Conversations with Sarah Mann

Today we’re excited to be connecting with Sarah Mann again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Sarah, we are so thrilled to be connecting again and can’t wait to hear about all the amazing things you have been up to. Before we jump into all of that, some of our readers might have missed our prior interview, so can you take a moment to reintroduce yourself?
The Mann Method Therapy Network has an amazing team of providers dedicated to leading the way in the best care for indiviudals with Down syndrome across the lifespan. We are a specialty physical therapy and occupational therapy clinic dedicated to providing outstanding care to individuals with Down syndrome across the lifespan.

Dr. Sarah Mann is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who works with Adolescents and Adults with Down syndrome. She received her DPT from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She has her undergraduate degrees in History, Political Science, and Chinese from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of Denver. Sarah is the clinic owner and director of Mann Method Therapy Network. She completed physical therapy training at the Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado under the mentorship of Pat Winders, PT. Sarah specializes in working with teenagers and adults with Down syndrome. She is a national presenter for the National Down Syndrome Congress, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, GiGi’s Playhouse, and the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association. Sarah is also a DSMIG Committee Member for the Lifestyle and Weight Management and Therapist Groups. Along with Dr. Jennifer Spiric, PT, DPT, Sarah Co-created the PT-based GiGiFIT fitness program for individuals with Ds across the lifespan offered worldwide through GiGi’s Playhouse. She has partnered with Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp, PhD as part of ongoing research on the effects of exercise for adults with Down syndrome. Sarah is committed to safely and effectively improving participation, health, and fitness through exercise for individuals with Down syndrome.

Dr. Jennifer Spiric, PT, DPT
Jennifer Spiric is a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Arvada, Colorado who provides specialty care for infants and children with Down syndrome. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT) from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and has completed in-depth continued education training in MNRI-based primitive reflex integration techniques. She is the Lead Pediatric Physical Therapist at Mann Method where she utilizes a neurodevelopmental approach to sensory-motor coordination and motor milestone achievement for infants and children with torticollis and chromosomal differences. She is a national presenter for the National Down Syndrome Congress and GiGi’s Playhouse. Dr. Sarah Mann and Dr. Jennifer Spiric co-created the national PT-based GiGiFIT fitness program for individuals with Ds across the lifespan through GiGi’s Playhouse. Jennifer is passionate about helping children and families understand the importance of regulating, coordinating, and utilizing all sensory systems to move, play, learn, and experience life to its fullest. She values a family-centered, strengths-based, individualized therapeutic approach to physical therapy for children of all ages and is highly experienced in working with infants and children with Down syndrome in a variety of environments. Jennifer enjoys music, movement, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, and a variety of outdoor activities – especially with her husband and two daughters.

Jamie McGrew, MOTR/L is an occupational therapist in Colorado. She is the lead Occupational Therapist at Mann Method. Jamie has 20 years of experience in a variety of settings including Colorado Children’s Hospital Outpatient Clinics, Developmental FX Outpatient Clinic, Amy Zier & Associates of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and Professional Pediatric Home Care. Jamie is a national presenter for the National Down Syndrome Congress, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Science Meets Practice workshop, and Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association. She specializes in providing OT services and life skills education for individuals with Ds across the lifespan. She values a holistic, functional, and family-centered approach to occupational therapy treatment. Jamie lives with her husband Chris and their three sons and has a daily opportunity to practice calming strategies!

Dr. Heidi Hanson is a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Arvada, Colorado and specializes in working with teens and adults with Down syndrome. Heidi received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT) from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and her
Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the College of Saint Benedict (Saint Joseph, Minnesota)
Heidi worked for several years as a caregiver for adults with a variety of neurodevelopmental disabilities. She has a passion for this population, and became a PT specifically to provide them with informed, compassionate, person centered care. She is a firm believer in the importance of habilitative care to build a strong foundation and encourage independence
Heidi grew up in Colorado, but has been fortunate to call many states, and countries home. You may hear her British English Vocabulary sneak out from time to time. She is happy to be back living in Colorado near her family and the glorious Rocky Mountains. She enjoys staying active through skiing, hiking, soccer, and dance. She loves reading, musicals, the CO Avalanche, Liverpool FC, and traveling

Shannon Young is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant in Arvada, CO – COTA
Shannon lives in Lakewood, CO with her husband Josh and her three children Blake, Brynn, and Bryden
She enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling around the world, and watching her children play sports
She has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a minor in Elementary Education
She has an Associate of Occupational Studies, Occupational Therapy Assistant degree from Pima Medical Institute where she graduated with honors
Shannon was drawn to occupational therapy because she is passionate about helping people live their everyday lives to their fullest potential. She loves helping people develop individual goals and working with them to achieve what is meaningful to them.
Past experiences include school based OT for Jefferson County Public Schools and home health OT working with the adults

Jordan Pittman is a certified orthotics and prosthetics assistant​
Jordan graduated from the University of British Columbia Okanagan with a Bachelors in Human Kinetics and a minor in Psychology in 2015
She moved from British Columbia to Colorado in 2017 to pursue training in Prosthetics and Orthotics. She successfully challenged the ABC Certified Prosthetic Assistant Exam in 2018 and the ABC Certified Orthotic Assistant Exam in 2019
She strongly believes that solid rapport with patients is crucial to success, and she does her best to connect with each patient personally. Jordan also loves the challenge of helping each individual maximize their mobility potential!
She lives in Tabernash Colorado with her partner and their pups, and she works full time at the National Sports Center for the Disabled. She teaches all forms of adaptive skiing in the winter, coordinates the NSCD Special Olympics team, and guides adaptive river trips in the summer
Jordan loves being active outside, and has never found it very easy to sit still. She feels incredibly grateful to live in such a beautiful part of Colorado, with so many local opportunities to play outside!

