Noel saw physical therapy as the most undervalued and underutilized service in healthcare, which is what motivated him to leave a career in healthcare administration to go back to school for another three years to obtain a doctorate. We all need movement and physical therapists play a pivotal role in ensuring that people can continue to do what they love in life. Noel’s treatment approach is centered around modulation of the nervous system. In order for the nervous system to function optimally, it needs 1) blood flow, 2) space, and 3) movement.  Most musculoskeletal or movement dysfunctions can be resolved by allowing for improved blood flow into restricted areas, relieving entrapment sites by giving more anatomical space, and ensuring appropriate movement patterns through a complete range of motion. As an EIM/ISPI—Therapeutic Pain Specialist, Noel has come to understand that the body’s facial networks have a heavy influence on the way the nervous system works.        

Noel is an avid rock climber.  He boulders regularly in the gym and dreams of the day he can spend more time outdoors. He loves hiking and backpacking for that occasional “forest bathing” reset.  When he has the time, he also provides pro-bono PT work with the Flying Samaritans in Mexico and provides pro-bono health and care advocacy work in the community. He is also a big foodie and enjoys traveling the world with his wife. When he’s at home, he would say that he likes to spend time playing with his five dogs, but they’re all seniors and prefer lounging around the house. The remainder of his time is spent being a serial entrepreneur.

• BS, Pharmacology (with an emphasis in Neurology), University of California, Santa Barbara
• DPT, Chapman University
• Certified, Fibroblaster I, Kinesio Taping

What makes me unique:
After years of introspection, my empathy and innate belief that everyone deserves the best from their lives (until they prove me wrong) is my superpower. Through this conviction, I have learned to become great at active listening, which allows me to understand other people’s true motivations and goals, which makes it easier for me to help them. Another one of my superpowers is the ability to take a step back from the day to day, take a 50,000 foot view, and put the pieces together, all of  which has served me well in my entrepreneurial ventures. (However, neither of these are as fun as being able to ride a horse backwards.)

Why do I practice healthcare:
Before becoming a Physical Therapist, I saw the need for the healthcare system to shift into a more proactive and preventive approach; and I saw the opportunity for PT to be at the forefront of this shift. Since that realization, I knew that I wanted to be on the frontlines. As I did more research into who was already involved in this paradigm shift towards proactive healthcare, I found Crossover.  What better way to achieve my vision for what health (not healthcare) should be than to help the company at the forefront of this space achieve theirs.