Faculty

Denise Wise, PT. Ph.D
Associate Professor
Department Chair

Dr. Denise Wise received her physical therapy degree in 1984 from The College of St. Scholastica. Prior to becoming an educator, Dr. Wise worked primarily in outpatient orthopedics. She also worked as a consultant in work injury prevention and rehabilitation. Dr. Wise received her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in ethics in 2001 from Capella University. Professional involvement and development are key aspects of her life. Dr. Wise has served on the MN Chapter of the APTA Board of Directors as Chief Delegate and President; she was also an active delegate for several year. Professional development activities include exploring the practice of physical therapy in China, Russia, and Poland. Recent attendance at an Oxford University Round Table Discussion (Oxford England) was a highlight of her career. Primary areas of teaching include psychosocial issues, administration/leadership, professional issues, and the musculoskeletal system.

Sandy Sandra Marden-Lokken, PT, M.A.
Assistant Professor

Ms Marden-Lokken graduated from The College of St. Scholastica in 1976 with a BA in physical therapy. She recieved a MA in management from the the College of St. Scholastica in 1990. She currently is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership program at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis. Ms Marden-Lokken has worked in a number of rehabilitation facilities including St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, AZ, St. Mary's Hospital and Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center in Duluth. She is currrently on call at Polinsky Medical Center. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and an Education and Neurology Section member.

Jena Jena Ogston, PT, Ph.D
Associate Professor

Jena Ogston received her Master's of Physical Therapy degree from Mayo Medical Center's School of Health Related Sciences in 1996. She then worked as a clinician in a sports medicine setting for 7 years prior to accepting a full-time position in the College of St. Scholastica's Physical Therapy program in 2002. She completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Minnesota where her focus of study had been on the biomechanics of the shoulder. Her focus of teaching is in Biomechanics, Interventions, and Critical Inquiry. She has had numerous opportunities to be involved in her community as a Physical Therapist noting her work and travels with the U.S. Nordic Ski team from 1998-2004 and several volunteer experiences with sports events locally. Jena is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, MN APTA Research Committee, and the Mayo Clinic Physical Therapy Alumni Association. In 2007, Jena was inducted into the Academy of Advanced Item Writers through the FSBPT (Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy).

Jane Jane Killough, D.P.T., M.S., G.C.S.
Assistant Professor

Dr. Killough’s teaching areas include Cardiopulmonary Evaluation and Management, Physiological Response to Injury and Exercise, Systems Screening and Management I, Patient Client Management II, Musculoskeletal II, Geriatric Evaluation and Management.

Research interests: Fall prevention in the geriatric population, cardiopulmonary implications of physical therapy interventions for neurological impairment.

Ms. Killough earned a B.A. in Biology from Carleton College, Northfield MN in 1976, an M.S. in Physical Education with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology from The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA in 1981, and an M.A. in Physical Therapy from The College of St. Scholastica in 1993. She earned a D.P.T. from Simmons college in 2006. She was certified as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists in 2003.

Lynda Spangler, PT, M.S.
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Assistant Professor

Lynda Spangler is a graduate of the Physical Therapy program at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She has more than twenty years of varied past and current clinical experience, with an emphasis on neurological rehabilitation. Her primary area of interest and study is in the rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury. She is active in the community as a board member for the local Physical Therapist Assistant program, and as a board member and volunteer with a regional organization promoting sports and recreation for people with disabilities.

Lynda serves as the Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education. In this role she coordinates and supervises the full time internship experiences for the students in the PT program. She also teaches in the Patient Client Management series and the Neuromuscular Evaluation and Management series. Ms Spangler also serves as the PT Department representative to the ATHENS Project, a pioneering interdisciplinary initiative to introduce students to the concept and application of the electronic medical record.

Jon Jon S. Nelson, PT, Ph.D
Professor

Instructor In: Neuroscience, Functional Anatomy, Biomechanics, Patient Client management I, II, III, and Critical Inquiry III.

Research interests: Neurophysiology of eye and head movements, Neurobiology of brain inflammation and it influence on behavior

Research Publications:

Ellen J. Barton, Jon S. Nelson, Neeraj J. Gandhi, and David L. Sparks
Effects of partial lidocaine inactivation of the paramedian pontine reticular formation on saccades of macaques. J Neurophysiol , 2003

Sparks, D.L., Barton, E.J., Gandhi, N.J. and Nelson, J. Studies of the Role of the Paramedian Pontine Reticular Formation in the Control of Head-Restrained and Head Unrestrained Gaze Shifts. In: Neurobiology of Eye Movements From Molecules to Behavior. Ed. By, Kaminski , H.J. and Leigh, R.J., Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 956: 85-98, 2002.

