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Number of Years in Practice:

Dana Mandel, PT, PCS

Owner, Mandel Therapy Group

Physical Therapist

Board Certified Specialist Pediatric Physical Therapy

BA in English and General Literature, Binghamton University

BS in Physical Therapy

Pediatrics

23 years (see more below)

Number of Years with Mandel Therapy Group:
I started my practice, the Mandel Therapy Group, in 1987 as a solo practitioner. As the volume of patients expanded, I began hiring physical therapists to practice in the local school districts. Over the years, we have expanded our services to include occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and pediatric psychological testing services. Our practice settings have also grown to include adult homecare; pediatric homecare in the early intervention and preschool setting; skilled nursing facilities; and our two outpatient offices.

Special Achievements or Interests:

I initially entered my board certification as a specialist in pediatric physical therapy in 1998. I was recertified in 2008. There are only a handful of board certified pediatric therapists in New York State. I still continue to treat patients in addition to my responsibilities as the owner of Mandel Therapy Group. I have also earned recognition as an Advanced Credentialed Clinical Instructor with the American Physical Therapy Association to further my commitment to the students that choose to perform a clinical experience with my practice.

What made you decide to become a therapist?

I had been working for a number of years in New York State Developmental Centers and Intermediate Care Facilities with adults with developmental disabilities. I was most impressed with the services provided by the physical therapists at these facilities, and felt I could make a greater contribution to this patient population as a physical therapist.

What do you like best about being a therapist?

I continue to practice in a variety of settings with a varied caseload. I can treat patients from birth to 100+ years in any given day. Most people greatly value my contribution.

Something that I enjoy about practicing with Mandel Therapy:

Our staff has presently grown to 33 employees. Their commitment, professionalism, and caring is exceptional. I am extremely lucky to have such a dedicated, skillful, and motivated staff.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
I was working with a young child with Cerebral Palsy that was unable to roll, creep, crawl, walk or experience any form of independent mobility. I was able to modify a small electric toy car that enabled this child to drive independently by moving their head slightly. The ability to move independently in the world opened many doors for this individual.

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Tamra Dawkins

Physical Therapist

Bachelor of Science

Master of Physical Therapy

Pediatrics

15 years

8 years

Special Achievements or Interests:
Love working with children with special needs. The school system is a great place to work for someone who is both a parent and physical therapist.

What made you decide to become a therapist?
I volunteered at a rehabilitation center when I was a teenager and enjoyed it.

What do you like best about being a therapist?
Helping other people.

Describe something you enjoy about practicing at Mandel Therapy Group:
The flexibility of the job and the amazing staff.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
A parent called me and expressed how grateful they were that their child was succeeding in school way beyond their expectations. The parent was crying with joy and it made me feel like I really do make a difference for these children and their families.

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Kerin Duff

M.S., CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist

B.A./B.S. University of Texas at Austin
M.S. Communication Sciences & Disorders from University of New Hampshire

Pediatrics

7 years

new employee

Special Achievements or Interests:
2001-2002 Fellowship in Maternal & Child Health – Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (MCH-LEND)

What made you decide to become a therapist?
Speech and Language Pathology is a combination of my three main interests; medicine, psychology, and linguistics. And working with people never gets boring!

What do you like best about being a therapist?
Developing relationships with clients, helping people cope with, compensate for, and conquer their disabilities, and feeling like I really make a difference in people’s lives.

Describe something you enjoy about practicing at Mandel Therapy Group:
The other therapists are very supportive and helpful to new staff.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
I had been working for a week or two with a man who was aproxic and had been unable to speak since having a stroke. He was eating lunch and I was talking to myself to fill the void. All of a sudden, he spoke a complete sentence! I think he was even more surprised than I was!

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Shelly Kraetz

Physical Therapist (Doctor of Physical Therapy)

Doctorate from Upstate Medical

Orthopedics & Pediatrics

2 years

2 years

What made you decide to become a therapist?
Interest in Musculoskeletal and Movement Systems.

What do you like best about being a therapist?
Love working with children and enjoy working with adults to achieve improved function.

Briefly describe something you enjoy about practicing with Mandel Therapy:
Love the work, flexibility, and professionalism

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
I had a co-treat with OT for sensory integration strategies with an EI client. We implemented strategies and next session saw significant gross motor improvement.

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Kirsta Malone

Occupational Therapist

Bachelor of Science, Keuka College

School-Based Practice

16 years

7 years

Special Achievements or Interests:
Working towards a specialty in Hippotherapy.

