Seminars

Janet G. Travell, MD Seminar Series

Directors & Faculty

Program Directors

Jan Dommerholt, PT, DPT, MS/MPS, DAAPM, is a Dutch-trained physical therapist who holds a Master of Professional Studies degree with a concentration in biomechanical trauma and health care administration, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Dr. Dommerholt has taught many courses and lectured at conferences throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and the Middle East while maintaining an active clinical practice. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain (editor Dr. I. Jon Russell), the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (editor Dr. Leon Chaitow), the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy (editor Chad Cook, PT, PhD), and Cuestiones de Fisioterapia.

He has authored many chapters and articles on myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, and performing arts physical therapy, and prepares a quarterly literature review column on myofascial pain for the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. Read “Treating the Trigger” (PDF), a 2008 interview with Dr. Dommerholt published in Advance magazine. Dr. Dommerholt is the president of Bethesda Physiocare® and is editor of the new book Myofascial Trigger Points.

Robert Gerwin, MD, FAAN, is Co-Founder, Vice President, and Co-Director of Myopain Seminars. He is a Board Certified Neurologist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Pain Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Dr. Gerwin graduated from the University of Chicago School of Medicine. He had two years of Internal Medicine post-graduate training at New York University—Bellevue Hospital and did his Neurology Residency at Case-Western Reserve University/Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. He had a two year special fellowship at NIH in neurology and immunology. He has been in private practice in the Washington DC area for many years. Dr. Gerwin has been working in the area of Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia for many years. Dr. Janet G. Travell was his mentor while she lived in Washington DC. Dr. Gerwin is the President of the International Myopain Society. He is the Scientific Program Chairman for the 2007 International Congress of the Myopain Society.

He is the author of over 30 peer reviewed articles, reviews, book chapters and consensus statements. He reviews articles for over a dozen medical journals. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. He is co-editor of the books Tension-Type and Cervicogenic Headache: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management and Clinical Mastery in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain (see Books). He has been teaching courses and seminars worldwide in the field of neuromuscular and myofascial pain for many years. He founded the Focus on Pain series of neuromuscular and myofascial pain conferences in 1990. His interests lie in the area of Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia, and in the related issues of chronic headache, low back pain, and pelvic region pain, in addition to practicing neurological medicine. He is particularly concerned with the problem of persistent or chronic pain, and why some persons do not recover as expected. Dr. Gerwin is the Medical Director of Pain and Rehabilitation Medicine in Bethesda, MD and is an associate professor in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

^TOP

Additional Faculty

Note: Not all faculty will necessarily teach at each workshop.

Tracey Adler, DPT, OCS, CMTPT, received a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Georgia State University in 1979. While enrolled in the program, she received extensive training in manual therapy from Gordon Cummings, who trained directly with Geoffrey Maitland. In 1984, after conducting research on women with undiagnosed pelvic and abdominal pain, she received a Master’s of Science Degree, specializing in orthopedic physical therapy from the Medical College of Virginia. She was board certified as an Orthopedic Specialist in 1993 and recertified in 2003. Dr. Adler completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2007. Since 2003, she has performed trigger point dry needling and was internationally certified in dry needling by Myopain Seminars and Janet G. Travell, MD Seminar Series in June 2007.

Dr. Adler specializes in treating patients with spinal, TMD, pelvic pain and acute/chronic musculoskeletal dysfunctions. She is on the adjunct faculty at MCV/VCU. She has had a private practice, Orthopedic Physical Therapy, since 1984. Dr. Adler is a member of the VPTA, APTA, Myopain Society, and IPPS. See her article, “Trigger-Point Needle Helps Relieve Chronic Pain” (PDF), in the July 26, 2008, Richmond Times Dispatch. On January 2, 2008, Tracey Adler spoke with Gloria Taylor Edwards and Shirley T. Burke on the “Speaking from the Heart” Radio Show on WCLM Radio 1450AM. The topic of their discussion was “The Magic of Dry-Needling.” Listen to part 1 (MP3) and part 2 (MP3).

Anna Bittner, MD, CMTPT, earned a Bachelors Degree in Microbiology at the University of Central Florida, Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Florida and completed a Family Medicine residency at University of Tennessee, Memphis. As a fibromyalgia and myofascial pain patient, she was successfully treated at Pain and Rehabilitation Medicine and Bethesda Physiocare and completed the Myopain Seminars. She and her husband, Tim Taylor MD, operate Pain Relief Home, a unit of The Muscle Pain Center, in Richmond, Virginia. She is a member of The National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists, The American Academy of Family Practice, the International Myopain Society and The American Academy of Pain Management. She instructs at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Medicine where she received The Teacher of The Year Award. She received the Virginia Academy of Family Practice Volunteer Physician of the Year Award.

Joseph M Donnelly, PT, DHS, OCS, is Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Post-Professional Education in the Physical Therapy Program at Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. He is also the coordinator of the Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. Dr Donnelly has been a Board Certified Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy since 1992 and Certified in Intramuscular Manual Therapy in 2004. Joe serves as the Practice Committee Chair for the Orthopaedic Section and as a core member of the Manipulation Task Force of the APTA. Dr Donnelly's research focus is on movement impairment secondary to myofascial pain and dysfunction.

