Our Team

Why Did I Become a PT?

I decided to become a Physical Therapist while I was in my second year of college. My mother was in multiple car accidents causing severe injuries. Following her accidents, she required intense Physical Therapy treatment to rehab her spine, femur and knee. Surgery was necessary to fuse her neck and back, in addition to repairing her femur.

Her pain levels were so severe that the only thing that helped alleviate her pain was Physical Therapy. The relationship my mom developed with her therapist was extremely vital to her recovery and it inspired me to become a PT. I always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and work with my hands. Physical Therapy was the perfect profession for me and I could not be happier with my choice.

I chose to work in an outpatient therapy setting because of my love of fitness, athletics and getting back to high level activity. Being able to help patients of all walks of life from varying injuries is a very rewarding feeling. From helping someone learn to walk again post knee replacement or helping a young person return to sport following an injury creates great variety in workflow and keeps all my skills sharp.

Why Did I Become a PT?

I come from a family that has always been involved with their community, my father is a psychologist and my mother is a teacher. I knew that I always wanted to work with people, and contribute to their lives in some way. In high school I took interest in science, and playing sports was a huge part of my daily life.

As my senior year of high school was beginning my guidance counselor suggested looking into exercise science and potentially physical therapy as an undergraduate field of study. I shadowed a local physical therapist and realized this was a career path that I would enjoy.

I have since chosen to spend a majority of my time as a physical therapist in the outpatient setting. This involves the rehabilitation of patient’s with post-operative impairments, chronic pain, sport injuries, and much more. The reason I took an interest in outpatient physical therapy is the broad-based patient presentations. One hour I may be treating an elderly patient with balance deficits, the next hour a high school athlete with Achilles tendonitis. In this setting I am able to continuously work with my patient’s and be a part of their weekly progression out of pain, and returning to their prior level of function.

Why Did I Become a PT?

Growing up, I had always known that I had wanted to work in the medical field. I knew that my life would be best spent helping people, and the best way I knew how to do that was with medicine. I was a science minded kid, and was always drawn to the science part of the healthcare field. My only problem was that I didn’t like the blood and guts aspect of medicine, so I didn’t know quite where to turn.

In high school, I dislocated my patella playing field hockey. As soon as I fell onto the field, the athletic trainer ran over and assessed my knee. He referred me to an orthopedic doctor and, in turn, a physical therapist. Twice a week I would go to PT to exercise my injured knee, and would supplement my PT on my off days with treatment by our athletic trainer. In a matter of weeks, I was back on the field and back to my best athletic self.

It was then that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. These people healed me, and all they used were their brains and their hands. No blood, no guts, no gore! I loved the fact that these health care workers were active, needing to think on their feet and use their creativity to help patients return to their normal lives. They were doing exactly what I wanted to do.

From there I went on to the University of Delaware’s Athletic Training Education Program where I spent 4 years on the field and in the athletic training room with hundreds of athletes, treating injuries from small bumps and bruises to total reconstruction of dislocated knees, ankles, and elbows. There were fewer things I loved more than seeing an athlete who I saw immediately at the time of their injury return back to their sport without limitations.

As much as I loved the emergency management and on field care aspects of the career, my heart was set on the rehabilitation portion. I spent the next 3 years at Duke University in their Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, where I became proficient in manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and the mental aspects of healing. I knew that this is how I wanted to spend my life, and couldn’t wait to start.

At Duke, I was exposed to a variety of Physical Therapy settings, from acute care hospitals and inpatient rehab to Division 1 athletics and pediatric home health care. Seeing all of these various settings, I set my heart on outpatient orthopedics. In my opinion, there is so much more that a patient can do once they’ve hit the outpatient setting, and between myself and my patients, our creativity can flow. This is the setting that is the last step between injury and full return to activity, so this is the setting where we have to get people back to their highest level of function. This is the setting where we strengthen and practice baseball swings, swimming strokes, lifting heavy weights for work, or even core stability for carrying a baby. This is where I thrive, and help my patients thrive as well.

I love being a Physical Therapist, and am so lucky that I get to walk into a job every day where I know that I’m helping and healing my patients and getting them back to their fullest lives!

I was the 2006-2007 Julie Moyer-Knowles Outstanding Student Athletic Trainer Award winner. The award was given to a sophomore student athletic trainer who had demonstrated an outstanding record of scholarship, leadership, and service in the Athletic Training Education program and has unlimited potential for future contributions to the athletic training profession.

I was also the 2008-2009 Student Athletic Trainers Club Student Service Award winner. The award was voted on by the members of the Student Athletic Trainers Club and given to the student who demonstrated the most leadership in all aspects of being a student athletic trainer, both in the classroom, on the field, and through volunteer work. I was also the president of the Student Athletic Trainers Club that same year (2008-2009).

