Melissa is a graduate from Pacific University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has been proud to call the PNW her home for more than 20 years. She received her undergraduate degree in General Biology from Eastern Washington University while also playing collegiate basketball for the Eastern Eagles.
As a Division I basketball player, Melissa’s passion for physical therapy developed with her experience as a competitive athlete and continued as she played professionally for Evo New Basket Oberhausen in Germany following college. While she still loves basketball, her greater passion these days is running. She has been fortunate enough to finish both the Portland Marathon (2021) and the Every Woman’s Marathon (2024) and gets up to Forest Park to run every chance she gets.
Melissa loves treating all peoples and celebrating patient accomplishments. She treats a variety of orthopedic, neurological and common musculoskeletal injuries, and specializes in treating runners and temporomandibular dysfunction. She is trained in performing running analyses, so she can help runners refine their running mechanics while building their cross-training in order to meet their running goals. She is also currently pursuing a Fellowship in the North American Institute of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy in order to enhance her hands-on skills and best serve her patients.
Melissa and her husband, Willie, still play basketball recreationally in leagues around the city and enjoy supporting each other as much as they do playing. They have finished the Portland Half Marathon together and enjoy running the Shamrock Run every year. They happily live in Portland and love getting outside.
