
Arlianne (Bejarano) Scott, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
DPT Class of 2015; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS);
Class of 2016
Pablo Estrada, DPT, OCS
Class of 2016; earned certification as an Orthopaedics Clinical Specialist (OCS); the Harris Health System, Clinical Orthopaedic Residency program located in Houston, TX.
Class of 2018
Nnedi Ubani, DPT
Class of 2018, Dr. Nnedi Ubani, Dr. Celia Pechak, and colleague Dr. Jill Black for being awarded the 2020 Stanford Award for their article "Defining Global Health Competencies for Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education". This award recognizes the authors of a manuscript containing the most influential educational ideas published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Education in 2020.
Class of 2020
Evelyn Villarreal; DPT
Class of 2020; Dr. Evelyn Villarreal, Dr. Celia Pechak, Dr. Loretta Dillon, and colleagues for publication of their study entitled “A Tool to Enhance Patient Safety: Refinement and Validation of the Physical Therapy Spanish Proficiency Measure” in Physical Therapy Journal of Policy, Administration, and Leadership.
(Alumni, please email your accomplishments to mgutierrez28@utep.edu. We want to celebrate your achievements with you!)