Throughout my years in the Athletic Training Education Program, I was a Student Athletic Trainer for the University of Delaware football, track and field, field hockey, and men’s basketball teams. I also worked at a local high school and with intramural sports, providing emergency medical care, taping, bracing, injury management, and injury/post operative rehabilitation. I also volunteered for the Special Olympics of Delaware, The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and various youth sports camps, providing emergency medical coverage for all participants.

Jillian received her Bachelor’s Degree from Farmingdale State College in 2013. She went on to receive her doctorate in Physical Therapy with distinction from New York Institute of Technology in 2016. Prior to graduating, Jillian worked closely with Butch as a Physical Therapy aide for 8 years. During this time, she discovered her passion for the field and thirst for education.

As a student physical therapist, Jillian worked in various clinical settings, such as a rehabilitation and nursing home, where she helped patients regain their functional independence. She also spent time in outpatient orthopedic clinics, treating post surgical cases, learning various manual therapy techniques and exercise programs to enhance plan of care.

Jillian also looks forward to becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and cooking.

Why Did I become a PTA, Athletic Trainer?

Growing up I was always involved with sports, whether it was playing tennis with family and friends on the weekends, running 10k races or playing high school and travel soccer throughout the year. Not until taking anatomy and physiology as a general studies course in college did I realize how interested I was in learning how the body functions. I chose a career in sports medicine and athletic training, allowing me to stay connected with sports and to pursue my interest in helping others recover from their injuries.

Why Did I Become a PT? Growing up, I had always known that I had wanted to work in the medical field. I knew that my life would be best spent helping people, and the best way I knew how to do that was with medicine. I was a science minded kid, and was always drawn to the science part of the healthcare field. My only problem was that I didn’t like the blood and guts aspect of medicine, so I didn’t know quite where to turn.

In high school, I dislocated my patella playing field hockey. As soon as I fell onto the field, the athletic trainer ran over and assessed my knee. He referred me to an orthopedic doctor and, in turn, a physical therapist. Twice a week I would go to PT to exercise my injured knee, and would supplement my PT on my off days with treatment by our athletic trainer. In a matter of weeks, I was back on the field and back to my best athletic self.

It was then that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. These people healed me, and all they used were their brains and their hands. No blood, no guts, no gore! I loved the fact that these health care workers were active, needing to think on their feet and use their creativity to help patients return to their normal lives. They were doing exactly what I wanted to do.

From there I went on to the University of Delaware’s Athletic Training Education Program where I spent 4 years on the field and in the athletic training room with hundreds of athletes, treating injuries from small bumps and bruises to total reconstruction of dislocated knees, ankles, and elbows. There were fewer things I loved more than seeing an athlete who I saw immediately at the time of their injury return back to their sport without limitations.

As much as I loved the emergency management and on field care aspects of the career, my heart was set on the rehabilitation portion. I spent the next 3 years at Duke University in their Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, where I became proficient in manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and the mental aspects of healing. I knew that this is how I wanted to spend my life, and couldn’t wait to start.

At Duke, I was exposed to a variety of Physical Therapy settings, from acute care hospitals and inpatient rehab to Division 1 athletics and pediatric home health care. Seeing all of these various settings, I set my heart on outpatient orthopedics. In my opinion, there is so much more that a patient can do once they’ve hit the outpatient setting, and between myself and my patients, our creativity can flow. This is the setting that is the last step between injury and full return to activity, so this is the setting where we have to get people back to their highest level of function. This is the setting where we strengthen and practice baseball swings, swimming strokes, lifting heavy weights for work, or even core stability for carrying a baby. This is where I thrive, and help my patients thrive as well.

I love being a Physical Therapist, and am so lucky that I get to walk into a job every day where I know that I’m helping and healing my patients and getting them back to their fullest lives!

I was the 2006-2007 Julie Moyer-Knowles Outstanding Student Athletic Trainer Award winner. The award was given to a sophomore student athletic trainer who had demonstrated an outstanding record of scholarship, leadership, and service in the Athletic Training Education program and has unlimited potential for future contributions to the athletic training profession.

I was also the 2008-2009 Student Athletic Trainers Club Student Service Award winner. The award was voted on by the members of the Student Athletic Trainers Club and given to the student who demonstrated the most leadership in all aspects of being a student athletic trainer, both in the classroom, on the field, and through volunteer work. I was also the president of the Student Athletic Trainers Club that same year (2008-2009).

Throughout my years in the Athletic Training Education Program, I was a Student Athletic Trainer for the University of Delaware football, track and field, field hockey, and men’s basketball teams. I also worked at a local high school and with intramural sports, providing emergency medical care, taping, bracing, injury management, and injury/post operative rehabilitation. I also volunteered for the Special Olympics of Delaware, The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and various youth sports camps, providing emergency medical coverage for all participants.