KATHERINE VOEPEL WARD, PT, MScPT, DPT, Owner
University of California, Davis Bachelor of Arts, Exercise Biology - 2011
Robert Gordon University Master of Science, Physiotherapy - 2014
Katherine received her Masters in Physiotherapy from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2014, and completed her DPT in 2023.
A Southern California native, she has been practicing in Northern California since 2014, and Vacaville since 2015. She was converted by the nearby mountains, less traffic, and seasons.
She is passionate about ensuring that Physical Therapy patients receive the highest level care, and that their clinicians work in an environment that fosters personal and professional success, satisfaction and happiness. It was this passion that led to her into clinic ownership in 2021.
She specializes in both Pelvic Health and Orthopedic Physical Therapy with emphasis in rehabilitation for pregnant and postpartum patients, runners, gait analysis, muscle imbalance and overall movement dysfunction. She has advanced training in a variety of muscle energy techniques, pelvic health conditions, differential diagnosis of ankle and foot pathology, runner’s rehabilitation, and pilates for treating injuries.
Katherine previously worked in a variety of neurological rehabilitation hospital settings including stroke rehab, and both pre- and postoperative rehab for spine and brain surgery. Kat believes that the key to successful rehabilitation involves individualized, one-on-one care and her treatments regularly include a mix of manual techniques, modalities, and exercises and activities targeted specifically toward her patient’s pathology. She strives to address the root of the problem, not only the symptoms, to ensure true recovery.
Kat is also an avid runner and running coach. Kat has coached BQ qualifiers as well as women who are returning to sport after child birth. Kat has run the following PRs - Marathon: 3:29 (BQ), 1/2 Marathon: 1:38.10, 5k: 21:19.
Brendan Ward, ma, Finance/IT/Pilates Instructor/Running Coach
Brendan is a Vacaville native, having graduated from Vacaville High School in 2006. He is a California licensed ELA secondary school teacher and holds an MA in Education from UC Davis. Brendan teaches high school English at Vacaville High. When he is not teaching high school English, Brendan is at SportsRehab where he primarily handles bookkeeping, tax compliance, budgets/projections, as well as other general healthcare business issues. Brendan also teaches reformer and Cadillac Pilates classes and coaches competitive age group runners. In his spare time, Brendan races road and cross-country running races and has qualified for the Boston marathon numerous times. Brendan has PRs of 4:08 for 1500m, 16:40 for 5k, 1:16 for 1/2 marathon, and 2:43 for the marathon. Brendan used to coach the Golden Valley Harriers (GVH) in Davis when he and Katherine lived in Davis. Wanting to create a similar group to run with, Brendan and Katherine teamed up with the local Fleet Feet store to create the Fleet Feet Vacaville Run Club, which meets up weekly for workouts and runs. When not running, working, or teaching, Brendan loves talking about politics, religion, and thought-provoking philosophical questions.
Gaby Duarte, office manager
Gaby Duarte is the Office Manager, Senior Biller, and Credentialing Specialist at SportsRehab Physical Therapy. She is a resident of Dixon and enjoys her short commute to work. Her goal is to learn new skills and to be efficient. Gaby is a coffee fanatic and enjoys spending time with her family.
Kyla Cruz PT, DPT, CSCS
University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology and Sports Injury Management - 2011
PIMA Medical Institute - Associates of Science, Physical Therapy Assistant 2014
University of Findlay - Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy - 2020
Kyla obtained her B.S. degree from UNLV in 2011 followed by earning her PTA degree from PIMA Medical Institute in 2014. While starting her career as a PTA, Kyla also became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist which allowed her the opportunity to work with both professional and adolescent athletes. She decided she wanted to expand her education in order to better treat patient's and went on to obtain her Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2020. Since then, she has had a variety of clinical experiences in a vast arena of treatment settings including both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Kyla has worked with a wide array of patient populations in settings such as outpatient orthopedic, inpatient neurological rehab, pre and post surgical interventions, vestibular and balance rehab, and sports rehab.
Kyla strives to provide the best patient care and experience possible and does so through her dedication to life long learning. Her continuing education emphasizes addressing the whole person while assessing full body movement patterns and determining stability versus mobility deficits. The one on one treatment approach provided at SportsRehab allows her to take this information and create optimized and individualized treatment approaches in order to address each patient's specific needs and maximize positive outcomes.
When Kyla is not working she enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, paddle boarding with her 2 Labrador retrievers, lifting weights, and spending time with family.
COLIN PHILLIPS, PT, DPT, OCS, CLINIC DIRECTOR
Duquesne University - Bachelor of Science, Biology - 2015
Duquesne University - Bachelor of Science, Health Sciences - 2015
Duquesne University - Doctor of Physical Therapy - 2017
A native of Ottawa, Canada, Colin attended university at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. As an NCAA D1 soccer player, Colin received national recognition for his athletic and academic achievements, including being named as a First Team Academic All-American member. After graduating with Bachelor's degrees in Biology and Health Sciences in 2015, Colin graduated with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2017, earning recognition as the program's Outstanding Student in the class of 2017. Colin worked at SportRehab Physical Therapy for two years before moving to Arlington, VA, where he worked for three years in outpatient orthopaedic care.
