Fortanasce & Associates Physical Therapy

Our Staff

President: Michael G. Fortanasce, PT, DPT

Michael G. Fortanasce received his Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Boston University in 1977 and received his Advanced Standing Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from the University of Southern California in 1996. Dr. Fortanasce founded Fortanasce & Associates in 1981 beginning with three small rooms and has built the Arcadia facility into the 11,000-plus square-foot free-standing facility that it is today. Dr. Fortanasce is a regular speaker at the accredited Southern California physical therapy schools as well as many other programs throughout the nation with topics ranging from ethics in clinical practice to the steps necessary to insure the growth and survival of our profession. He has presented numerous papers at state and national professional meetings and continues to be a crusader for each and every patient and the profession of physical therapy

Ken Mengel, PT, MPT,OCS

Kenneth W. Mengel received his Master of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 1994 and has been with Fortanasce & Associates since 1989. He earned board certification as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 2001. Ken has published research in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy relating to knee pain and specific treatment intervention and has served as a part-time faculty member at Western University of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, where he taught Kinesiology, Musculoskeletal Evaluation and Treatment as well as Joint Kinesiology in the Osteopathic Medicine program.

David A. Gutkind, PT, DPT, OCS

David A. Gutkind received his Bachelors of Science in Physical Therapy from California State University at Northridge in 1989 and became board certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 1997. He received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Western University in December of 2006. He has developed and participated in a variety of programs used in both clinical and industrial settings focusing on prevention of and early intervention for workplace injuries. Additionally, he has guest lectured at local physical therapy programs and has presented numerous training classes at the corporate level. With over18 years of clinical experience and a wide range of continuing education background, he is well trained to achieve successful outcomes with orthopedic and neurological conditions. He enjoys athletics of all kinds and stays busy outside the clinic with his wife and 3 children.

Director of Hand Therapy/Occupational Therapy Services: Audrey Chen-Ma, MA, OTR/L, CHT, CLT

Audrey Chen-Ma was born in New York, but grew up in Taiwan. She returned to the United States in 1989. She received her bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. After practicing in an acute-care hospital setting, she returned to USC where she earned her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and Science. She started her specialty training in hand therapy during her master’s program and has been working in the field of hand therapy, since 1995. She is a certified hand therapist since year 2000. To expand her domain of specialty practice, she completed her specialty training in lymphedema management and was certified as a lymphedema therapist in 2005. Audrey is an active member of American Society of Hand Therapists and American Occupational Therapy Association.

Lilian Chen-Fortanasce, PT, DPT, OCS

Lilian Chen has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Southern California and two master's degrees (in developmental kinesiology from Bowling Green State University and in sports biochemistry from East China Normal University in Shanghai, China).

Dr. Chen is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist (OCS) from the American Physical Therapy Association and a Comprehensive Pilates Instructor (CPI) from Balanced Body University. She is the Director of the Pilatesstudio at the Fortanasce & Associates Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine in Arcadia, California.

Her clinical experience covers a wide spectrum of specialized skills including sports injury prevention and rehabilitation; pathology of lower extremities, shoulders, post-op care, carpal tunnel syndrome, and pool training; pre- and post-natal care; total joint service and salvage procedures; ICU, CCU, and post-transplant service of the liver; and the evaluation and treatment of non-surgical and surgical oncology patients, bone marrow transplant patients, and children with CP, autism, Down's syndrome, fragile X-syndrome, and torticollis.

Internationally, Dr. Chen is a representative for the Education Division of the Science and Education Department for the All-China Sports Federation, a presenter and speaker for China Fit and the International Forum in Personal Training conferences, and a liaison and interpreter for education exchange projects with the University of Southern California, the Chinese Olympic Committee, and Human Kinetics Publishers. Also, she served as the Chief Rehab Specialist at the Training Bureau of the Sports General Administration of China for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Tamara Enfiedjian, PT, DPT, OCS

Tamara Enfiedjian is an alumnus of University of California, Fresno with a B.S. in Kinesiology-Exercise Science. In 2006, she earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Chapman University with special interests in Orthopedics. Tamara is a Certified Athletic Trainer and recently earned her Physical Therapy Specialty in Orthopedics after completing a residency at Fortanasce & Associates. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Orthopedics Section. Tamara's interests include cultural and church related events, outdoor activities like hiking, and adventuring around the world.

Casey Chaney, PT, DPT, CSCS, PhD

Casey Chaney received her PhD from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. She earned her Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential (CSCS) in 1998 and board certification as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) in 2000.Casey received her degree in physical therapy from Russell Sage College in New York, where she also earned a master's degree in Health Education.

Casey is active in research and has contributed to articles that have been published in journals put out by both the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Physical Therapy Association. She is also an active member of the APTA and attends national, regional, and local meetings regularly. She has been an invited speaker at all levels of these meetings.

Casey works full-time at Western University of Health Sciences in the Department of Physical Therapy Education where she coordinates and teaches Musculoskeletal Evaluation and Treatment of the Lower Quarter, Physiology of Exercise, and part of the Upper Quarter Musculoskeletal Evaluation and Treatment course as well. She sees patients on Mondays and Wednesdays at Fortanasce.

Johnny Chen, DPT

Johnny Chen completed his undergraduate work in Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree at the University of Southern California in 2005. Johnny is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Orthopedics Section, and continues to pursue specialist education in his career field. Bilingual in English and Mandarin, he joined the Fortanasce staff in 2007 to provide quality physical therapy care to a diverse patient population. He plays many sports such as football, basketball, and baseball/softball. In addition to being an avid sports fan (Go Cal Bears!), Johnny enjoys movies, traveling, and spending time with his growing family.

Michael Bender, DPT

Michael Bender received his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from California State University Long Beach. He earned a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in 2007 from Mount Saint Mary's College. Michael is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Orthopedics Section. He is currently working on publishing his research on "Thoracic Spine Mobilization and its effect on Lower Extremity Neurodynamics." On his free time, Michael enjoys writing and performing music with his band of 10 years.

Sam Orefice, ATC, CSCS

Sam Orfice is our Director of Sports Medicine and Fitness Programs. He has been with the clinic since 1998. He received is BS in Sports Medicine from California Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2000. He earned his certification as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2000 and his Athletic Trainer Certification in 2001. Away from work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 children.

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