Faculty and Staff
Mrs. Mary Kessler
Associate Professor/Physical Therapy/Department Chair
Graves Hall 203
812-488-2579
In addition to providing overall leadership to the Department of Physical Therapy, Professor Kessler teaches and serves as an advisor to its students. Her areas of expertise and special interests include wellness,| neurologic rehabilitation and physical fitness in individuals with disabilities. Along with her University of Evansville colleague Tink Martin, she co-authored the first neurologic textbook for physical therapist assistants. Professor Kessler has received the Dean's Teaching Award, the Sadelle and Sydney Berger Award for scholarly activity, and in 2007 was selected as a University Global Scholar for her work related to international clinical internships and the development of cultural competence in physical therapy students. During the 2010-2011 academic year, she received the Howard S. Rosenblatt, Dean of Students Leadership Award for her work as student advisor for the Ace CARE clinic. She is also actively engaged in providing patient care at several local health care facilities.
Dr. Robert Catena
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
812-488-4062
Dr. Catena teaches biomechanics, functional anatomy and gait analysis. He also serves as the Director of the Dunigan Movement Analysis Lab, where he guides the research interests of students and of the lab.| His own research focuses on prevention and rehabilitation of physical and neurological impairments. Past and current research interests include dynamic balance control, mild traumatic brain injury, and manual material handling. He has authored numerous journal publications and conference presentations on these topics. Dr. Catena received a B.S. in biological sciences from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He received a M.S. and Ph.D. in biomechanics from the University of Oregon. He finished his formal education as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Harvard School of Public Health and Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety studying occupational biomechanics and ergonomics.
Ms. Sherri Chambliss
Program Operations Administrator/Physical Therapy
Graves Hall 209
812-488-2345
Sherri is in her 17th year with the Department of Physical Therapy. Her responsibilities include management of accreditation, advising, enrollment, recruitment and operations for the Department of Physical Therapy.| Ms. Chambliss graduated from the University of Evansville with a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies.
Ms. Shala Cunningham
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
812-488-2453
Shala Cunningham teaches within the musckuloskeletal area of physical therapy and medical screening. She is interested in research regarding medical screening in physical therapy. She currently instructs continuing education| courses for practicing therapists in Manual Therapy. Shala received her B.S. in physical therapy from Indiana University and her Doctorate in physical therapy from Arizona School of Health Sciences. She has completed two manual therapy residencies and a manual therapy fellowship. She is currently an instructor for the Ola Grimsby Institute. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT). She is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (OCS) from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialiteis (ABPTS) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), through NSCA.
Dr. Tzurei Chen
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
812-488-2408
Dr. Chen's teaching responsibilities are related to geriatric population and neurologic rehabilitation. Her research interests include biomechanics, motion analysis, fall prevention, and geriatric populations. Her past and current research proejcts related to elderly population include quantifying muscle activities using electromyography, balance control during transitional tasks, and prospective fall predictions. Dr. Chen received an M.s. and Ph.D. degree in biomechanics from the University of Oregon. In 2004, she earned a B.S., in physical therapy from the National Yang Ming University (Taipei, Taiwan). She served as a graduate teaching fellow and research assistant in the Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, and worked as a physical therapist at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.
Dr. Kyle Kiesel
Associate Professor/Physical Therapy
Graves Hall 206
812-488-2646
Dr. Kiesel teaches within the musckuloskeletal area of physical therapy including the advanced orthopedic and sports medicine course. He conducts research related to core function and functional movement testing related to| athletic performance and injury prediction. He serves as a consultant for professional, college, and high school sports teams. He has extensive experience teaching lecture and lab courses emphasizing core training and functional movement assessment and intervention. He has authored several articles and a book chapter on these topics. He has 13 peer-reviewed publications and presented numerous abstracts and invited speaking engagements nationally and internationally. Dr. Kiesel received his B.S. in Physical Education and Sports Medicine in 1990 from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He then earned his MPT from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Kiesel earned his PhD from the University of Kentucky. He is a Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Dr. Kiesel is engaged in patient care in orthopedics and sports at ProRehab, PC in Evansville and he serves as a manuscript reviewer for several national and international journals.