Sparks, D. L. and Nelson, J. S., Reversible inactivation of neurons in the Parimedian Pontine Reticular Formation: Effects on Latency, velocity, duration and amplitude of horizontal vertical and oblique saccades. Neurosci. Abst., 1997

Nelson, J. S., Bot, C. D., Larson, R. J., Browman, L. D., Berg, E. W.,
McKeon, J. P. and Kittelson, J. A. Gaze Shifts and Postural Sway: A comparison of the sway envelope between visual fixation and visually triggered trials requiring eye and head movements. III International Symposium on the Head/Neck System, 1995.

Biography:

A native of Minnesota Jon Nelson received his bachelors degree from Augsburg College in 1975. After working several years with children and adults with developmental disabilities he returned to graduated school to pursue research interests in movement control and neuroscience. He received a masters degree from the University of Toledo in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Anatomy from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University in 1984. Following Graduate school Dr. Nelson continued his research in the neurophysiology of eye movement as a research associate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He returned to his home state in 1989 as faculty at the College of St. Scholastic where he currently teaches neuroscience, anatomy and kinesiology and biomechanics in the physical therapy program. At St. Scholastica Dr. Nelson developed the Motor Behavior Laboratory and continued his research in the area of neurobiology of eye/head movement and balance control. Recently his research interests have shifted to the neurobiology of brain inflammation and how it affects behavior. He looks forward to developing a productive research collaboration in this area with his colleague Dr. Andrine Lemieux in the St. Scholastica psychology department.

Deborah Sheehan, PT, M.S., PCS
Assistant Professor

Deborah is a PT of 34 years, receiving her BS degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Minnesota in 1972, post-professional MS degree in Rehabilitation Medicine from the University of Washington in 1990, and ABPTS Pediatric Specialist Certification in 2005.

She is an academician with over 12 years of teaching experience and is assistant professor in the physical therapy program. Current teaching responsibilities include content in PTH 5520 and 5521: Physical Therapy Examination and Evaluation 1 & 2, PTH 6567: Lifespan Applications-Pediatrics, PTH 5513: Lifespan Motor Development, and Patient/Client Management courses. Service to the department includes her role as Curriculum Coordinator. Scholarly activity focus is on research in the area of pediatrics, with projects including strength training programs and developmental outcomes of infants following discharge from a NICU setting.

Deborah is an active member of the APTA on a state and national level, providing service to the MN APTA as a Peer Reviewer, and to APTA-CAPTE as an accreditation on-site review team leader for PTA programs.

Clinical work is primarily in the area of pediatrics, having practiced in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington states. Current practice is at Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center in Duluth, MN and St. Mary’s Hospital in Superior, WI.

Jeff Jeff Kittelson, PT, M.A. OCS
Assistant Professor

Jeff received his Master of Physical Therapy degree in 1995 from the College of St.Scholastica. BA in Health Sciences also from the College of St.Scholastica 1993. Clinical experience includes outpatient orthopedics with experience in spinal and extremity disorders. Emphasis on manual therapy techniques including spinal manipulation and mobilization. Other clinical experience includes: acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, home health and industry. A member of the APTA since 1993 and current member of the orthopedic section of the APTA. Member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists since 2004. He received his board certification in orthopedics (OCS) from the APTA in 2002. Teaching experience includes adjunct faculty in 2002 and in 2005-2006 at CSS and becoming an assistant professor in fall 2006. Teaching responsibilities include: examination and evaluation, interventions, musculoskeletal treatment, and patient client management.

Sara Kylander-Johnson, PT, M.A.,CPI, OSC
Adjunct Instructor

Sara graduated from The College of St. Scholastica in 1998 with her M.A. in Physical Therapy. She has her B.S. degree from Northern Michigan University in Biology with a human physiology emphasis, graduating suma cum laude in 1995. Clinically, her emphasis is manual therapy and treatment of the spine in out-patient orthopedics. She also has experience working in in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation, acute care, long-term care, aquatic therapy, and pediatrics. Currently, she works casual in an out-patient spine clinic. Sara is a Certified (mat) Pilates Instructor and has taught classes for the community and for professionals. She continues to expand her knowledge in spine rehabilitation, pelvic floor treatment, and women’s health. An APTA and MN APTA member since 1995, she has been a member of the Orthopedic section, and is currently a member of the Section on Women’s Health. Previously, she taught as adjunct faculty in PT and PTA programs and has taught Nordic ski and mountain bike lessons. She is sponsored by Trek Bicycles, rides for the Trek Midwest Regional Mountain Bike Team and has had her professional license since 2003. She is an active member of Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores (COGGS) and volunteers her time towards building and maintaining mountain bike trails.