Staff

Meet Our Staff

Executive Director: Therese Rodda, PT Therese (Terri) graduated from the State University of New York in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She has spent her entire career working in the Washington, DC metropolitan area in a variety of settings, hospital, outpatient and home care. As the owner of Friendship Heights Rehabilitation Center and Director of Clinical Services, she is committed to hiring the highest quality staff to provide excellent rehabilitative care with an emphasis on wellness. She was a former Community Health Professional of the Year nominee by the Maryland National Home Care Association. Terri’s diverse background enables her to work with all age groups and diagnoses. However, she has a special interest in the problems that develop as a result of lung disease and problems faced by the aging senior.

Clinical Director: John Gillis, PT, CSCS John received received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Maryland College Park. He then went on to Shenandoah University where he received his Masters degree in Physical Therapy in 1996. He has worked throughout the Washington D.C metro area primarily in the outpatient orthopedic setting. He was previously the director of a clinic in Rockville, Maryland for 4 years. In 2000, he became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) through the NSCA. John’s experience enables him to treat all age groups with a variety of muscle and joint problems. As Assistant Director he supervises the therapy support staff and oversees clinic operations in Terri’s absence.

Staff Physical Therapist: Melissa Adler, PT Melissa received her Masters degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware in 2003. She has spent the past four years working in a variety of outpatient clinics developing her skills in manual therapy and core stabilization. Melissa spent time working in a back education and training program. She uses these strengths to treat a variety of post-surgical, orthopedic and spinal related injuries. In her spare time, she plays tennis and golf.

Staff Physical Therapist: Andrea Jacobson, PT, DPT Andrea graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2005 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Andrea has worked primarily in outpatient and sports physical therapy settings. Her professional strengths include manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, core strengthening with the use of evidence-based physical therapy to treat multiple problems of the back and neck,including the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), upper and lower extremities. She also enjoys treating individuals with balance problems, dizziness or vertigo.

Coordinator of Clinical Education: Sara Squires Davis, PT, DPT Sara Squires Davis graduated from the University of Maryland – College Park in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She then went on to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 2001. Sara has completed post graduate continuing education courses in manual therapy from Orthopedic Manual Therapy Seminars (Maitland), the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy and University of St. Augustine (Paris). As the Coordinator of Clinical Education, her responsibilities include teaching students from physical therapy programs from throughout the country in their clinical internships, organizing continuing education courses for the therapists on staff and giving community lectures on a wide range of wellness topics. As a former college basketball player, she enjoys treating athletes and patients of all ages and abilities on their road to a healthier more active lifetstyle.

Staff Physical Therapist: Christopher Gnip, PT, DPT Chris received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis in 2006. Since graduation, Chris has taken multiple manual therapy courses including Maitland, Mulligan, and Strain-Counterstrain in order to complement the Movement Systems Impairment approach that he learned at Washington University. Chris enjoys working with patients of all ages, but has a particular interest in working with athletes and pediatric patients. In his spare time, Chris enjoys reading, writing, and playing a variety of sports.

Staff Physical Therapist: Melissa Luhman, PT Melissa graduated from Simmons College in Boston with a Masters in Physical therapy in 2000. During the first four years after graduation, she worked in a variety of pediatric settings in Rhode Island and Virginia treating infants and children with mild to profound impairments. Over the past few years she has worked with a primarily adult population in an outpatient orthopedic setting. She is excited to have the opportuinity at FHRC to treat people of all ages from newborns to seniors. Melissa was on the crew team for four years in college and continues to enjoy running, hiking, yoga and pilates.