Mrs. Tink Martin
Professor/Physical Therapy
Graves Hall 202
812-488-2582
Professor Martin is a renowned authority in the areas of pediatric physical therapy and normal growth and development. She has been recognized for her teaching, scholarship and service, having received the Bud Dehaven Award| from the Pediatric Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Fran Ekstam Award from the Indiana Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, and the Sadelle and Sydney Berger Award for scholarly activity. She is the co-author of two entry-level textbooks, Functional Movement Development across the Life Span and Neurologic Interventions for Physical Therapy. She recently received the Lucy Blair Service Award from the American Physical Therapy Association for her exceptional contributions to the Indiana Chapter and the Section on Pediatrics. Professor Martin received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Tulane University, a certificate of physical therapy from Duke University and a Master of Arts degree in pediatric physical therapy from the University of North Carolina. She is pursuing a doctorate in Rehabilitation Services with a concentration in pediatrics from the University of Kentucky. Her research area of interest is pretend play in children with developmental disabilities. Professor Martin teaches pathology, human growth and development, and management of children and adults with neurologic conditions in the physical therapy programs.
Dr. Joni McFelea
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
Graves Hall 211
812-488-2009
Dr. McFelea received her Bachelor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Kentucky, her Master of Science degree in Health Care Administration from Western Kentucky University, and her Doctor of Philosophy degree in| Health Services Research from Old Dominion University. Her clinical practice expertise is in pediatrics and her research interests lie in the areas of evidence-based pediatric services, school-based physical therapy services, the quality of life of families with children who have developmental disabilities, and women's health issues.
Dr. Phil Plisky
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
812-488-2348
Dr. Plisky teaches within the musculoskeletal and leadership/practice administration areas of the curriculum. He received his Master of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Evansville and his Doctor of Science degree| in Orthopedic Physical Therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. He is a board certified clinical specialist in orthopedics through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. He is also a Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Dr. Plisky has published and lectured internationally on injury prevention and field expedient movement testing. He has received research grants from multiple federal and private agencies for injury prevention studies and has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts in leading scientific journals. His current research is focused on comprehensive movement testing and interventions in athletes, military personnel, and school-aged children. Dr. Plisky consults with collegiate and professional teams for injury risk identification and injury prevention. In addition, he serves as a manuscript reviewer for several scientific journals. He is also actively engaged in patient care at ProRehab, PC in Evansville, IN and is the Residency Program Director for the ProRehab and University of Evansville Sports Residency Program.
Mrs. Janet Szczepanski
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
Graves Hall 216
812-488-2576
Professor Szczepanski's teaching and clinical interests are in the areas of adult neurologic rehabilitation, geriatrics and prosthetics. She has completed training in the neurodevelopmental treatment of adult hemiplegia| and is credentialed by the American Physical Therapy Association as an educator of clinical instructors. Professor Szczepanski is board certified in geriatric physical therapy. Her current work in cultural awareness has resulted in the development of an elective clinical experience for students in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica. Professor Szczepanski received the Dean's Teaching Award and in 2007 was selected as a University Global Scholar for her work related to development of culturally diverse clinical internships and didactic content on cultural competencies for physical therapy students.
Dr. Frank Underwood
Professor/Physical Therapy
Graves Hall 205
812-488-1053
Dr. Underwood is board certified in clinical electrophysiologic physical therapy, teaches evidence-based practice, research methods, statistics, and medical physiology. In addition to teaching, he maintains an active clinical| practice in electrophysiology. He has over 25 peer-reviewed research publications, won the Texas Physical Therapy Association's Best Research Platform Presentation twice, has received the Dean's Teaching Award. In 2009, he was the first recipient of the Mary Bennett Award of Excellence. In 2011, Dr. Underwood received the Sadelle and Sydney Berger Award for service.
Dr. Yuri Yoshida
Assistant Professor/Physical Therapy
812-488-2549
Dr. Yoshida teaches therapeutic modalities and basic evaluation skills in both the DPT and PTA programs. Her research focuses on neuromuscular function related to limited daily activity among individuals with knee osteoarthritis| or/and following total knee replacement. She has authored peer-review publications in several high impact medical journals as well as numerous conference presentations nationally and internationally. One of her study articles has been recognized as one of the most cited Clinical Biomechanics Articles. Dr. Yoshida earned her Physical Therapy Degree from Showa University College of Medical Sciences, and earned her MS and PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Science from the University of Delaware. She finished her training as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the University of Utah.