Colin became a Board Certified Orthopaedic Specialist (OCS) in Physical Therapy in 2020. Colin enjoys utilizing his extensive knowledge on orthopaedic conditions within a framework of fun, engaging treatment sessions that are both effective and patient-centered. Colin enjoys teaching, and has served as a certified clinical instructor for many doctoral candidates. In addition to his role as a clinical instructor, Colin serves as a guest lecturer for Duquesne's physical therapy program, and was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Specialization Academy of Content Experts for the orthopedic section of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.
Outside of clinic care, Colin enjoys music, cooking and participating in local sports leagues, including soccer, volleyball, disc golf and ultimate frisbee.
madison hefler, pt, dpt
U.C. Davis - Bachelor of Science, Exercise Biology - 2017
Marymount University - Doctor of Physical Therapy - 2022
Maddy, a native of Sacramento, attended UC Davis where she received her B.S. in Exercise Biology in 2017. Maddy worked as a PT Aide here at SportsRehab before moving to Arlington, VA, where she obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Marymount University in 2022. Now she is happy to be back with the SportsRehab team, this time as a Physical Therapist.
Maddy has continued her education and training to focus on Pelvic Health and pilates. Maddy enjoys working with pregnant and postpartum patients, and providing rehabilitation for urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and many other pelvic health conditions. She also teaches pilates class and loves to incorporate pilates based strengthening into her treatment sessions.
Maddy has a passion for making healthcare and exercise more accessible and inclusive for all people. She prioritizes getting to know each patient, building relationships, and creating a welcoming environment. She prides herself in providing individualized, patient-centered care. Outside of work, Maddy loves reading fantasy books, traveling, and running.
Julia Moody, PTA
San Jose State University Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology - 2011
Green River College Associate of Applied Science, Physical Therapy Assistant - 2016
After Julia received her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology at San Jose State University, she pursued her dream to be a Physical Therapist Assistant in June 2016 at Green River College in Auburn, WA. Returning to Northern California, Julia began her career as a PTA in Skilled Nursing where she was fortunate to treat a diverse patient population. Julia was able to develop her skills in functional task performance and fall prevention and recovery for patients including geriatric, post-orthopedic, dementia, Parkinson’s, CVA, and other neurological disorders.
Julia strives to provide the best care and individualized plan for her patients. She finds the most rewarding part of a job is seeing people get back to doing what they love. As a member of the Sports Rehab team, she is committed to continuing her knowledge and skills to best serve her patients and community. Furthermore, Julia has extended her training into the Pilates, completing instructor teacher training from Balanced Body. She enjoys the balance of her schedule of patient treatments and Pilates prive/group classes. With the addition of Pilates training, Julia finds herself comprehensively rounded to assist anyone in their movement goals.
As of 2019, Julia is a proud mother of her son Russell. In her spare time, Julia enjoys outdoor activities such as running, hiking and snowboarding. As well as, taking weekend trips up to Truckee with her family.
KatY Thirey Bowers, PT, DPT, PCS
Emory University - Bachelor of Science, Psychology - 2017
Georgia State University - Doctor of Physical Therapy - 2021
Katy is a pediatric board-certified specialist in physical therapy and recent transplant to California. Originally from Georgia, she earned her B.S. in Psychology from Emory University in 2017. Katy graduated with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Georgia State University in 2021.
As a pediatric physical therapist, Katy addresses limitations in her patient's gross motor development to maximize their participation in playtime, and their ability to safely explore their environment. She has provided rehab services for children with a wide range of diagnoses including but not limited to: cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, torticollis, spina bifida, brachial plexus injuries, toe walking, chromosomal abnormalities, autism spectrum disorder, acquired brain injuries, and orthopedic injury. She loves teaching and empowering families to be active agents in facilitating play-based activities that help their children flourish and meet their goals.
Outside of work, she loves running, hiking, baking, playing board games, and spending quality time with family.
ANDREW MALSOM, PTA
Concorde College - Associate in Physical Therapy Assistant - 2021
Andrew grew up in northern California playing baseball, football and skiing. It was through his sports career that began his passion for physical therapy. He started working as a personal trainer and physical therapy aide in 2011 in an outpatient clinic. During that time he spent time working with community college and high school athletic programs.
In 2017 he moved to Denver Colorado to complete his education; he graduated with a Physical Therapist Assistant A.S. in 2021 from Concorde College. He started working in multiple inpatient facilities/Chronic Pain/Personal injury settings in Denver before he moved back to California in 2024. Through this time he continued to build his passion of helping individuals by creating personalized physical therapy treatments. Andrew relies on his strong foundation in anatomy, physiology, and rehabilitation techniques along with dedication to continuing education to stay current on the latest advancements in Physical Therapy.
Outside the clinic Andrew enjoys skiing, attending baseball games (GO GIANTS!), spending time with his family and chasing his St. Bernard (Toby) around.