Our Team of Physical Therapy Specialists

Our Team

Samantha Pittsford

Director of Physical Therapy

Samantha Pittsford | Director of Physical Therapy

Originally from the Texas Hill Country, Sam grew up watching her dad coach high school football and basketball. Her background as a coach’s daughter and athlete helped her develop a life-long love for sport. She moved to Austin in 2005 where she attended the University of Texas and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology and Biology minor.

Sam earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from The University of Health Science Center San Antonio in 2012 and has since gone on to become a certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association. She joined the Austin Sports Medicine Team in 2014 and is Clinic Director for the central PT clinic.

This coach’s daughter turned coach’s wife spends her spare time following her husband’s high school basketball team and caring for their growing family.

Marcus Cantu

Clinical Director Bee Cave

Marcus Cantu | Clinical Director Bee Cave

Marcus Cantu is a board certified orthopedic and sports physical therapist by the American Physical Therapy Association, a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic and Manual Physical Therapists and a Certified Athletic Trainer through the National Athletic Trainers Association. He is certified through the Titleist Performance Institute and Functional Movement Systems – FMS Level 1 Certified, and is a Performance Enhancement Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. His interests include rehabilitation of the shoulder, elbow, knee and spine through a focused integration of manual therapy and evidence-based movement science. He has worked in a variety of different roles in athletic training that include the NFL, NFL Europe, Collegiate, and High School Settings. Marcus graduated from Texas State University in 2003 and received his Masters of Science in Physical Therapy from Texas Women’s University in 2008. He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Texas Woman’s University in 2010. A native of Bandera, Texas, Marcus and his wife, Jessica, have a daughter, Sophia, and a son, Eli.

Samantha Kolock

Clinical Director North Austin

Samantha Kolock | Clinical Director North Austin

In her youth, Sam was always drawn to athletic and sports medicine, making physical therapy an obvious choice for her career. As a native of Boston, she attended Northeastern University and competed as a division I athlete. Sam is a proud double husky having earned a B.S. in Athletic Training and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. In the early days of her career, Sam spent time working with professional and Olympic level athletes in a variety of sports including football, hockey, dance, rugby, distance running, and gymnastics.

While exercise remains a cornerstone in her beliefs, Sam understands that exercise cannot be appropriately instituted without the balance achieved in manual therapy. She is full body certified in ART, Graston, FMS, Trigger point therapy, Myofascial release, kinesiotaping, and dry needling. She is also a certified athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, pilates instructor, and trained in precision nutrition.

When Sam is not treating patients, she trains as a competitive crossfit and strongman athlete. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her husband Steve and their dog Winberie. Sam hopes to one day conquer the Pacific Crest Trail.

Chandi Bickford

Physical Therapist

Chandi Bickford | Physical Therapist

Chandi Moore earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from Pacific University in Oregon after completing her undergraduate degree at University of California Santa Barbara, where she played Division I soccer. Since her D1 playing days, Chandi has become an avid runner, most recently winning the Austin Marathon in February of 2016. She has a special interest in working with athletes and active individuals to help them return to the sport or activity that’s most important to them. She has a background in coaching and performing sport injury prevention screens for football, lacrosse, and soccer teams. If Chandi is not working you will find her running, playing Co-ed soccer, or enjoying the outdoors.

Jesse Ortiz

Physical Therapist

Jesse Ortiz | Physical Therapist

Jesse Ortiz has spent most of his life living in San Diego, California, where he earned his BS in Kinesiology from CSU San Marcos (San Diego) and his DPT degree from San Diego State University before spending the last two years working in Eugene, Oregon. He relocated to the Austin area to start working at Austin Sports Medicine in June of 2018. He is passionate about working with a wide variety of patients with special interests in orthopedic and sports populations due to his history of playing collegiate sports. He has become a Certified Manual Physical Therapist through The North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy in June of 2018. When not in the clinic, he can often be found in the gym, hiking, or enjoying a sports event with friends and family.

Ashley Bowser

Physical Therapist

Ashley Bowser | Physical Therapist

Ashley’s passion for physical therapy started at a young age. Despite having scoliosis and various other injuries, working with a physical therapist enabled her to become successful in competitive figure skating and ballet. She was able to pursue her passion for dancing and completed training with several renowned companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pittsburg Ballet Theatre, The Rock, and Ballet Austin. Ashley knew that she was destined to become a physical therapist herself so that she could help others in pursuing their dreams like she was able to.

After receiving a B.S. in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from the University of Texas, Ashley earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from The University of New England in 2016. Since that time she has dedicated herself to continuing education while gaining experience in outpatient orthopedics and sports rehabilitation. So far her biggest accomplishments have been presenting at the American Physical Therapy Association’s NEXT Conference and having her work published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. In her free time, Ashley loves spending time with her husband and dog, exercising, and going out for good food around Austin.

Chrissy Moreno

Physical Therapist

Chrissy Moreno | Physical Therapist

Christine “Chrissy” Moreno is the daughter of a federal law enforcement officer and has spent her childhood growing up throughout the US, however, has always been a Texas native at Heart. A job opportunity for her husband brought her from San Antonio, where she has practiced in a private outpatient orthopedic setting for the past ten years, to Austin Sports Medicine, becoming part of the team January 2018.

