South Leawood

Allison Hilboldt

• B.S. in Exercise Science & B.S. in Physics of Medicine, Rockhurst University, 2015
• D.P.T., University of Missouri, 2018

Sometimes an injury can lead to a good thing…For Allison, a high school hip injury led her to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist!

Growing up in South KC Allison played a lot of sports, but focused mainly on softball and swimming. This was an early glimpse into reaching peak performance, and moving without pain — both things of which she strives to help her patients achieve.

Allison attended the Rockhurst University where she received a Bachelor of Science in not just Exercise Science, but also Physics of Medicine. She then attended The University of Missouri in Columbia, MO to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Upon graduation Allison made her way back to the Kansas City area to be near family and marry the love of her life, Michael. The two have two Labrador retrievers, and a sweet daughter named Clara.

Since 2018 Allison worked at a Physical Therapy clinic in the Kansas City area before making the leap and joining the team at Elite. Allison had previously worked with our PT Morgan, who shared why she loved Elite.  Allison also appreciated the good patient reviews and friendly staff. Lastly, Allison was drawn to the one-on-one patient care that Elite provides, which gives her the chance to give her patients the care and attention they deserve!

Outside of work (when Allison and her husband can schedule a babysitter) they are often playing disc golf, spending time outdoors, or exploring breweries.

Elite is extremely fortunate to have a Physical Therapist as driven, caring, and smart as Allison. If you are lucky enough to receive treatment from Allison you will immediately see just how great she is.

Angela Vanderpluym

• B.S. Exercise Science, Westminster, 2020
• D.P.T., Missouri State, 2023
• LSVT BIG Certified
• Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT)

What does one do with a passion for health, wellness, fitness, and anatomy? For Angela, it meant become a Physical Therapist!

Angela grew up in Bellville, Illinois where she dabbled in many sports — softball, swimming, volleyball, and soccer. This was when she first saw a glimpse at a future as a PT. She decided to go to Westminster in Fulton where she completed a degree in Exercise Science.

Following undergrad, Angela headed to Missouri State University to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She also finished a LSVT BIG certification, making her an expert in helping individuals with Parkinson disease or other neurological conditions improve the way they move.

Over the years Angela visited Kansas City many times, whether to visit friends or her sister, and loved it every time so when it was time for clinicals she completed two in the KC area!

Through a classmate, Angela heard great things about Elite and decided to apply when she heard there was an opening for a Physical Therapist. Angela’s personality, drive to be the very best PT she can be, and eagerness to jump right in with our team made her the perfect fit. Now, a place that has always felt like home finally is!

Outside of work you can find Angela working out, playing sand volleyball, or hanging out with friends.

We are thrilled to have Angela on our team and look forward to you getting the chance to meet her.

Brett Beltrame

• B.S., Iowa State University, 2005
• Certified Athletic Trainer, 2005
• D.P.T., University of Iowa, 2007
• Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist, IAOM

What does it mean when you put patients first?

For Brett, it means you don’t treat patients from a “cookbook” of therapeutic recipes or pass patients from therapist to therapist. He focuses on building relationships with each patient, one at a time, whether they’re an NFL athlete, weekend warrior or someone recovering from surgery.

And then he gives each patient personalized, one-on-one treatment that pulls from many different therapeutic approaches and techniques. The goal: treat the patient, not the symptom, so they can live life in full motion.

Outside of work Brett enjoys cheering on his favorite sports teams (Royals, Chiefs, and Iowa State Cyclones), playing/watching golf, and of course spending time with his wife, son, and daughter.

Brett’s specialties include:

• Exercise and sports science
• Athletic training
• Manual therapy
• Functional exercises
• Sports rehabilitation
• Post-surgical rehabilitation
• Orthopedic injuries

Christina Hearing

• B.S. in Health and Exercise Science, Missouri State University
• D.P.T., Rockhurst University
• Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Christina was born and raised in the St. Louis area — out closer to Ballwin/West County. In high school she played lacrosse, and enjoyed playing other sports and working out. This peaked her interest into a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Movement Science.

