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Meet our Team

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Timothy Smith

Student

Timothy Smith is a second-year Physical Therapy Student at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. A UTSA graduate, he has always felt an attachment to the San Antonio population who he wanted to He wanted to join the Mover Lab because it was a great opportunity to gain additional research exposure in the field of physical therapy. 


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Sonia Viridiana Benzor

Student

Sonia Benzor is a third-year occupational therapy student at UT Health Science Center San Antonio. She is passionate about neurorehabilitation and integrating technology to make therapy sessions more engaging and enjoyable for patients from all walks of life. Sonia enjoys collaborating with physical therapy students and faculty on projects that contribute to this goal and help expand the body of research on evidence-based practice. 


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Priscilla Lizbeth Martinez

Student

Priscilla L. Martinez is a second-year student at UT Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. She has personally witnessed the impact of Parkinson’s Disease on an individual’s life and worked with them on overcoming its challenges. By being a part of this team, she hopes to focus on rehabilitation options to mitigate these effects. 


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Michelle Aguirre MS, LAT, ATC

Athletic Trainer

Michelle Aguirre is a certified and licensed Athletic Trainer in the Orthopaedics Department at UT Health Science Center San Antonio, where she primarily works with elite, collegiate youth soccer athletes. Outside of her clinical role, she is involved in research at the Mover Lab, focusing on Parkinson’s Disease. Michelle finds it both inspiring and fulfilling to work closely with individuals affected by the disease, striving to identify ways to improve their quality-of-life post-diagnosis. 


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Meenal Cascella


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Lilibeth Alva

Student

Lilibeth Alva is a second-year Physical Therapy student at UT Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. She developed an interest in Neuro Physical Therapy during her first semester in the program. She aims to leverage this passion to support patients after graduation. Through her time at the Movers Lab, Lilibeth seeks to gain hands-on experience with this patient population and better understand their needs. 


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Katelyn Ebba Knox

Student

Katelyn Knox is a second-year physical therapy student at UT Health Science Center San Antonio. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Honors Biology from Texas A&M in 2022. Her passion for neurological physical therapy, along with her enthusiasm for Dr. Anjali’s neuroscience class, has driven her work in the Mover’s Lab. 


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Hannah Bokal

Student

Hannah Bokal is a second-year Physical Therapy student at UT Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. She wants to help individuals with Parkinson’s improve their performance of day-to-day activities. She is very excited to work with virtual reality to achieve this goal 


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Gustavo J Almeida, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Lab Director

Dr. Almeida received his PT degree and training in Brazil and has over 18 years of clinical experience focusing on Sports and Orthopedics Rehabilitation. He obtained his PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Pittsburgh and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at UT Health San Antonio. His research focuses on interventions to improve physical function and activity in individuals with arthritis. More specifically, Dr. Almeida is currently testing the feasibility of using blood-flow restriction during prehabilitation in individuals awaiting total knee replacement.


Diego Cerda

Student

Diego Cerda is a second-year Physical Therapy student at UT Health Science Center San Antonio. He enjoys collaborating with team members in a research-driven environment, where he can learn from skilled professionals and contribute to making a meaningful impact through physical therapy. 


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Clare Marie


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Camila Perez


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Anjali Sivaramakrishnan, PhD, PT

Assistant Professor

Lab Director

Anjali Sivaramakrishnan is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the School of Health Professions at UT Health San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Sivaramakrishnan’s background includes a Bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from Sancheti Institute College of Physiotherapy and a Master’s degree in physiotherapy in neurosciences from Manipal University. She completed her PhD in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has over 10 years of experience in the rehabilitation of individuals with disorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s Disease, and other disorders.


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Abigail Jean Bendle

Student

Abigail Bendle is a second-year Physical Therapy Student at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. As a former student of Dr. Anjali, she was eager to continue working with her as a research assistant on studies aimed at improving physical rehabilitation for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Her passion for this area stems from witnessing the impact of Parkinson’s disease firsthand.