Meet Our Physical Therapists
Daniel Park, PT, DPT, OCS
Daniel Park is the co-owner and founder of Perfect Stride Physical Therapy. Daniel received his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at Boston University and he received his clinical doctorate in physical therapy at Touro College. Daniel is a board-certified orthopedic specialist and he specializes in post-operative management. Daniel has experience with strength and conditioning with high school, college and professional-level athletes, mainly working with hockey, basketball and baseball players. In addition to his strength and conditioning background, Daniel was a facility manager for Sports Physical Therapy of NY. Daniel is an APTA-certified clinical instructor and he has been educating students for many years.
Daniel was published in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in 2012 on the Management of ITB syndrome and he is in the process of doing research on runners with knee pain. Daniel has served as a medical volunteer treating athletes for the NY/NJ Ironman and NYC marathon. Daniel has training in Graston Technique, Kinesio Taping, Janda approach, functional screens and Neurokinetic Therapy. Daniel is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
Daniel loves to play basketball, volleyball, and softball in his free time. He resides in Montclair, NJ with his wife and two sons.
Vikash Sharma, PT, DPT, OCs, COMT
Vikash graduated from Elon University of North Carolina with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Exercise Sports Science and a minor in Philosophy. He went on to receive his Doctor of Physical Therapy from The George Washington University and has since completed his orthopedic residency at Temple University. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. Vikash has undergone rigorous training and testing to achieve his Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT) designation through Maitland Australian Physiotherapy Seminars. He is also a certified coach through the United States Track and Field Association.
Vikash has a strong passion for continuing education and he is an evidence-driven practitioner committed to remaining at the forefront of the profession. He has worked to educate physical therapy students and has lectured for various establishments throughout New York. Over the course of his career, Vikash has specialized in sports (especially running) rehabilitation and cervical dysfunction. He is currently involved with research aimed at running biomechanics and knee pain. Vikash is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the United States Track and Field Association.
Vikash has been an avid runner and weight trainer for most of his life and competes in local road races. He also loves to play golf, hike, skateboard, meditate and practice yoga.
Austin Shiurna, Office Manager
Austin originally started as an outside consultant with Perfect Stride Physical Therapy and became the full-time office manager in October 2013. Austin graduated from the University at Buffalo where he double-majored in Business Administration and the Pre-Physical Therapy program.
Austin is involved in several aspects of the company including billing, marketing, I.T., social media, and insurance inquiries, as well as managing the administrative operations of the office. His versatility and willingness to take on new challenges has been a valuable asset to PSPT. With his guidance, PSPT has been able to streamline the administrative processes that are required between patient, insurance, and clinician, thus minimizing the administrative burden on the treatment team. This allows the physical therapists to focus their energy on obtaining results for their patients.
In his spare time he plays in various NYC basketball leagues. He also enjoys cooking, archery, and the outdoors.
Joseph Lavacca, PT, DPT, CFSC, ocs, Pn-1
Joe is an experienced outpatient orthopedic clinician who graduated from Sacred Heart University with his Bachelor of Exercise Science Degree in 2008, and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2010. Joe began his career with Sports PT of NY where he was facility manager of their Midtown location for several years. Since that time he has obtained certifications in movement screens for both the FMS and SFMA, Functional Strength Coaching, Functional Range Release/Functional Range Conditioning, Fascial Movement Taping, Kinstretch and most recently in Precision Nutrition. Furthermore, he has successfully completed his Board Exam to become an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 2015.
Joe is interested in empowerment, education, and injury prevention with a strong passion for teaching and has served as a mentor for many student physical therapists from prestigious academic institutions. Through leading continuing education providers, he started teaching in 2011 frequently traveling throughout the country to teach healthcare practitioners about Kinesiology Taping and Movement Assessment Principles. He now works for RockTape where he continues his passions for teaching with courses such as FMT Basic/Performance, Movability and Blades.
Joe is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and in his free time, he likes to read and spend time with his family in Long Island.
Joseph Gambino, PT, DPT, CSCS
Joe Gambino has been a personal trainer/strength and conditioning coach for the past 9 years. He has worked with all walks of life ranging from stay at home moms to collegiate level athletes. He graduated from CUNY Queens College with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition in 2010. He then went on to receive his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Touro in 2015. Since then Joe has obtained certifications in the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Kettlebells (Kettlebell Concepts), Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), and in Functional Range Release (FRR) for manual therapy.
Joe has a strong passion for continuing education and evidenced based practice that allows him to stay current in the field and provide individualized care to his patients. Joe currently is an adjunct professor at Queens College teaching Fitness Through Diet and Exercise as well as lecturing at various establishments on posture and desk ergonomics.
Joe is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and in his free time, he likes to strength train, play golf, football and basketball, read, and drink coffee.