Learn more about the residents in the Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency program.
Ana Livecchi, PT, PT - Cincinnati Children's - Resident
Clinical interests: Torticollis, cerebral palsy, adapted sports, hematology/oncology, and developmental disabilities
Kaitlyn Bigner, PT, DPT - Cincinnati Children’s – Physical Therapist I
Clinical Interests: Cerebral Palsy, Torticollis, Developmental Disabilities, Combatting the opioid epidemic, Adaptive Sports, Community Access and Inclusion
Kimberly Scarberry, PT, DPT- Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH; Physical Therapist.
Clinical Interests: Developmental disabilities. Clinical practice and research, Adaptive sports and activities in the community
Amanda Tillinghast, PT, DPT, PCS – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Physical Therapist I
Clinical Interests: Research, Community access and inclusion, and Cerebral Palsy
Brigid Griffin, PT, DPT- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Physical Therapist I
Clinical Interests: Infant development, Sickle Cell Disease, Early mobility, Health disparities, and Professional advocacy
Erin Simmons, PT, PCS – Cincinnati Children’s; Physical Therapist I
Clinical Interests: Torticollis, Infant Development, Health Disparities
Courtney Goldsbury, PT, DPT, PCS - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; Physical Therapist II
Clinical Interests: Neuromuscular Diseases (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Drug Trials), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Rheumatic Conditions, Infant Development
Chelsea Luck, PT, DPT, PCS - Women's and Children's Hospital-Columbia, MO; Physical Therapist
Clinical Interests: NICU and NICU Follow-up
Lindsey Stanek, PT, DPT, PCS - University of Wisconsin Madison-Waisman Center- Madison, WI; Physical Therapist, Clinical Assistant Professor and LEND PT Coordinator
Clinical interests: Multi-Disciplinary and Inter-Disciplinary Clinics (NICU Follow-up Clinic and Down Syndrome Clinic), Adaptive Sport Community Participation
Trista Brandenburg, PT, DPT, PCS - St Johns County School District- St Augustine, FL and Brooks Rehabilitation- Jacksonville, FL; Physical Therapist
Clinical Interests: School-Based PT, Idiopathic Toe Walking, Spinal Cord Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Gait Dysfunction
Farren McMahon, PT, DPT, PCS - Children’s Health Center at Northern Arizona Healthcare- Flagstaff, AZ; Pediatric Physical Therapist
Clinical Interests: Developmental Disabilities, Serial Casting, Mobility (DME, Go Baby Go)
Amanda Fowler, PT, DPT, PCS - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital- Physical Therapist I
Clinical Interests: Neuromuscular, Spina Bifida, DMD, BMD, Rheumatology
Annie Spinneweber, PT, DPT - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital- Physical Therapist I
Clinical Interests: Juvenile Inflammatory Arthritis, Ehlers-Danlos and Hypermobility Syndromes, Developmental Delay, Serial Casting, Orthotics, Wellness Programming, Therapeutic Yoga relationships among physical activity, physical literacy, clinical impairment-level measures, knee function, and knee biomechanics over time in young individuals after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction; female athlete, rehabilitation for the soccer player, injury prevention.
Abby Metzger, PT, DPT - 21st Century Rehab- Indianola, IA; Physical Therapist
Clinical Interests: Pediatric Patients, Outpatient Orthopedics, Neurological Conditions
"Prior to pursuing a residency, I knew I wanted to practice in Pediatric Physical Therapy but did not know where that path would take me. I continuously asked myself the following questions:
Is there a certain population or setting I am most interested in? Is there a specific Pediatric or Health Policy SIG I would like to be more actively involved in? Where will my strengths best be served? What can I continue to improve on? How can I be involved in research and disseminating knowledge? How do I practice family centered care?
The residency program at Cincinnati Children’s provided a wealth of clinical, didactic, leadership, community, policy and advocacy experiences that helped me explore these questions on a deeper level. The residency elevated my desire to embrace and encourage cross team communication and teamwork in order to provide the best care possible for my current patients and families.
Aside from the wealth of experiences the residency offered, I was also provided with continuous opportunities for growth and self-reflection. There was a great balance between mentorship and independence as it related to clinical practice. I was challenged to assess and re-assess how I can use current literature and research to enhance my clinical skills, while still delivering cooperative family-centered care. Aside from my growth as a clinician my experience as a LEND Trainee challenged me to recognize the importance of disability awareness in our medical profession, at a community level and at a policy level. The residency highly prepared me for the Pediatric Clinical Specialist (PCS) examination, but more importantly it provided exceptional experiences and mentorship leading me to continually challenge myself for ongoing growth and learning as a clinician, mentor, advocate, and educator."
"Starting my physical therapy career with a pediatric residency was the best decision I could have made. I benefitted from the wide variety of experience in different clinics across settings, diagnoses, and ages. Cincinnati Children’s has so many areas of specialty and excellence, and the residency allows you to access many of them. The LEND program was an excellent way of building knowledge about other disciplines and the disability community, while also feeling supported by other new professionals in the pediatrics field. I cannot say enough about the enthusiasm, expertise, and support of all of the residency mentors that made a huge positive impact on my early career development. They built up my knowledge to be able to provide the best care to patients and families. They also helped me build up the confidence to step into a job position after residency that included specialty clinics and new clinical roles. I love my current job, and I don’t think I would be here without Cincinnati Children's residency experience."
I chose to pursue a pediatric residency immediately after graduating physical therapy school because I knew that I was going to work with the pediatric population, and I knew that I still had a lot to learn. Cincinnati Children’s Pediatric Residency quickly became my number one choice for residency because of the strong mentorship program, the many rich opportunities to work in and observe different areas of pediatric physical therapy practice, and the LEND program.
Looking back on my residency journey, I am most grateful for the relationships that were formed with the residency mentors. It was career altering to have my first year of practice be guided by multiple mentors who are experts in different diagnoses and practice areas. I also benefitted from the opportunity to work in multiple practice settings (outpatient, inpatient, school system) and observe in numerous specialty clinics within the Cincinnati Children’s hospital system and early intervention settings. I learned information about diagnoses, treatments, and evaluation techniques in every new and unique setting I had the privilege of being a part of.
The LEND program also opened my eyes to numerous other disciplines that work with the developmental patients that I work with, and to the wide world of disability and disability advocacy. I had the opportunity to work on a research project in the disability field that led to a poster presentation at a national conference. I also formed relationships through LEND with professionals from disciplines outside of physical therapy that have become lasting friendships.
Overall, I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Cincinnati Children’s Pediatric Residency. My confidence in my physical therapy practice was significantly higher because of the mentorship, the opportunities for exploration within pediatric physical therapy and through the new ideas learned in the LEND program.
Completing a pediatric physical therapy residency at Cincinnati Children’s has given me so much confidence and knowledge early on in my career. Receiving guidance and mentorship from expert therapists in the field challenged me to grow as a clinician and continuously reflect on how I could provide improved care and increase my knowledge in a specialized area of practice.
I was able to make lifelong friendships and build inter-professional relationships that I hope to continue to foster throughout my career. The LEND program offered a close-knit family of inspiring individuals all striving to improve the lives, health, and wellbeing of individuals and their families with disabilities. LEND allowed me to continue to develop my leadership, advocacy, and inter-professional communication skills.
The wealth of experiences offered through LEND and this residency curriculum afforded opportunities that would have taken years to complete without participating in a formal residency program. From these experiences I can confidently provide evidence based, effective, and family centered care in the area of pediatric physical therapy.
Cincinnati Children’s is home to research investigators focused on developing strategies and interventions for children which promote participation, active lifestyles and improve quality of life.
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