Janella Leano, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist
Get to know Physical Therapist Dr. Janella Leano, who serves patients in the Bay Area of California.
Combining compassion, expertise, and skill, Dr. Leano is a licensed physical therapist in the Bay Area of California. She specializes in physical treatment to help patients reduce pain, restore mobility, rehabilitate injuries, or increase movement and overall function. She has experience in outpatient, inpatient, and home health settings.
She continues her development as a first generation professional and remains an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (Orthopaedic Section) and the California Physical Therapy Association. Her next mission is to become certified as a canine physical therapist so she can live her dream of rehabilitating both humans and dogs.
In 2020, Dr. Leano graduated with her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree through the three-year joint program between the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and San Francisco State University (SFSU). She was the first UCSF/SFSU DPT student elected to serve on the UCSF Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Executive Council as Vice President of Internal Affairs.
She has been involved in student government in both her undergraduate and graduate education. In her words: “If I feel like someone doesn’t have a voice, I strive to make them heard. As an undergraduate, I chose to be in student government at UCSD every year so that I could make sure students had their voices heard by faculty and staff. At UCSF, the UCSF/SFSU physical therapy program is the least represented on campus, so I wanted to be sure that we were heard despite our small size. That is why I joined GPSA as a physical therapy student representative and later chose to run for Vice President of Internal Affairs. I hope this is a small step to becoming a more significant part of UCSF’s community. Although we are a joint program, we do have an important presence on the UCSF campuses and I wanted to make sure that we are represented and treated as equals.”
In addition to her GPSA responsibilities, Dr. Leano worked for the First Generation Support Services, because as a first generation student herself, she wanted to ensure that her community had a smooth transition into graduate school. She also worked with Basic Needs and Food Security to make sure that students had access to food and events despite limited income.
Hoping to continue her advocacy efforts, Dr. Leano is specifically interested in PT legislation for canine rehab, to ensure that physical therapists who treat animals receive adequate and fair representation in California.
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions that, by using evidence-based kinesiology, electrotherapy, shockwave modality, exercise prescription, joint mobilization and health education, treats conditions such as chronic or acute pain, soft tissue injuries, cartilage damage, arthritis, gait disorders, and physical impairments typically of musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, neurological, and endocrinological origins. Physical therapy is used to improve a patient’s physical functions through physical examination, diagnosis, prognosis, physical intervention, rehabilitation, and patient education. It is practiced by physical therapists (known as physiotherapists in many countries).
On a more personal note, she enjoys singing and dancing (hula, ballet, and latin dance).
Learn More about Dr. Janella Leano:
Through her findatopdoc profile, https://www.findatopdoc.com/doctor/82738059-Janella-Leano-Physical-Therapist
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