Meet our Therapists
David Ojeda, DPT, OCS
Dr. Ojeda graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. While at USC, he was a student-athlete competing on the men's track & field team as a distance runner. After taking 2 years off to compete, he returned to USC to attend its preeminent program through the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy as a doctoral candidate.
Upon graduating with honors, Dr. Ojeda worked in an orthopedic and sports medicine clinic where he honed his skills and eventually earned the highly-regarded Board Certified Specialty in Orthopedics (OCS). As an American PT Association Credentialed Clinical Instructor, he has provided years of clinical instruction and mentorship to Doctoral candidates during their physical therapy education. Further, he is a mentor for USC's residency program that aims to transform clinicians into advanced practitioners. Dr. Ojeda is also a certified running gait analyst, helping runners get back to running and to avoid future injuries. He is also involved with the California Physical Therapy Association where he has volunteered his time as the Los Angeles District Treasurer and Assembly Representative.
Combining over 16 years of clinical experience with a passion for movement science and physical health, Dr. Ojeda provides a patient-centered approach to treatment. With his extensive educational background, Division I athletic experience, orthopedic specialty, and emphasis on patient care, Dr. David Ojeda possesses a unique perspective on the rehabilitation and sports medicine world.
John Chao, DPT, OCS
Dr. Chao received his Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology and a minor in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. He then went on to receive his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Southern California.
Immediately upon graduation, Dr. Chao began the year long Orthopedic Clinical Residency program at USC. During his residency, he was a faculty member teaching at the physical therapy graduate program, attended numerous continuing education courses, performed patient rounds with Orthopedic surgeons at USC University Hospital, and worked at the USC faculty practice treating patients and participated in their mentorship program. Dr. Chao then received his Board Certification in Orthopedics Specialty upon completion of his residency.
Dr. Chao has been working in Santa Monica, California for the past 14 years treating a variety of patients of all ages. He began a student internship program with the USC Physical Therapy School and serves as the Center Coordinator for Clinical Education. He has been a clinical instructor to many aspiring physical therapy students. He has thoroughly enjoyed establishing many wonderful relationships with the referring physicians and patients that he has had the pleasure of working with.
Dr. Chao enjoys spending time with his family when he is not working in the clinic. He is also very active working out at the gym, playing golf, tennis, and softball in his spare time.
Rebecca Pedras, DPT
Dr. Rebecca Pedras graduated from the University of San Francisco with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Spanish. She went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami. After completing her graduate program, Dr. Pedras was accepted into the University of Southern California’s Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program. This residency program focused mostly on turning therapists into advanced clinicians and becoming board-certified experts in orthopedic physical therapy. Her residency experience included serving an orthopedic patient population with mentorship from expert clinicians and orthopedic surgeons, participating in research, instructing doctoral students in USC’s DPT program, and completing advanced continuing education courses in a variety of areas. Upon graduating from this prestigious program that accepts only a handful of top candidates per year, Dr. Pedras joined an exclusive club of orthopedic therapists.
Dr. Rebecca Pedras is currently pursuing her certification in Pilates so that she can integrate a whole-body movement approach into her patients’ plans of care. In her free time, she enjoys slack-lining, playing volleyball, swimming, and hiking. She also has a passion for improving her Spanish and has plans to visit every country in Latin America.
Dylan Lange, DPT, CSCS
Midwest native, Dr. Dylan Lange obtained his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from Lakeland University (Plymouth, WI). Dr. Lange played four-years of collegiate soccer with the Muskies and one season following in the United Premier Soccer League. Dr. Lange is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and has experience working with collegiate and high school level athletes. Following his Bachelor’s, Dr. Lange went on to obtain his Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) at Northern Illinois University and currently pursues a PhD in Health Sciences from NIU. Lange has presented an accumulated 18 poster/PowerPoint presentations among 11 scientific conferences and holds various peer-reviewed journal publications.
Dr. Lange is a graduate of USC’s Orthopedic Residency program where he assisted in teaching doctoral students, conducted research, and advanced his clinical skills as a Physical Therapist in pursuit of becoming an advanced clinician and a board-certified specialist in orthopedics.
In his free time, Dr. Lange enjoys staying active through various sports and styles of training, spending time with friends and family, and trying new foods and adventures.
Michael Bandoma, DPT
Dr. Bandoma grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from the University of California, Davis where he earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior with a minor in Psychology. While at UC Davis, he interned as a student athletic trainer where he treated sports-related injuries of NCAA Division I student-athletes consisting of football, men and women’s basketball, and baseball.
He then moved down to Los Angeles to pursue his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. During the program, Dr. Bandoma gained clinical experience working in a number of settings including acute care, sports medicine, and outpatient orthopedics. He has found great joy treating patients of all activity levels ranging from the general population to professional/Olympic level athletes.
During his free time, Dr. Bandoma enjoys weightlifting, hiking, playing and watching basketball, traveling, and trying new foods.”
