Below is a list of current ATU faculty. These instructors teach at our main campus and may be available to teach your polyclinic or custom course. Matches are made when an instructor either requests to teach a polyclinic within their specialization -- or a facility requests a specific instructor. While we will make every effort to reserve your desired instructor, please be advised that they may not be available on the days you are holding your course.

Andrea Salzman, MS, PT
Director of Programming
Tracks: All

Andrea Salzman, MS, PT graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Masters degree in physical therapy. Salzman is the Founder and Owner of the Aquatic Resources Network, the largest multidisciplinary clearinghouse of information on aquatic therapy. She is Vice President of 10K Health, LLC, a temporary staffing agency. She currently serves as Director of Programming for Aquatic Therapy University and has assisted hundreds of facilities during the start-up and training phases of their aquatic practice.

She has served as: 

• Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy;
• Manager, Regions Hospital Therapy Pool;
• Adjunct Faculty, College of St. Catherine's PT program:
• Functional Design Consultant; Aquatic Therapy Facilities:
• ARN Database Creator, 19,000 aquatic professionals;
• Aquatic Health Research Database (AHRD) Creator, 8000 abstracts and growing;
• Author, 5 aquatic therapy-related texts;
• Monthly columnist, Aquatics International, Advance for PTs, Onsite Fitness

In 2010, Salzman received the highest honor given to an aquatic physical therapist from the American Physical Therapy Association, the Judy Cirullo Leadership Award.

Kimberly Gordon, MPT
Main Campus Director
Tracks: Musculo, Geriatric, Sports

Kimberly Gordon, MPT graduated from Mayo Clinic's School of Health Related Sciences with her Master's degree in Physical Therapy. She began practicing in an outpatient sports medicine clinic in Sarasota, FL where her case-load included orthopedic and post-surgical clients, including older adults with torn knee and ankle ligaments, total joint replacements, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and gait dysfunction. She went on to manage a branch for that company in Bradenton, FL. Upon moving back to Rochester, MN, she spent time working in a local nursing home, helping to develop their short term rehab program to increase the number of joint replacement patients in the facility and to better manage these patients as a team in the nursing home. She then moved into a home health physical therapy position, bringing innovative ideas to the patient returning from a hospital or nursing home stay after surgery or trauma, including many with new joint replacement patients.

She currently works at both the Rochester Active PT office and the Plainview ActivePT office (managing the Plainview office) where she specializes in treating orthopedic patients both in and out of the therapy pool. Her specialty is treating pelvic, hip and knee patients and the majority of her patients come with women's health, orthopedic and sports medicine complaints.

• Pilates
• Back School
• Osteoporosis

Beth Scalone, PT, DPT, OCS
Tracks: Musculo, Neuro, Sports

Beth Scalone, PT, DPT, OCS is a licensed physical therapist with over 18 years of experience in orthopedic and aquatic therapy. As the owner of North County Water and Sports Therapy Center in San Diego  (www.waterpt.com ) she continues with hands on clinical care in addition to her role as educator.

Since graduating from the University of Connecticut in 1991 Beth has belonged to the American Physical Therapy Association and has achieved Certification as a Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy.  In January 2006 Beth graduated from Boston University with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.  Additional certifications include Certified STOTT Pilates™ instructor and Master Instructor for the Burdenko Method. 

Beth not only provides continuing education for health care professionals she is an adjunct faculty at San Diego Mesa College PTA program, teaching Orthopedic Rehabilitation and Introduction to Pathology courses and provides the learning module/ instruction on aquatic therapy to the University of St. Augustine San Diego Campus DPT program.

Melissa Lewis, MPT

Tracks: Military, Sports

Melissa Lewis, MPT, ATRIC, AEA has been involved in aquatics for the last 12 years, beginning as an Exercise Physiologist and now as a Physical Therapist. She obtained a Masters of Physical Therapy from WVU School of Medicine.

For the last 6 years, she has continued working in the aquatics setting, including 3 years as the Director of Aquatic Therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While at WRAMC, she treated multiple diagnoses; including complicated polytrauma cases. Currently she is employed by an outpatient clinic in Sanford, NC splitting her time between aquatic & land based therapy. She is the 2008 winner of the ATRI Tsunami Award and presents nationally.

Kathleen "Kiki" Dickinson, MPT
Tracks: Pediatric/ Neuro/ Speech 

Kathleen (Kiki) Dickinson, MPT graduated from the College of St. Catherine with a master's degree in physical therapy. She has worked as a Pediatric Physical Therapist since 1995. Over the last several years her clinic has expanded and developed aquatic therapy programs for adult neuro and ortho populations with an emphasis on individuals with chronic pain and more medically complicated clients.

Kiki works at St. Croix Therapy (Therapeutic Services for Children and Adults) in Hudson, Wisconsin and has 17 years of experience developing and implementing therapy programs for a diverse pediatric population which includes working with children of all ages including the birth-to-three population.

For over seven years, Kiki has devoted one day per week in the SNF/TCU setting working with the geriatric and general debilitation population. Her caseload featured a high concentration of patients with psychological issues, including schizophrenia, and a full unit of patients on ventilators. Kiki has over 15 years of on call experience in a high-level acute care setting, with both pediatric and adult patients (University of Minnesota Hospital).

Kiki is certified in the Universal Exercise Unit/Therasuit Method and Craniosacral Therapy. She has been an adjunct professor at St. Catherine’s University for over ten years and teaches Pediatric Coursework for their Physical Therapy Assistant Program.

