Research Project: GOALS/Metas Team

Katrina Maluf, PT, PhD

Co-Leader, Research Project: GOALS/Metas

Dr. Katrina Maluf is a Professor of Physical Therapy in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at SDSU. As Director of the Applied Sensorimotor Research Laboratory, her long-term goal is to translate physiologic discoveries into innovative clinical strategies to assess and manage stress-related chronic pain. Her current research aims to address ethnic disparities in the prevention and management of chronic spine pain in Latinos. Dr. Maluf is a co-leader for the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas) to study the efficacy of a culturally adapted tele-rehabilitation program for Latinos with chronic low back and neck pain.

See Dr. Maluf’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Sara Gombatto, PT, PhD

Co-Leader, Research Project: GOALS/Metas
Co-Investigator, Community Engagement Team

Dr. Sara Gombatto is an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at SDSU. Her research is focused on investigating the mechanisms underlying musculoskeletal pain with the goal of developing more targeted interventions for treatment and prevention. As a licensed physical therapist, she has 20 years of experience treating patients with musculoskeletal pain. At the SDSU HealthLINK Center, she co-leads the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas) to study the efficacy of a culturally adapted tele-rehabilitation program for Latinos with chronic low back and neck pain. She also is a Co-Investigator with the Community Engagement Team.

See Dr. Gombatto’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Yessenia Hernandez, MSW, MPH

Project Manager, Research Project: GOALS/Metas

Ms. Yessenia Hernandez is the Project Manager for Research Project: Goal Oriented Activities for Latinos with Chronic Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas), one of the research projects funded through the SDSU HealthLINK Center. She completed the dual Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work program at SDSU, which shaped her interest in reducing health disparities among minority populations through research and policy reform. She has extensive experience working with Latino communities in both research and clinical settings. Ms. Hernandez also collaborates with the Center’s Research Infrastructure Team to help streamline processes to support the aims of the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

See Ms. Hernandez’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Cassandra Rodriguez, DPT

Research Physical Therapist, Research Project: GOALS/Metas

Ms. Cassandra Rodriguez is a Physical Therapist who received her doctorate in physical therapy from New York University and is currently working at FHCSD at an outpatient rehabilitation clinic serving the underserved population. She received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from SDSU prior, and is excited to work with her alma mater. She is currently the Physical Therapist that is assisting in developing and implementing the intervention in the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas).

See Dr. Rodriguez’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Rebecca Pierce

Research Assistant, Research Project: GOALS/Metas

Ms. Rebecca Pierce is currently an undergraduate student at SDSU studying kinesiology with an emphasis in pre-physical therapy. She loves learning about exercise and health sciences and hopes to attend graduate school to become a physical therapist in the future. As a Research Assistant on the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas), she conducts participant assessments using spine movement sensors and physical activity monitors to capture data for the project. She also works on data processing, managing references, and testing custom sensors and apps.

See Ms. Pierce’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Carlos Sanchez-Rojas

Research Assistant, Research Project: GOALS/Metas

Mr. Carlos Sanchez-Rojas is an undergraduate research assistant for the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas). He is currently majoring in kinesiology (pre-physical therapy) and minoring in interdisciplinary studies through the Weber Honors College at SDSU.  Mr. Sanchez-Rojas aspires to become a physical therapist as his passion for physical therapy came from his own personal experience with rehabilitation. One of his main goals is to work in the area of pediatrics and hopes to assist clinics serving underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities.

See Mr. Lopez’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Jason Van Dyke, MSPT

Director of Physical Rehabilitation Services, FHCSD
Co-Investigator on Research Project: GOALS/Metas, SDSU HealthLINK Center

Mr. Jason Van Dyke has always had a passion for patient care. His favorite part being the ability to bond with his patients and to help them meet their goals and maximize their function. As a physical therapist, he has had the good fortune to practice in multiple settings from a private outpatient orthopedic clinic, to a multidisciplinary navy medical clinic on Camp Pendleton, to a level 1 trauma acute care hospital at University of California San Diego (UCSD), to home health, and finally to FHCSD to establish a physical therapy department for adolescents and adults. Constantly in search of innovation, he challenged the status quo at UCSD in search of more efficient and effective ways for the rehab staff (OT, PT, and Speech) to work together with nursing and the medical teams. Upon joining FHCSD, he recognized the need for regional physical therapy and chiropractic clinics and for a conservative orthopedic option for our patients that were not surgical candidates, thus designing and developing the current sports medicine department.

As one of the largest and most progressive Federally Qualified Health Centers in the United States, FHCSD has provided him with the support to design and develop a physical rehabilitation program that provides services to over 4,000 patients each month. Working with the SDSU HealthLINK Center team on the Research Project: GOALS/Metas, Mr. Van Dyke has been able to utilize his unique knowledge of the FHCSD system, in conjunction with his clinical knowledge as a physical therapist, to assist in the design and development of the intervention and its implementation.

See Mr. Van Dyke’s profile for details on publications and projects.

Kristin Archer, PhD, DPT

Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Collaborator on the Research Project: GOALS/Metas, SDSU HealthLINK Center

Dr. Kristin Archer is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She has extensive clinical and research experience in assessing and managing psychological risk factors in patients with muscle, ligament, tendon, and bone injuries. She is a principal investigator on studies involving physical therapy for patients following lumbar spine surgery and to identify active duty service members who might be at risk for poor rehabilitation outcomes. She collaborates with the Research Project: GOALS/Metas at the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

See Dr. Archer’s profile. for details on publications and projects

Stephen T. Wegener, PhD, ABPP

Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and
Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Consultant on the Research Project: GOALS/Metas, SDSU HealthLINK Center

Dr. Stephen T. Wegener is a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the School of Public Health. His research focuses on the development of cognitive-behavioral and self-management interventions that prevent or provide treatment for secondary conditions following injury and illness. He is a consultant on the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas) focusing on physical therapy for Latinos with chronic spine pain for the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

See Dr. Wegener’s profile for details on publications and projects.