Donald Sanchez, PT
Founder/President · All Paradigm Locations
Donald graduated from UNM’s Division of Physical Therapy in 1983. He has worked in several clinics throughout the Southwest but returned to his hometown of Los Lunas in 1996 to fulfill the dream of owning his own practice. He has dedicated his life to physical therapy and the application of a comprehensive, all-inclusive approach to patient care. He believes that physical therapy is a perfect venue to be able to help people and touch lives. Donald is committed to the advancement of the profession of PT and the ongoing conversation of the healing capacity of the human body.
Donald lives in Los Lunas with his wife Loraine and their son Estevan. He enjoys gardening, classic cars, exercise, and the outdoors.
Nicole Rejda
Chief Administrative Officer · All Paradigm Locations
Nicole is the heart and soul of Paradigm. She helps to bridge the gap between clinical staff and administrative staff and has more responsibilities than can be listed. She has been with Paradigm since 2010 and in her time has effected very positive change. She is married with 2 children and lives in Valencia County.
Los Lunas Staff
Jason Sedillo, PT, DPT
Staff Physical Therapist · Los Lunas
Jason graduated in 2017 from UNM’s Division of Physical Therapy with a Doctorate degree. Jason has been with Paradigm Physical Therapy since 2007, starting out as a therapy technician and working in the gym program. His experience working with Paradigm and patients influenced him to return as a therapist.
Eryk Ocasio, PT, DPT
Staff Physical Therapist – Los Lunas
Eryk is originally from Alamogordo, NM, received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration at NMSU in Las Cruces, NM in 2009 and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Washington University in St Louis, MO in 2015. After working in a hospital based clinic in northern Missouri doing outpatient and inpatient care for a couple years, he is happy to be back in his home state near family and friends (and with much better weather!). His treatment philosophy involves incorporating not only exercise prescription but also addressing the mechanics of functional motions one does in everyday life that can aggravate or lead to an injury (getting up from a chair with knees together, standing with slouched posture, walking with feet pointing outward). He has a lovely, wonderful wife and a cool dog and enjoys hiking, climbing, biking, playing bass, and martial arts.
Sara Sollars, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Los Lunas
Sara graduated from Pima Medical Institute and became a licensed PTA in 2018. She continues to challenge her skills and knowledge in the field of physical therapy by attaining an advanced degree while practicing here at Paradigm. She enjoys the variety of patients she treats and strives to make therapy an engaging and fun experience. In her free-time she can be found on the lake, camping, snowboarding, jogging, and competing in long-distance obstacle races.
Stephen Clark, PTA, BSPTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Los Lunas
Stephen graduated from Pima Medical Institute and began working as a physical therapist assistant in 2018. During his time gaining experience and honing his skills at Paradigm, Stephen obtained his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapist Assistant from Pima Medical Institute. Stephen places a large emphasis on combining manual therapy and therapeutic exercise to improve patient outcomes. In his spare time Stephen enjoys exercising, rock climbing, archery, and obstacle course racing.
Adrian Avitia, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Los Lunas
Adrian graduated in 2018 from Central New Mexico Community College. He believes in establishing great rapport with patients to help them live a better quality life. He is committed to growing as a healthcare professional with Paradigm and furthering his education. He was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM and he is driven to serve his community. Some of his favorite activities include swimming, kickboxing, hiking, volleyball and fishing. professional with Paradigm and furthering his education. He was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM and he is driven to serve his community. Some of his favorite activities include swimming, kickboxing, hiking, volleyball and fishing.
Kelsey Apodaca, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Los Lunas
Kelsey graduated with a Bachelor’s of science in Exercise Science from UNM in 2015. After graduating, she worked as a rehabilitation tech for a couple years developing a love for outpatient rehab. Wanting to further her education, she attended Pima Medical Institute and graduated as a PTA in 2020. She enjoys helping her patients reach their therapy goals through skilled education, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy techniques. Kelsey loves working with people and strives to make therapy a pleasant experience for each patient. In her spare time, you’ll find her playing sand volleyball, hiking, and spending time with loved ones. Born an Albuquerque native, her favorite things about New Mexico are the climate, culture, and (of course) the food!
Melissa Flores, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Los Lunas
Melissa is from New Mexico. She completed her physical therapist assistant licensure in July 2020 at Pima Medical Institute and graduated from Universal Therapeutic Massage Institute in 2002. Melissa is compassionate, creative, hard-working and loyal. She enjoys working with people of all ages and is always striving to learn new ways to perfect her career. Her hobbies are photography, spending time with loved ones and having adventures with her husband and two kids.
Rachael Hebestreit, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Los Lunas
Rachael graduated from Pima Medical Institute in July, 2020. She strives to create a compassionate environment while combining manual techniques with therapeutic exercise for promoting the best quality of life possible. Before pursuing a career in healthcare, Rachael had obtained a Culinary Arts Advanced Baking and Pastry degree, and enjoyed her work as a baker. In her spare time, she can be found engaging in any creative arts, such as writing, singing, baking, and many dance styles. Rachael is passionate about her career, hobbies, and family. Currently, her focus lies in gaining further knowledge of mastering manual techniques within the clinic, while also pursuing hobbies like opera singing and aerial silk dancing.
