The premier pelvic health conference from Herman & Wallace

HWConnect 2025
HWConnect 2025 is founded by Herman & Wallace, the global leader in providing pelvic health continuing education for patients of all genders throughout the life cycle. HWConnect 2025 will run Friday, March 28 through Sunday, March 30, and will be comprised of 10+ contact hours for continuing education credit.

All pelvic rehabilitation practitioners are invited!


Keynote Speakers

Friday

Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, RCMT, BCB-PMD
Topic: Development of Continence Through The Lens of The Diaphragm, Ribcage, and Pelvic Floor

Saturday

Nancy Norton, RN
Topic: The Power of Humor for Pelvic Healers

Sunday

Leticia Nieto, PsyD, LMFT, TEP
Topic: Trauma Responsive Care for Those We Work With and for Us

Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, RCMT, BCB-PMD
Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, RCMT, BCB-PMD(she/her)
Topic: "Development of Continence Through The Lens of The Diaphragm, Ribcage, and Pelvic Floor"
Friday Keynote Speaker Bio
Dawn Sandalcidi PT, RCMT, BCB-PMD is a trailblazer and leading expert in the field of pediatric pelvic floor disorders. She graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical Center in 1982 and is actively seeing patients in her clinic Physical Therapy Specialists, Centennial CO.
www.ptspecialist.com #ptspecialist

Dawn is a national and international speaker in the field, and she has gained so much from sharing experiences with her colleagues around the globe. In addition to lecturing internationally on pediatric bowel and bladder disorders, Dawn is also a faculty instructor at the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehab Institute. Additionally, she runs an online teaching and mentoring platform for parents and professionals.
www.kidsbowelbladder.com #kidsbowelbladder

In 2017, Dawn was invited to speak at the World Physical Therapy Conference in South Africa about pediatric pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence. Dawn is also Board-Certified Biofeedback in Pelvic Muscle Dysfunction (BCB-PMD). She has also been published in the Journals of Urologic Nursing and Section of Women’s Health.

In 2018, Dawn was awarded the Elizabeth Noble Award by the American Physical Therapy Association Section on Women's Health for providing Extraordinary and Exemplary Service to the Field of Physical Therapy for Children.

 

Nancy Norton, RN
Nancy Norton, RN(she/her)
Topic: "The Power of Humor for Pelvic Healers"
Saturday Keynote Speaker Bio

Nancy Norton, RN is a Registered Nurse, comedian, and keynote speaker who brings hilarious storytelling mixed with standup punchlines rooted in real-life experiences like growing up in a dysfunctional Ozark family, working in Healthcare, spending months in Nepal adopting her son and then being a single “Stay AWAY from home mom,” along with incorporating insights gained from pre-event interviews and intuitively reading the room make the Power of Humor presentations a customized, empowering and energizing experience.

Norton has been featured on A&E, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, and tours nationally: headlining clubs, festivals, conferences, and events - performing both standup comedy and delivering keynote presentations. Nancy has also toured internationally on several USO tours entertaining the troops in Europe, Asia, Iceland, and the Pacific.

Nancy lives in Boulder Valley, Colorado balancing being a single mom to a teenager, with "Speaking, producing Nurses Off the Charts!" comedy shows, and recording a weekly Podcast called "Tromedy", aimed at helping to transmute trauma responses with comedy. Tromedy is not a replacement for trauma therapy, but it may help get you by between sessions.

Leticia Nieto, Psy.D., LMFT
Leticia Nieto, Psy.D., LMFT(she/her)
Topic: "Working Well: Trauma Responsive Care for Those We Work With and for Us"
Sunday Keynote Speaker Bio

Leticia Nieto, PsyD, LMFT, TEP is a leadership coach, psychotherapist, and educator specializing in liberation and equity, cultural responsiveness, motivational patterning, and evolutionary creativity. Her 2010 book, Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment: A Developmental Strategy to Liberate Everyone, is an accessible analysis of the dynamics of oppression and supremacy that offers readers ways to develop skills to promote social justice.

Dr. Nieto is internationally recognized for her expertise addressing social justice concerns from a developmental ecological perspective including orienting to systemic transformation, survivance, song and poetry, relational repair, joy, radical rest, intersectional coalition, and reparative and restorative justice. Dr. Nieto brings an enlivening approach to coaching, training and facilitation, drawing on expressive techniques and embodied practices to involve participants deeply and create opportunities for insight and change. Since 1980 she has successfully brought her skills to higher education and other learning communities (including three decades teaching in a graduate program in counseling), to service providers in helping agencies, to workplace teams, and to many community groups.