Chad Sticher, DPT, OCS
Dr. Chad Sticher was born and raised in Southern California. He earned his Bachelor's in Science in Kinesiology/Exercise Science at California State University of Northridge in 2015. During his time there he was able to participate in research projects and got experience working with and providing adaptive exercise for individuals with various neurological deficits in the Brown Center of Achievement.
Chad attended the University of the Pacific for physical therapy school and graduated with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2019. Following PT school, Chad completed a yearlong orthopedic residency with Kaiser Permanente where he was able to further his knowledge and skills. After completing his residency, he became board-certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist which designates him as an advanced practitioner in orthopedics.
Chad grew up playing a variety of sports including volleyball, basketball, and football. His experience with sports is what lead him to pursue a career related to physical activity. During his early experiences in the field volunteering and working as a PT aide, he learned to fall in love with the rehab process and helping people in their path to recovery. In his free time, he likes to play volleyball and basketball as well as spending time with his friends and girlfriend. He loves to root on his LA Dodgers and is a die-hard Lakers fan.
Kate Silverman, MOT, OTR/L, CHT
Kate is a San Francisco native and received her Masters of Occupational Therapy from Samuel Merritt University in Northern California. She holds the coveted Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) designation that is only achieved after advanced training and having extended experience working with hand-related injuries. Kate has worked across the country with her first position as Staff Occupational Therapist- Inpatient Spinal Cord Injury at the former Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). RIC (now known as the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab) has been voted #1 rehabilitation hospital in the US, year after year.
Kate began to specialize in injuries of the hand and upper extremity after a move to Boston. While in Boston, Kate began working primarily with musician’s injuries, then broadening her experience working with orthopedic hand/ upper extremity injuries. Kate is certified in Active Release Technique and is very “hands on” with her her individualized treatment approaches. Kate finally found her way back to her home state of CA and has found happiness calling Santa Monica home. Kate has a passion for fitness, with a deep love for hiking and the outdoors. Kate often incorporates the importance of general wellness/ exercise/ life balance as a major component of healing. Kate is a mom to two spunky girls and one loving dog, Cooper.
Jamie Rosenblum, MS, OTR/L, CHT
Jamie is a Southern California native and has been treating in the Santa Monica area for almost a decade. She is a Certified Hand Therapist and was recently featured as Performance Health's "September 2022 Clinician of the Month." Jamie received her Bachelor's at The University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, earned her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from New York University and completed affiliations in Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation at New York Presbyterian-Columbia and Outpatient Orthopedics at NYU Langone’s Center for Musculoskeletal Care. Following her affiliations, Jamie continued specializing in the rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremity as a therapist at NYU Langone’s Center for Musculoskeletal Care.
After a few hard winters, Jamie returned home to Los Angeles and began treating at a private clinic in Santa Monica. Jamie is passionate about evidence-based practice and tailoring each session to the individual needs of her patients in order to maximize outcomes. Jamie is a certified Graston Practitioner (M1) and continues to pursue further education on manual therapeutic intervention. When she is not fabricating splints, she can be found cruising the streets of Culver City- running after her twins and giant pooch Champion.
Katy Edson, PT, DPT, CSCS
Dr. Katy Edson was born and raised in Southern California. She earned her degree in Psychology with a focus in Spanish at the University of Washington. She first got into physical therapy as a patient herself after many years of being a competitive gymnast. She then attended University of Southern California and graduated with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. During her time there, she worked with a variety of patients including: outpatient orthopedics, sports, adaptive sports, and neurologic populations. Dr. Edson is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, which helps her create treatment plans that optimize her patients’ performance. As a top candidate, she was selected as one of only a handful of residents for USC’s Orthopedic Residency program where she has the opportunity to further advance her clinical skills, teach physical therapy doctoral students, and receive mentorship from expert clinicians and orthopedic surgeons.
Dr. Edson's clinical interests include general orthopedics and sports rehabilitation. Her treatment approach incorporates evidence-based practice, patient education, and individualized care to ultimately redefine what’s possible for each of her patients. She believes that working with the patient to create a unique plan of care is the key to getting results. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, cooking, working out, going to concerts, and supporting LA sports teams.
Breanna Urasaki, PT, DPT, CSCS
Dr. Breanna Urasaki was born and raised in San Diego county. In 2015, she moved to Huntington Beach while earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach. After graduating, she remained in the greater LA area and attended the University of Southern California to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Throughout her coursework, she gained clinical experience with a range of orthopedic, sports, post-operative, and neurologic populations.
Her passion for patients with orthopedic conditions has led to her current participation in USC’s Orthopedic Residency program to pursue further specialization. In addition to focusing on becoming an advanced clinician, in this program Dr. Urasaki will teach doctoral candidates, perform research, and receive mentorship from expert clinicians and orthopedic surgeons. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Dr. Urasaki draws inspiration from functional strengthening, mobility-based exercises, and current evidence-based practice in order to create an individualized approach to help every patient reach their goals and optimize their daily life and physical performance. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, settling in with a good book, and playing video games. If she is not enjoying being outdoors in nature, you may often find her cuddling with her 2 cats, listening to music, or enjoying new foods.