During her time in undergrad she worked as a tech in a hospital. That experience opened her eyes to the idea of being an in-patient Physical Therapist.

While in Physical Therapy school at Rockhurst Christina got her CSCS (Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist) and coached men’s & women’s golf as well as men’s baseball for strength and conditioning. During this time, she realized she would prefer an out-patient clinic where she could also work with athletes.

Christina was immediately drawn to Elite because of the one-on-one approach, and individual treatment rooms. She also was excited for the opportunity to work with athletes. She felt like Elite was similar to her favorite clinical rotation in Colorado. That clinic saw many spine patients, and the PTs were IAOM trained, just like Elite’s. The only difference was that she could see the mountains out of the window!

Outside of work Christina likes to hangout with friends, take vacations, and run. She recently signed up for her third half-marathon!

One of her goals is to go to all of the National Parks. She recently visited Arizona and Utah in the Zion area. Her favorite one so far though was Yosemite! When you meet her, be sure to ask about her trips!

Hannah Weseel

• B.S. in Kinesiology, Kansas State University
• D.P.T., University of Kansas Medical Center

Hannah Wessel, Topeka native, joined the Elite team Summer 2021.

In her Junior year of high school she fell in love with powerlifting and eventually did some body building type workouts. She quickly realized that working out did so much good for her health. She influenced her family to also begin working out and saw the way it helped each of them as well. All of this made her realize that Exercise Is Medicine, leading her to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist.

Hannah attended undergrad at K State where she got her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology. Upon graduation, she began grad school where she received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at KU Med.

When Hannah learned about Elite she swiftly applied, and really did not look elsewhere for an open position. One-on-one patient care was an absolute must for whatever job she eventually had, so Elite was a great fit. She says the people are pretty cool too.

Outside of work Hannah loves to do Cross Fit and Olympic Lifting. In fact, she is looking into her very first Weight Lifting Competition! She also enjoys traveling, especially to visit her brother who is in the Air Force. She also is a volunteer at KC Pet Project and often fosters kittens.

The trip on the top of her bucket list is traveling to Germany, where some of her family still lives.

Fun Fact: Hannah is a vegan! Be sure to ask her for some great vegan recipes, share your favorite with her.

Jenny Kern

• B.S. Health Sciences, University of Missouri (Mizzou), 2016
• D.P.T., University of Missouri (Mizzou), 2019
• Dry Needling Certified
• Tactile Strength & Fitness Cerfieid (TSAC-F)
• Body One Orthopedic Residency, The University of Indianapolis (2019-2020)

From athlete, to engineer in training, to Physical Therapist…

Jenny is a Kansas City native from the northland, just outside of Park Hill. She grew up playing just about every sport. After high school Jenny attended the University of Missouri (Mizzou) where she started out as an engineer major. Shortly after beginning college Jenny realized she wanted to work in the healthcare field and switched her major to Health Sciences with the goal to earn her a doctorate in Physical Therapy.

After PT school Jenny completed the Body One Orthopedic Residency at The University of Indianapolis. In 2020 she decided to move to Jonesboro, AR where she worked as a Physical Therapist for nearly three years before deciding to make her way back home.

When Jenny decided to make the move back to Kansas City from Arkansas she interviewed at multiple PT clinics. Ironically, the other clinic interviewers raved about Elite’s owner, Biagio Mazza. One even said, “People who can’t be fixed go to Biagio.” This helped Jenny realize Elite was the clinic she wanted to work at.

In addition to the raving remarks, Jenny was looking for a good company, an open environment, good patient-care balance, creative freedom to provide personalized PT, and a place that didn’t provide cookie cutter care. Elite checked all of those boxes!

Outside of work Jenny loves to “train like an athlete.” In addition to weight lifting, she enjoys biking and running. Her ideal vacations include hiking, and she considers Colorado her “second home.” Jenny’s favorite hiking spot is Estes Park, also known as Colorado’s original playground.

Elite is thrilled to have such a talented, driven Physical Therapist on our team.