Kiki helped develop ATU's novel "Aquatic Therapy for the Speech Therapist" class in 2010. This first-of-its-kind class combined a positioning lab (taught by PT) with a speech & language skills (taught by a SLP). It appears to be the first class to be granted ASHA CEU credits. Kiki teaches custom seminars across the USA for Aquatic Therapy University with an emphasis on the neuro pediatric and adult populations.

Garry Killgore, PhD
Tracks: Sports

Garry Killgore, PhD is in his 21st year as Linfield’s cross country coach. He also serves as Linfield track and field coach in the spring. He trains almost 100% of his athletes in water, whether injured or healthy. Killgore was honored as the men’s Northwest Conference Track coach of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 & 2007. He was singled out as women‘s Northwest Conference Track Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1996; he was the women’s NAIA District 2 Coach of the Year in 1993. Killgore guided the Linfield men’s cross country program to a conference co-championship in 1993.

He has coached six national track champions 70 All-Americans and 34 Academic All-Americans. Killgore earned his Ph.D at oregon state in human performance (exercise physiology/ biomechanics) in 2003 and received his master’s degree in exercise science in 1989. He is a published author on biomechanics of running, prevention of running-related injuries and scientific concepts of coaching. His specialty is deep-water running or circuits. He is the founder of Aqx Sports (for hydrodynamic training).

Dr. Bruce Becker, MD
Tracks: Musculo, Sports

As a physiatrist (a medical specialist in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) with a lifelong interest in aquatic therapy, Dr. Becker has researched, published and lectured on aquatics across the globe. A graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine, he completed his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Washington. As  an Associate Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine, he served as Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan from January, 1992 until June, 1998 when he moved to Spokane to serve as Medical Director of St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, serving there until January 2006.

Since 2006, he has served as Director of the National Aquatics and Sports Medicine Institute at Washington State University, pursuing physiologic research during aquatic activity. He holds clinical appointments as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and also Adjunct Research Professor at Washington State University where he is Director of the National Aquatics & Sports Medicine Institute.

Dr. Becker co-authored the textbook Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy and has also been the recipient of major aquatic research grants from the National Swimming Pool Foundation, as well as other grants from the National Disability and Rehabilitation Research division of the Department of Education.

Jennifer Tvrdy, OTDR/L
Tracks: Pediatrics

Jennifer Tvrdy, OTDR/L, graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska with her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. Her past and present clinical experiences have been in sensory-based outpatient pediatric clinics.

Her passion and interest in aquatic therapy began in graduate school with emphasis on research and program development. Tvrdy is the owner of Therapy Junction in Eden Prairie, MN and has served as:

• Lab Instructor, Evidence-Based Aquatic Therapy (Pediatric Element), Aquatic Resources Network;
• Custom Pediatric Seminar Instructor, Aquatic Resources Network;
• Lab Assistant and Distance-Learning Collaborator— Sensory Integration for the Pediatric Therapist DVD;
• Private-pay therapist, providing individual aquatic therapy sessions for children with special needs.
• Owner, Therapy Junction, a pediatric private practice in Plymouth, Minnesota

Reesa Salomon, MS, CCC-SLP
Tracks: Speech

Reesa Salomon, MS, CCC-SLP graduated from Emerson College in 2001 with a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She currently works at Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey's Horizon School in Livingston, New Jersey and provides speech and language therapy to children aged 0-3 in the Early Intervention Program.

Reesa has a great deal of experience in feeding and swallowing difficulties and is PROMPT trained. She works with many non-verbal students, utilizing a variety of low and high technology augmentative and alternative communication systems. She treats children in the aquatic therapy pool at Horizon School, alongside physical therapists and occupational therapists.

Reesa helped develop ATU's novel "Aquatic Therapy for the Speech Therapist" class in 2010. This first-of-its-kind class combined a positioning lab (taught by PT) with a speech & language skills (taught by a SLP). It appears to be the first class to be granted ASHA CEU credits.

Aili Paré, Physiotherapist
Tracks: Musculo, Neuro

Aili Pare, PT completed her undergraduate degree in kinesiology (BSc.) at York University, Toronto, Canada in 1997. She completed her PT training with an MSc. in Rehabilitation Science from Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland in 2000.

Aili currently works at Southlake Regional Health Centre (SRHC) in Newmarket, Ontario. She spends half her time on land in outpatient orthopaedics and half her time in the onsite therapy pool.

She has been instrumental in initiating the recent developments in the aquatic therapy program at SRHC including course organization and design. Aili is married to Jarrod Paré, and she is the mother of three wonderful kids.

Peggy Schoedinger, PT
Tracks: Musculo, Neuro, Geriatrics

Internationally known speaker, Peggy Schoedinger, PT, is the owner of Aquatic Therapy Innovations, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado. Peggy has nearly 30 years of extensive experience developing comprehensive aquatic therapy programs for neurological, orthopedic, sports medicine and pediatric patient populations. Since 1990, Peggy has taught over 500 aquatic therapy seminars for therapists at facilities across North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia.

Every seminar is unique and tailored to the needs of each facility. Peggy teaches a full range of over 30 topics and techniques including Bad Ragaz, Halliwick, Watsu®, trunk stabilization, and aquatic manual therapy techniques for patients with neurological and orthopedic impairments. Peggy is a certified Watsu instructor for levels I, II and III and an Advanced Jahara Technique Specialist. Peggy is also certified in Halliwick Levels I, II and Advanced Halliwick, the Bad Ragaz Ring Method and WaterDance.

In addition to her private practice and teaching, Peggy is an aquatic therapy consultant at multiple rehabilitation centers and a guest lecturer for university PT programs. Her frequent international trips allow her to stay abreast with the latest techniques and information from around the globe.