Belen Staff
Jesse Swann, PT, DPT
Staff Physical Therapist · Belen
Jesse grew up south of Belen, in the small town of Contreras, and has lived in Albuquerque and Bosque Farms throughout his coursework in undergrad and graduate school. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 2013 and his Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy in 2016, both at the University of New Mexico. Jesse enjoys the orthopedic setting due to the variety of age groups and diagnoses he gets to work with. He is especially interested in sports rehabilitation, working with various hand/wrist and foot/ankle diagnoses and patients with amputations. He is excited to go to a variety of continuing education courses to expand on the knowledge he has gained in his school coursework. He works to incorporate full-body, multi-system treatment approach with all patients, including working to improve breathing and diaphragm control in patients with chronic back pain.
Jesse is excited to be back in the town he grew up in and to be able to give back to the community of Belen.
Leah Rigdon, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Belen
Leah grew up in Wisconsin, and has lived in New Mexico since the fall of 2012. Leah graduated from Carrington College in 2014, and has been a PTA w/ Paradigm since graduating. She is very happy to have had the opportunity to learn and grow w/ the company, and looks forward to continued growth. She enjoys helping others reach their goals, and being able to meet so many people. Leah enjoys working w/ return to sport athletes, and has completed her certification in Kinesio Tape. In her spare time Leah enjoys golfing, tennis, fishing, horseback riding, and reading.
Monique Gonzales, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Belen
Monique is a born and raised New Mexican, born in Los Lunas and grew up in Albuquerque. She attended Pima Medical Institute in Albuquerque and graduated in 2020. She especially enjoys working with pediatrics and return to sports athletes. She is very excited to be beginning her PTA career with the company.
Mary Porcher, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · Belen
Mary, known as Maggie to her friends and patients, is a Belen local who has been with Paradigm since 2017, starting out as a gym technician and then as a part of our fantastic front desk staff. She graduated from CNM and became a licensed PTA in 2019 and her attachment to the community and previous experience with patients inspired her to return as a therapist. Maggie believes in taking a holistic approach to healing and giving patients the opportunity to take an active role in their recovery and health and she’s looking forward to giving back to the community she grew up in. In her spare time she enjoys going to the lake, hiking, and spending time with her family and dogs.
South Valley Staff
Donald Sanchez, PT
Founder/President/Physical Therapist · South Valley
Donald graduated from UNM’s Division of Physical Therapy in 1983. He has worked in several clinics throughout the Southwest but returned to his hometown of Los Lunas in 1996 to fulfill the dream of owning his own practice. He has dedicated his life to physical therapy and the application of a comprehensive, all-inclusive approach to patient care. He believes that physical therapy is a perfect venue to be able to help people and touch lives. Donald is committed to the advancement of the profession of PT and the ongoing conversation of the healing capacity of the human body.
Donald lives in Los Lunas with his wife Loraine and their son Estevan. He enjoys gardening, classic cars, exercise, and the outdoors.
Simon Guteirrez, PT – Se Habla Espanol
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · South Valley
Simon was born and raised in Albuquerque, graduating from Del Norte High School. He completed his studies in Sweden and received his Bachelors in Physical Therapy from the University of Linköping in 1997. He as spent the past 18 years practicing outpatient care in southern Colorado. As an experienced Manual Therapist, Simon treats a wide range of diagnoses including Orthopedics and Sports Rehabilitation. Simon is a certified Functional Dry Needle clinician. As an avid runner, Simon competed nationally and internationally for over 30 years. He has represented the United States in cross country and mountain running ten times and has won the local La Luz Trail Run a record 11 times. This experience lends itself to a special niche for the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of overuse injuries in runners. Outside of the clinic, Simon enjoys traveling to Europe and running daily along the Bosque trails with his wife, Mary, and their 2 small terriers.
Jennifer Druffel, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · South Valley
Jennifer graduated from Central New Mexico Community College and became a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant in 2020. Jennifer enjoys working with patients of all ages and hopes to make a difference in their lives by helping them return back to their previous level of function. When her patients leave, she hopes that they have met their goals and look at physical therapy as a positive experience, not just a grueling workout. Jennifer is originally from Kirksville, Missouri but grew up everywhere as an Air Force brat. She moved to New Mexico in 2016. Her favorite part of New Mexico is living in the mountains. On the weekends she loves to go hiking and snowshoeing and spending time with her family.
Jennifer Dominique, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · South Valley
Jenny Dominique is a recent PTA graduate from San Juan College. She is also a certified yoga instructor with over ten years experience of working with a wide variety of clients. She has a passion for empowering individuals to understand their bodies and take an active role in their healing. She has called Albuquerque home for the last ten years, and enjoys hosting potlucks, family game nights and camping trips with her husband, two awesome sons, and her goofy 95-pounds-of-love mutt, Olivia.
Sean Lichtenberger, PTA
Staff Physical Therapist Assistant · South Valley
Graduated 2014 from NWTC in Green Bay Wisconsin. Sean moved to New Mexico in late 2019 from San Antonio Texas and started that year with Paradigm. He enjoys interacting with his patients to make each session enjoyable. In his spare time Sean enjoys working out and being outdoors hiking and exploring New Mexico.