Jenny specializes in:

• Graston Technique (a form of manual therapy that utilizes stainless steel tools to perform muscle mobilization)
• Tactile strength and fitness for police officers firefighters, military
• Spine
• Post-op knee
• Post-op shoulder
• Foot & ankle
• Chronic pain
• TMD/TMJ Treatment

Mark Lawhon

• B.S. Health Sciences, University of Missouri (Mizzou), 2011
• D.P.T., University of Missouri (Mizzou), 2014
• Sports Certified Specialist
• Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
• Dry Needling Certified

Growing up a football and basketball player, among other sports, Mark spent countless hours training. At and early age he realized the benefit of keeping his body injury- and pain-free.

Mark has multiple family members that are healthcare providers, so early on he was drawn to some sort of health career. Further, his interest in sports performance, injury prevention, and injury recovery led him to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist!

Mark attended the University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou) for Undergrad and Physical Therapy (PT) school. He especially enjoyed attending sporting events! Mark was also lucky enough to meet his now wife, Jen, in PT school.

After graduating from PT school they decided to spend their first years of marriage in a new place, which brought them to Tucson, AZ for almost four years!

While they loved it there, the news of a baby on the way led them to move back home to the Kansas City area in 2018. Mark and Jen have their hands full with their daughters Peyton and Leah, and their golden retriever Hutch. They love spending weekends with friends or at a local playground with their girls.

Mark specializes in:

• Manual (Hands-on) Therapy
• Kinesiology and sports science
• Orthopedic therapy
• Spinal and extremity manual rehabilitation
• Sports strengthening and rehabilitation
• Post-surgical rehabilitation

Missy Hipp

• B.S. Exercise Sciences, University of Kansas (KU), 2020
• D.P.T., University of Kansas (KU), 2023

From being a “neighbor” of Elite, to being an employee…meet Missy Hipp!

Missy is an Overland Park native, who attended undergrad and PT school at the University of Kansas. She grew up playing multiple sports and particularly focused on soccer and basketball. In middle school while running track she dislocated her elbow, which led her to receive Physical Therapy. This was her first glimpse into the world of PT, and immediately loved the idea of it as she saw vast improvements for herself.

Before even leaving home for college Missy knew she wanted to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist. Mostly, she was drawn to the athletics aspect of it but quickly learned that it’s so much more than just athletics, and fell in love with it even more.

Missy’s desire to help people improve the quality of their life by moving better is just one attribute that makes her such a great Physical Therapist.

Over the past couple of years Missy and her parents would drive past Elite and joked about her getting a job here. When she randomly saw a job opening at Elite she immediately applied!

Outside of work Missy enjoys playing sand volleyball, soccer, pickle ball, rock climbing, and experiencing other outdoor activities.

We are so fortunate to have a kind and caring PT like Missy on our team at Elite, and look forward to you meeting her!

Morgan Stemple

• B.S., Health Science, Southwest Baptist University, 2014
• D.P.T., Southwest Baptist University, 2017
• Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
• Dry Needling Certified
• Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT)

Morgan Stemple is a Wichita native, who recently moved back to the midwest!

Morgan has a heart for helping, and serving others. She tied that with her fascination with the human body and pursued a career as a Physical Therapist. When you meet her, you will immediately experience the warmth of her heart and the depth of her knowledge.

Upon graduation from PT school, Morgan moved away to Louisville, KY where she worked at an in-patient Neuro clinic. Most of the patients she saw had experienced a spinal chord injury, stroke, or had Parkinson’s disease. In her years at that clinic she developed sharp skills in those areas, and still enjoys working with those kinds of patients.

Once Morgan moved back to the Kansas City area to be closer to family she discovered Elite. She was drawn to Elite’s top priorities of excellent Patient Care and patient interaction, as well as the out-patient, orthopedic setting.

The way Elite operates allows Morgan the chance to build relationships with her patients, understand each individual’s goals, and give her patients the care and attention they deserve each and every session. “It is not just the typical PT machine.”