Dr. Nieto’s activism, scholarship, and consulting work are informed by living at the borders of intersectional experience. In addition to degrees in clinical psychology and human development, she is certified in Action Methods, including Psychodrama, Playback Theater, and Theater of the Oppressed. Leticia is a Senior Faculty at the International Tele'Drama Institute (ITI).  She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (WA) and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor.

Ken McGee, PT, DPT
Ken McGee, PT, DPT (they/he)
Topic: "5 Lessons from Gender-Affirming Care for All Your Clients"
Speaker Bio

Ken McGee, PT, DPT is a queer transmasculine pelvic health physical therapist based in Seattle. Their mission is to bring greater awareness to the pelvic health needs of the LGBTQIA2S community. They enjoy mentoring other rehabilitation professionals to better care for people of all genders.





Ken received their Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Washington in 2014 and their board certification as a Women’s Health Clinic Specialist (WCS) in 2018. Ken has lectured nationally and internationally on birth tears. Their practice, B3 Physical Therapy, centers on transgender and perinatal rehabilitation. Ken also provides peer bodyfeeding support and doula care.
Dr. Cindy Mosbrucker
Dr. Cindy Mosbrucker(she/her)
Topic: "Endometriosis and the Evil Triplets: IC, IBS, and Levator Spasm"
Speaker Bio

Speaker BIO

Dr. Cindy Mosbrucker is a nationally recognized expert in minimally-invasive excision of endometriosis, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic pain in women.
After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree at North Park College in Chicago, she completed her medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School, also in Chicago.  Residency training ensued in OB/GYN at Oakland Naval Hospital and was completed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Military service was performed in Guam and Pensacola, FL. After separating from the Navy, Dr. Mosbrucker moved to Hawaii where she worked at a private practice doing some OB, but mostly GYN and UroGyn surgery. After 8 years there, she felt a calling to do more with her career and embarked on the path that led her to internationally renowned endometriosis expert Dr. David Redwine.  Since then, Dr. Mosbrucker has dedicated her life to caring for individuals with endometriosis.

Dr. Mosbrucker currently runs a private practice in Gig Harbor, WA dedicated to serving the needs of women with pain and incontinence. She is a sought-after resource for women with pelvic pain from all causes, including those lesser known such as pudendal neuralgia, levator spasm, hip impingement and labral tears, and interstitial cystitis. In 2015, Dr. Mosbrucker passed the subspecialty board exam in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS), also known as Urogynecology.

Dr. Mosbrucker feels strongly that both pelvic pain and urogynecologic issues need to be addressed with a multidisciplinary approach that embraces the “bio-psycho-social model”. She has developed an informal consortium of various specialists, all with an interest in caring for patients with pelvic pain or incontinence.  This allows for multiple providers to support the patient’s needs with an approach based on each one’s background and experiences.

 

Meryl Alappattu, PT, PhD
Meryl Alappattu, PT, PhD(she/her)
Speaker Bio
Meryl graduated with her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Florida (UF) and completed a residency in cancer rehabilitation and pelvic health at UF Health. She completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at UF, which focused on the development and management of pain, particularly pelvic pain in women. She completed an NINDS-funded postdoctoral fellowship in the UF Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence and the NCMRR-funded Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program.

Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy. Meryl is a Clinical Research Scientist and member of the Brooks Rehabilitation/UF-Public Health and Health Professions Research Collaboration. Last, she serves on the Board of Directors for the International Pelvic Pain Society and is a content expert and contributor to Girls Gone Strong.

Carole High Gross, PT, DPT, PRPC
Carole High Gross, PT, DPT, PRPC(she/her)
Topic: "Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating: Putting the pieces together and the hope pelvic rehabilitation can provide"
Speaker Bio

Speaker Bio

Carole High Gross, PT, MS, DPT, PRPC earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University in 2015, and her Master of Science in Physical Therapy in 1992 from Thomas Jefferson University. Carole earned her Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification and enjoys working as a Pelvic Clinical Rehabilitation Specialist for Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Carole is on faculty at Herman & Wallace, where she instructs her own course "Eating Disorders and Pelvic Health Rehabilitation: The Role of a Rehab Professional" and is also a Lead Teaching Assistant.

