Meet Melanie

Melanie was born and raised in the Lower Mainland Tri-Cities. With a particular love of water sports and a self-proclaimed “water baby”, she grew up swimming competitively, playing waterpolo and even dabbled in synchronized swimming. This eventually led to 10 years of Lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons for the City of Coquitlam.

Melanie graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology and certificates in Human Nutrition and Active Rehabilitation from SFU in 2012. She then continued to UBC to complete her Masters in Physical Therapy (MPT) in 2014. Melanie began her career working on the neuro and acute spinal cord injury wards at Vancouver General Hospital. Since 2016, she has had the opportunity to split her time between private practice and working for the Mary Pack Arthritis Program (MPAP) in Vancouver where she serves individuals managing Osteoarthritis, Inflammatory Arthritis, Connective Tissue Disorders and rehabilitation for Joint Replacement surgeries. Melanie is a Clinical Assistant Professor for the UBC MPT program and lectures for the annual MPAP “Arthritis Continuing Education” course.

As a lifelong learner, she continues to participate in her own professional growth and has completed training and examinations in Level 3 Orthopaedic Manual Therapy, Biokinetic (pilates-based) Exercise Therapy, Advanced Vestibular Rehabilitation, Temporomandibular Disorders and Rehabilitation, Pain Biology, and is a Certified Gunn IMS Practitioner.

In her spare time Melanie continues to swim, but you will also find her hiking, back-country camping, running and weight training (she also won’t say no to a game of badminton or volleyball). Over the years, Melanie has learned the value of cross-training and regular movement in order to improve performance, prevent injury or simply optimize health in manageable ways. She aims to provide guidance to anyone on their own journey of recovery, managing a chronic condition, or training for their next event.

(Melanie is also more than happy to discuss her plant collection, pet hedgehog, the next best hiking trail, and local coffee shops.)