Chrissy received her Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 2007 & went on to earn her transitional Doctorate in 2014. Before continuing her education at the graduate level, she attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio for undergraduate Biology degree where she was part of the Delta Zeta sorority.

Chrissy knows that not every single approach is right for each patient and has spent her career being trained in a wide variety of modalities to enable her to individualize her approach to best fit the needs of her patients.

She has received her Mastery Certification in Manual therapy from Hands on Seminars, is certified through Titleist Performance Institute and Functional Movement Systems, FMS Level 1, and earned Dry Needling Certification.

Chrissy is excited to be part of the Austin Sports Medicine team as she has always had a passion for sports, growing up playing volleyball and softball, and participating in intramural sports in college. Her interest in Physical Therapy was first sparked when she suffered an ACL injury herself playing softball her freshman year of high school. Through physical therapy and hard work, she was able to return to sport and has continued to live an active lifestyle. Chrissy is happy to now be able to help others to do the same. When not spending her time at work, Chrissy enjoys exploring what Austin has to offer her young family.

Dan Manas

Physical Therapist

Dan Manas | Physical Therapist

Dan is from Shreveport, Louisiana where he grew up playing many years of soccer. In high school, he sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery and kept him off the field. His experience in physical therapy grew a passion in him to pursue a career in PT, working with and training people back to 100%, just the way he experienced.

He received his BS in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University. From there, he went on to earn his DPT degree from the University of St. Augustine in Austin where he completed his Manual Therapy Certification coursework. Following graduation, he began his career in a combined hospital and outpatient environment where he developed his skills working with various populations in all phases of recovery from the most immediate acute injury to chronic, long-standing issues. This experience prepared him well for his transition to Austin Sports Medicine in November of 2018 to chase his dream of working alongside athletes of all ages, to get them back to full speed and full function.

In his free time, Dan loves dancing with his wife, playing pick-up basketball and soccer, trying new food trucks; all the while figuring out how to be a dad.

Julie Clouse

Physical Therapy Assistant

Julie Clouse | Physical Therapy Assistant

Julie Clouse is a Texas native and has been practicing as a PTA in Austin since 2004. After high school, she went on to play volleyball for 2 years at Galveston College. It was after having physical therapy for a knee surgery that she decided to pursue her degree as a physical therapist assistant. Julie received her associates degree from Lone Star College in The Woodlands, TX. Since becoming licensed, she has worked several therapy settings in Austin including outpatient and home health. She specialized for 4 years in spine care with extensive training in the McKenize Method. Julie is a Certified Kinesiotaping Practitioner and is trained in Graston Technique. Prior to joining Austin Sports Medicine, she worked at the University of Texas providing physical therapy to students on campus through University Health Services. She joined Austin Sports Medicine in 2015.

Christina Miller

Physical Therapy Assistant

Christina Miller | Physical Therapy Assistant

Christina is a California native who grew up playing club soccer, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball at very competitive levels. She attended a JC in Northern Arizona on a volleyball scholarship and played throughout her college career. She received her PTA degree in 2011 and continued her education to receive her Bachelors in Exercise Science from Concordia University. Throughout her PTA career, Christina has had the opportunity to have worked with: professional athletes, Cirque Du Soleil performers, pediatrics, and normal, everyday people who just want to get back into doing what they love. Her passion for Physical Therapy continues to develop everyday as she grows relationships with her patients and thrives on their success.

Christina coaches club volleyball for Austin Skyline Juniors and loves being a positive influence in kids’ lives. In her free time she loves spending time on the lake, playing sand volleyball, hiking, and eating good food with friends.

Ross Boudreaux

Physical Therapy Assistant

Ross Boudreaux | Physical Therapy Assistant

Ross is a Louisiana native who grew up playing baseball and was fortunate enough to play at many different competitive levels. He received baseball scholarships from Texarkana Junior College and Southern Arkansas University, and finished his athletic career playing in the Minor League for the Kansas City Royals organization from 2005-2008.

Ross then received his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and ACSM certification from Southern Arkansas in 2008 and became a Personal Trainer at a local gym here in Austin. After working in Austin as a personal trainer for 11 years, Ross decided to return to school to pursue a career as a Physical Therapy Assistant so that he could help individuals of all skill levels get back to an active and functioning life style.

Ross is the father of 3 daughters and when he is not playing husband and father, he enjoys golf and softball.

Nickol Madrid

Physical Therapy Assistant

Our Team

Samantha Pittsford | Director of Physical Therapy

Marcus Cantu | Clinical Director Bee Cave

Samantha Kolock | Clinical Director North Austin

Chandi Bickford | Physical Therapist

Jesse Ortiz | Physical Therapist

Ashley Bowser | Physical Therapist

Chrissy Moreno | Physical Therapist

Dan Manas | Physical Therapist

Julie Clouse | Physical Therapy Assistant

Christina Miller | Physical Therapy Assistant

Ross Boudreaux | Physical Therapy Assistant

Nickol Madrid | Physical Therapy Assistant