Carole serves on the Pelvic Workgroup of the Ehlers-Danlos International Consortium. She has a special interest in working with individuals living with eating disorders and hypermobility. In addition, Carole enjoys working with all genders with pelvic, bowel, bladder, and abdominal issues. She serves as a mentor for growing pelvic professionals and focuses on team building and program development. Carole is passionate about lifelong learning.

She resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and enjoys spending time with her family, friends and grandpup.

Holly Tanner, PT, DPT, MA, OCS, WCS, PRPC, LMP, BCB-PMD, CCI
Holly Tanner, PT, DPT, MA, OCS, WCS, PRPC, LMP, BCB-PMD, CCI(she/her)
HWConnect MC
MC Bio
Holly Tanner is the Director of Education at Herman & Wallace. She was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota. She owns a private practice that focuses on pelvic rehabilitation and chronic myofascial pain. She graduated from the College of St. Scholastica in 1995 with a Master of Arts degree in Physical Therapy and in 2013 she completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She is also a licensed massage practitioner, licensed in Washington since 2003. She is Board-certified in Orthopedics, Women's Health, Pelvic Rehabilitation, and Pelvic Muscle Dysfunction Biofeedback.
Holly served as adjunct faculty at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN, for whom she continues to teach in the transitional DPT program. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Massage Therapy Association. Her physical therapy and massage practice, Flow Rehab, is located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.
Ramona C. Horton, MPT, DPT
Ramona C. Horton, MPT, DPT(she/her)
Speaker Bio

Speaker Bio

Ramona C. Horton MPT, DPT completed her graduate training in the US Army–Baylor University Program in Physical Therapy in San Antonio, TX. She exited the army at the rank of Captain and applied her experience with the military orthopedic population in the civilian sector as she developed a growing interest in the field of pelvic dysfunction.

A desire to expand her knowledge of evidence-based practice and research was the impetus to further her academic pursuits, receiving a post-professional Doctorate in Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University in Mesa, AZ. In 2020, Ramona received the prestigious Academy of Pelvic Health Elizabeth Noble Award for her contributions to the field of pelvic health.

Ramona serves as the lead therapist for her clinic's pelvic dysfunction program in Medford, OR. Her practice focuses on the treatment of men, women, and children with urological, gynecological, and colorectal issues. Ramona has completed advanced studies in manual therapy with an emphasis on spinal manipulation, and visceral and fascial mobilization. She developed and instructs the visceral and fascial mobilization courses for the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, presenting frequently at local, national, and international venues on topics relating to women’s health, pelvic floor dysfunction, and manual therapy.

Break-Out, Lab, and Workshop Leaders

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Nari Clemons, PT, PRPC
Nari Clemons, PT, PRPC(she/her)
Morning Meditation
Breakout Leader Bio
Nari has been teaching with the institute since 2004. She has written the following courses: Lumbar Nerve Manual Assessment /Treatment, as well as Sacral Nerve Manual Assessment/Treatment. She has co-authored the PF Series Capstone course with Allison Ariail and Jenna Ross, and the Boundaries, Self Care, and Meditation Course (the burnout course) with Jenna ROss. In addition to teaching the classes she has authored, Nari also teaches all the other classes in the PF series: PF1, PF2A, PF2B, and Capstone. She was one of the question authors for the PRPC, and she has presented at many conferences, including CSM.

Nari’s passions include teaching students how to use their hands more receptively and precisely for advanced manual therapy skills while keeping it simple enough to feel successful. She also is an advocate for therapists learning how to feel well and thrive as they care for others, which is a skill that can be developed. “Basically, I love helping therapists learn to help themselves and others more while having a lot of fun doing it”. Nari lives in Portland Oregon, where she runs a local study/mentoring group and has a private practice, Portland Pelvic Therapy. Her interests include meditation, working out, nature, and being constantly humbled by raising her three amazing teenagers!
Dustienne Miller, PT, MS, WCS, CYT
Dustienne Miller, PT, MS, WCS, CYT(she/her)
Morning Yoga
Breakout Leader Bio
Dustienne Miller is the creator of the two-day course Yoga for Pelvic Pain and an instructor for PF1. She is a contributing author in two books about the integration of pelvic health and yoga, Yoga Mama: The Practitioner’s Guide to Prenatal Yoga (Shambhala Publications, 2016) and Healing in Urology (World Scientific). Prior conference and workshop engagements include APTA's CSM, International Pelvic Pain Society, Woman on Fire, Wound Ostomy and Continence Society, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Annual Assembly.