Outside of work Morgan enjoys staying active whether that is playing tennis (which she has played her whole life), hiking, or just being outside. She also is a foodie and loves to eat at really good, local restaurants. Morgan also spends a lot of time being involved with her church and reading.

Other Fun Facts…

Morgan’s big heart has sent her out multiple missions trip. She has been to South Sudan, Mexico, Zambia (for an exercise science internship + missions trip), and she went to Brazil during PT school for a PT specific trip.

One of Morgan’s life goals is to travel to all 50 states in the US!

When you get the opportunity to meet Morgan ask her about her missions trips and let her know what local restaurant she should try!

MORGAN SPECIALIZES IN:

• Spinal Chord Injuries
• Manual Therapy
• Neuro Rehab (Parkinson’s Disease, post-stroke, etc.)
• Spine Rehab, including neck and low back pain
• Diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic injuries (i.e. joint, muscle, tendon, and ligament)

Taylor Neilson

• Exercise Science, St. Ambrose University, 2015
• D.P.T., St. Ambrose University, 2016
• AIB-VRC (Vestibular Rehab and Concussion Specialization), American Institute of Balance
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
• Dry Needling Certified

Taylor is a midwest native and was born and raised near Des Moines, Iowa in a town called Norwalk. Growing up she was a competitive dancer, cheerleader, and played volleyball, tennis, and softball.

Growing up in a sports-oriented family, Taylor quickly learned the importance of a healthy lifestyle. When heading to college she chose to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Sciences because she was interested in helping and working with people to get them back to moving pain-free and feeling their very best!

Taylor chose to extend her education and become a Physical Therapist (PT). Taylor enjoys being a PT because she is able to educate other about their health, how their body works, and how to protect and improve themselves so they can live life to the very fullest!

After college Taylor wanted to move somewhere new, but stay kind of close to family so she chose to move to Kansas City. She began her career as a Physical Therapist locally for a few years, and eventually decided to try traveling Physical Therapy.

When the world began to change in early 2020 she decided to move back to Kansas City and look for a job here. She came across the opportunity to work at Elite Taylor was thrilled!

She interviewed and checked out the facility and was immediately drawn to the high-level of patient care Elite provides, the chance to work one-on-one with patients, and the opportunities for continued education Elite provides to help our therapists become the very best in Kansas City.

Outside of work Taylor enjoys traveling with her husband Travis, playing rec sports, including sand volleyball, tennis, and indoor soccer. She also enjoys any sort of outdoor activity, from hiking and kayaking, to skiing and fishing.

Fun Fact: Taylor has done a multi-sport vacation in Patagonia National Park, located in southern Chile, which included mountain biking, hiking, and kayaking! She has even hiked the French Alps!When you get the chance to meet Taylor, you will have to ask her about her awesome experiences!

TAYLOR SPECIALIZES IN:

• Vestibular and Concussion Rehab
• Post-surgical Rehabilitation
• Manual Therapy
• Spine Rehab, including neck and low back pain
• Diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic injuries (i.e. joint, muscle, tendon, and ligament)

Allison Messick

Allison was born and raised in Overland Park where she grew up as a swimmer. This was her first glimpse into the importance of taking care of her body, and successfully recovering from injury.

Allison attended Creighton University because of the great med school programs, their values, and their strong emphasis on service and bettering the community around you. She not only graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from Creighton, but also met her now husband, David!

Turns out they both grew up in Overland Park but never met until college!

Following undergrad Allison attended the University of Kansas Medical Center for PT school. She decided to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist because she likes the opportunity to get to know patients, and get them back to whatever their goal is. Allison also values the educational component of helping patients understand how they can better themselves. Allison and her husband of three years love spending time hiking, camping, riding bikes, and playing with their corgi pup, Sydney. Allison has discovered her green thumb, and enjoys learning more about, and caring for house plants. If you have any questions or want recommendations, ask Allison!

Lastly, Allison loves teaching Sydney new tricks. Her newest, most impressive trick is sneezing on command! If you don’t believe us, ask Allison to see the video!