Tamer S. Issa, PT, DPT, OCS, is a Dutch-trained physical therapist. He received his degree in Physiotherapie from the Hogeschool Enschede in the Netherlands and his Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Issa completed his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of St. Augsutine for Health Sciences. He has advanced training in the field of craniomandibular dysfunction with Dr. Mariano Rocabado through the University of St. Augustine Continuing Education Department. Dr. Issa has specialized in the physical therapy management of persons with acute and chronic pain and dysfunction. He maintains a busy clinical practice where he uses an integrated approach of manual therapy, dry needling, and functional exercise training. Dr. Issa has co-authored several book chapters on fibromyalgia and myofascial pain. He is one of the main instructors for the MPS 1, Foundations course.

Tim Taylor MD, CMTPT, earned a Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Neuroscience) and Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Florida, then completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at University of Tennessee, Memphis. After developing nearly disabling myofascial pain, he was successfully treated by Dr. Gerwin and associates at Pain and Rehabilitation Medicine and Dr. Jan Dommerholt and associates at Bethesda Physiocare. He and his wife, Dr. Anna Bittner then completed the Myopain Seminars and opened Pain Relief Home, a unit of The Muscle Pain Center, in Richmond, Virginia, with the goals of helping people in pain and educating the Richmond medical community. He is a member of The National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists, The International Myopain Society, The American College of Radiology and The American Academy of Pain Management.

Erik Wijtmans, PT, MTC, CMTPT, CGIMS, is a native of The Netherlands and completed his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy at the Academy for Physiotherapy, SUPA/PADU, Utrecht, in 1986. At that time he also became certified by the Royal Dutch Soccer Association as a Sports Therapist. After moving to the United States in 1987, he received his Manual Therapy Certification through the Institute of Graduate Physical Therapy in St. Augustine, FL, under Stanley Paris, PT, PhD in 1989. Since 1995, he is teaching manual therapy in the Masters and Doctorate Physical Therapy program at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Erik is an APTA certified clinical instructor. He completed the needling certification programs of both The Myopain Seminars in 2006 and of Dr. Chan Gunn’s IMS needling courses in 2006. He was one of the first three therapists in the United States to complete the Janet G. Travell, MD Seminar Series, and has served as an examiner in the certification examinations.

As a promoter of the art and science of manual therapy as a specialty within physical therapy, he is passionate about teaching and presenting a variety of topics to his patients, the medical community and the public. He devotes much time and effort to continuing education, and takes several courses each year in the USA and abroad. Because Erik is always looking for new and better ways to treat patients, he remains on the forefront of utilizing new treatment approaches and techniques. He is active in national and international organizations of manual therapy. Erik’s subspecialties within physical therapy are manual therapy, the treatment of pain and dysfunction of myofascial origin, and sports medicine. He is particularly interested in the many and diverse head and neck manifestations of myofascial dysfunctions of the head, neck, and shoulder musculature.

Erik has been in private practice since 1991 and is co-founder and clinic director of The Therapy Network, a PT owned and operated network of physical therapy clinics in Virginia Beach, VA. He continues to see patients on a full time basis.

Stewart Wild, LMT, CNMT, CMTPT, was born in New Zealand, began his career in the health field as a Hematology and Blood Bank technologist (1972–1999) and has been a practicing massage therapist since 1994.

He certified in Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) at the NZ College of Massage, and taught NMT in NZ from 1998–2003. In 2004 Stewart relocated to the US and double certified in the “American Version” of NMT with Judith DeLany. He was a national instructor for the NMT Center from 2005 to 2009.

Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) is an educated, massage-based approach addressing longstanding pain of soft tissue origin. The NMT paradigm takes into account postural distortion, trigger points, nerve entrapment, all forms of muscle damage and imbalance and various other health monitors. In order to acquire this comprehensive view of the body Stewart has studied with many soft tissue pioneers including Dr Leon Chaitow, Deane Juhan, Dr Gil Hedley, Aaron Mattes and more recently with Dr Bob Gerwin and Dr Jan Dommerholt of Myopain Seminars.

In June 2009, Stewart became the first massage therapist to certify as a Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist (CMTPT). He has developed the Myopain Seminars Massage Therapy Program (MS-MPT), which is a version of the Janet G. Travell, MD Seminar Series specifically tailored to the massage profession, bodyworkers, neuromuscular therapists, and others. His teaching combines natural curiosity with healthy drops of skepticism; recognizing that good health is itself a temporary state.

Stewart is a state-licensed massage therapist in Masachusetts and works in the greater Boston area with 360 NeuroMuscular Therapy.

^TOP

In this Section

• Travell Seminar Series
  • About the Courses
  • MPS-1
  • MPS-2
  • MPS-3
  • MPS-4
  • MPS-5
  • Course Program Dates
  • Directors & Faculty
  • Accreditation
  • Sponsoring Courses
  • Patient Referral
  • Series Graduates
  • International Collaboration
  • Registration
• Testimonials