She started her clinical practice, Flourish Physical Therapy, in Santa Rosa CA, and moved to downtown Boston. She is a board-certified women's health clinical specialist recognized by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. Dustienne weaves yoga postures and breathing into her clinical practice, having received her yoga teacher certification through the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

Dustienne's love of movement is apparent not only in her physical therapy and yoga practice but also in her career as a professional dancer. She danced professionally in New York City for several years, most notably with the national tour of Fosse. She bridged her dance and physical therapy backgrounds working for Physioarts, who contracted her to work backstage at various Broadway shows and for Radio City Christmas Spectacular. She is currently an assistant professor of jazz dance for the musical theatre department at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Dustienne passionately believes in the integration of physical therapy and yoga in a holistic model of care, helping individuals navigate through pelvic pain and incontinence to live a healthy and pain-free life.
Emily McElrath, PT, DPT, MTC, CIDN
Emily McElrath, PT, DPT, MTC, CIDN(she/her)
Squat Analysis Lab
Breakout Leader Bio

Emily McElrath PT, DPT, MTC, CIDN, is a native of New Orleans and received her undergraduate degree in Athletic Training at the University of Southern Mississippi and went on to receive her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She is highly trained in Sports and Orthopedics and has a passion for helping women achieve optimal sports performance. Emily is certified in manual therapy and dry needling, which allows her to provide a wide range of treatment skills including joint and soft tissue mobilization. She is an avid runner and Cross-fitter and has personal experience modifying these activities during pregnancy and postpartum. While not working, Emily enjoys time with her husband and two kids.

Brianna Durand, PT, DPT
Brianna Durand, PT, DPT(she/her)
Inclusive Care Roleplay Workshop
Breakout Leader Bio
Brianna Durand, PT, DPT earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Texas Woman’s University in Houston, TX. During graduate school, she led and co-founded PT Proud, a Catalyst Group within the Health Policy and Administration Section of the APTA, to improve the education, equity, and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, students, and clinicians.

Brianna owns and operates Empower Physiotherapy, a private practice in Seattle. As a competitive powerlifter, Brianna enjoys working with strength athletes who experience pelvic floor dysfunction, especially stress incontinence. She is passionate about providing care to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, including those undergoing hormonal/surgical transition. Her additional clinical interests include prenatal/postpartum care for trans and gender non-conforming folx and pelvic floor care for patients who are intersex.

In her spare time, Brianna enjoys playing board games, lifting heavy, and watching stand-up comedy.
Allison Ariail, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, BCB-PMD, PRPC
Allison Ariail, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, BCB-PMD, PRPC(she/her)
Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging
Breakout Leader Bio
Allison Ariail, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, BCB-PMD, PRPC has been a physical therapist since 1999. She graduated with a BS in physical therapy from the University of Florida and earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Boston University in 2007. Also in 2007, Dr. Ariail qualified as a Certified Lymphatic Therapist. She became board certified by the Lymphology Association of North America in 2011 and board-certified in Biofeedback Pelvic Muscle Dysfunction by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance in 2012. In 2014, Allison earned her board certification as a Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner. Allison specializes in the treatment of the pelvic ring and back using manual therapy and ultrasound imaging for instruction in a stabilization program. She also specializes in women’s and men’s health including conditions of chronic pelvic pain, bowel and bladder disorders, and coccyx pain. Lastly, Allison has a passion to help oncology patients, particularly gynecological, urological, and head and neck cancer patients.

In 2009, Allison collaborated with the Primal Pictures team for the release of the Pelvic Floor Disorders program. Allison's publications include: “The Use of Transabdominal Ultrasound Imaging in Retraining the Pelvic-Floor Muscles of a Woman Postpartum.” Physical Therapy. Vol. 88, No. 10, October 2008, pp 1208-1217. (PMID: 18772276), “Beyond the Abstract” for Urotoday.com in October 2008, “Posters to Go” from APTA combined section meeting poster presentation in February 2009 and 2013. In 2016, Allison co-authored a chapter in “Healing in Urology: Clinical Guidebook to Herbal and Alternative Therapies.”

Allison works in the Denver metro area in her practice, Inspire Physical Therapy and Wellness, where she works in a more holistic setting than traditional therapy clinics. In addition to instructing Herman and Wallace on pelvic floor-related topics, Allison lectures nationally on lymphedema, cancer-related changes to the pelvic floor, and the sacroiliac joint. Allison serves as a consultant to medical companies, and physicians.

Outside of work, Allison enjoys spending time with her family, caring for her animals, reading, traveling, and most importantly of all, being a mom! She lives in the Denver metro area with her family.

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