What made you decide to become a therapist?
A general love of working with all kinds of people and the satisfaction of helping others.

What do you like best about being a therapist?
I love to teach others about what I am passionate about.

Describe something you enjoy about practicing at Mandel Therapy Group:
Working as a school based therapist at Mandel has given me many opportunities to learn and practice my skills with a variety of age groups and ability levels. Just as it seems I can go no further, a new opportunity pops up and gives me another chance to show off my profession.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
I once had a student from kindergarten right up until he was in 6th grade. His diagnosis was non-verbal autism. For years we tried to teach him to use his table top scissors with very little success. I was ready to give up when one day he won a package of skittles from the prize box, walked over to his desk, took out his scissors and opened the package like it was an everyday occurance. Lesson learned! On both sides…!

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Sharon Marshall

Office Manager

University of Arlington, History Major

Pediatrics

N/A

N/A

17

Special Achievements or Interests:

My biggest accomplishment is raising four kids and keeping up with Dessie.
Girl Scout Leader for 25+ years
33 year member of the King Ferry Fire Auxilary
I love to read, and always try to have at least two books going.

What made you decide to join Mandel Therapy Group?
My children were grown and I was looking for something to keep me alert and involved.

What do you like best about being the office manager?
I love working with people. I especially like working with the staff and consider many of them good friends as well as fellow employees. I enjoy working with the school district staff and trying to solve problems as they arise.

Briefly describe something you enjoy about working with Mandel Therapy:
Working for Mandel Therapy Group gives me a sense of accomplishment. Whether it’s fixing a problem or mailing out a large stack of billing that has taken me days to complete. In the office setting, its been a pleasure to see Keri work and watch her patients get better. Most of the time people who come here are in pain and moving slowly. It is a real pleasure to hear them say they feel better and to see the lift in their steps as they leave. Mostly, I enjoy working for Dana. He always seems to appreciate what I do and never fails to say thank you at the end of the day. It is always nice to be appreciated.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
Watching the practice grow has been amazing. When I started it was just Dana and I in a room the size of a walk in closet and in my home. Back then we used a word processor and Macs. There were four physical therapists, 3 Michelle’s and Patti and Bob Trapani as contract employees. Files were stored in Dana’s garage and my house. Then we added the speech therapist, psychologists, and occupational therapists and ran out of space for files. The addition of a permanent office space and lots more storage space was the next big step. I got to be in on the renovation of the space and the continuous revisions as well as the addition of a second office. A lot of growth in 17 years, and we’re not done yet.

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Lucinda "Cindy" Towle, OTR

Occupational Therapist

Bachelor of Science

Pediatrics

22 years

new employee

Number of Years with Mandel Therapy Group:
I am a new employee, having recently relocated to the area following my husband’s job transfer. I graduated from Southern Cayuga High School.

Special Achievements or Interests:
It is the little things that I most treasure.

What made you decide to become a therapist?
I went to JDA camp as a camper, then became a counselor for the camp (Rotary Sunshine Camp in Rush, NY). It is a camp for children who have a disability. I enjoyed and felt so inspired by the children and people I worked with that I knew I needed to work in a related field.

What do you like best about being a therapist?
The smiles.

Describe something you enjoy about practicing at Mandel Therapy Group:
Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
Following a very intense but very positive academic and therapy year with a student, I received a phone call from their parent one summer. She was in Ocean City and was watching her son who has autism play in the ocean with his brothers. It was something given his severe sensory processing issues she never thought would have been possible. It is a great example of the progress of a team and family working together.

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Mary N. Van Donsel, MSR, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Master of Science in Rehabilitation Science, Medical University of South Carolina

Pediatrics

8 years

5 years

Special Achievements or Interests:
Hanen Certified SLP since 2005; Auditory Processing Disorders; Speech Sound Disorders; Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing

What made you decide to become a therapist?
I became interested in speech-language pathology because it takes my interests in psychology, education, and health care and combines them into one discipline.

What do you like best about being a therapist?
The joy a parent and/or child displays when they reach a goal or milestone. I love finally being able to hear a child’s voice when they first speak – it says so much about them and sometimes can sound so different from what I was expecting!

Describe something you enjoy about practicing at Mandel Therapy Group:
I enjoy the variety of my caseload. We are encouraged to be good therapists above all else, focusing on the needs of the children and families.

Describe an exceptional event that occurred while treating a patient:
I worked with an adorable 2 year-old who was not talking but beginning to sign simple words such as shoes, mine, more. He walked in to see me one day and spontaneously signed “look at my new shoes”.