JJ Olson is the Clinic Coordinator for Mann Method in Arvada, Colorado. JJ serves as the Clinic Coordinator and Patient Advocate. Her duties include overseeing the scheduling, day-to-day operations, and billing practices for the clinic. She also provides support and coordination amongst patients, medical care providers, families and other care givers.
JJ grew up in Arvada. She earned her undergraduate degree in International Relations and Spanish, with a minor in Japanese from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Il. JJ later earned her Masters in Government from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Prior to joining Mann Method, JJ lived in DC for almost 10 years. During her time in DC, JJ worked for a Member of the US House of Representatives for two years. She then spent 8 years working for a Fortune 500 Healthcare company as a healthcare and tax policy lobbyist and manager of the company’s political activities.
JJ loves being physically active, particularly with her husband, two daughters and dogs!

Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp, PhD (UNLV Research Partner)
Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp earned her bachelor and master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands during 2005. She completed her Ph.D. at the Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands during 2012, focused on physical activity and fitness among older adults with intellectual disabilities. She is intrigued by the impact cardiovascular physiological challenges have on the ability to exercise and live an active life, especially among individuals with intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome. She received a Marie Curie Sklodowska Postdoctoral Fellowship of the European Union during 2014 to investigate the topic. The fellowship enabled her to complete a postdoc at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was mentored by Dr. Bo Fernhall in the Integrative Physiology Laboratory. During 2017, she received an NIH K99/R00 Career Development Award focused on the regulation of blood flow among individuals with Down syndrome. She joined the UNLV department of Physical Therapy during summer 2019.

Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
Over the past five years – ever since COVID! – we have been working hard to expand the field in research for exercise for individuals with Down syndrome in addition to providing outstanding day to day care for our patients and their families! We continue to see patients with Down syndrome from ages 0-70 in our practice and love the honor of getting to help our patients and their families!
We have partnered with the amazing Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp, PhD at UNLV to broaden research and publications on the importance of exercise for individuals with Down syndrome.

UNLV: We participated in Dr. Hilgenkamp’s NIH-funded research study on the effects of exercise and blood flow regulation for adults with Down syndrome. We had the opportunity to broaden the study to include tests and measures that assessed the efficacy of the Mann Method PT-Based exercise program and have had very many positive results relative to improvements in balance, strength, and gait! We have published several articles including:
1. Mann S, Jennifer Spiric J, Mitchell C, Hilgenkamp TIM Development of a Physical Therapy-Based Exercise Program for Adults with Down Syndrome IJERPH 2023, 20, 3367 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043667
2. Guerrero K, Umagat A, Barton M, Martinez A, Ho KY, Mann S, Hilgenkamp T. The Effect of a Telehealth Exercise Intervention on Balance in Adults with Down Syndrome JARID, 2023, 36(2), p385-393. doi: 10.1111/jar.13068
3. Hilgenkamp T, Lum R, Roys C, Souza T, Stopka D, Mann S, Ho KY. Effects of a 12-week telehealth exercise intervention on gait speed and gait deviations in adults with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2024 Jun;68(6):598-609. doi: 10.1111/jir.13132. Epub 2024 Mar 13. PMID: 38481070.

Over the past five years, we have presented annually at the National Down Syndrome Congress and the GiGi’s Playhouse National Convention. We have also presented many webinars for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Foundation, and the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, and Project ECHO.

GiGi’s Playhouse: In 2023 and 2024, Dr. Jen and Dr. Sarah filmed all progressions of the national GiGiFIT program to make the PT-based exercise and movement programs available to individuals with Down syndrome across the globe through GiGI’s Virtual Playhouse. https://gigisplayhouse.org/virtual/
People can now access the GiGiFIT programs anywhere in the world from the comfort of their own home!

Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.

• Favorite Movie: How to Train Your Dragon 3
• Favorite Band or Artist: We love Taylor Swift at our clinic – but old school Taylor, like 1989. And anything Disney
• Mountains or Beach: Mountains!!
• Favorite Sport (to watch): Dr. Jen and Dr. Heidi love soccer. Jamie and Shannon love baseball. Dr. Sarah loves downhill mountain biking. JJ loves anything her daughters do. Jordan loves to ski
• Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): All sports are represented in the clinic – baseball, softball, soccer, track, powerlifting, biking, running
• Favorite Breakfast Food: Eggs

What are you most excited about in the coming year?
We are so excited for 2025! Every day we are grateful for all of our amazing patients, their families, and the honor of being a team who truly loves to work together doing what we love and helping others. In 2025, we hope to:
1. Provide top level patient care to our patients and their families
2. Get funding for an amazing new exercise study with some very awesome partners
3. Write more articles with Dr. Hilgenkamp that help other providers deliver purposeful and successful care to individuals with Down syndrome
4. OT Jamie is looking forward to developing a special new project at the local GiGi’s Playhouse (GiGi’s Playhouse Denver)
5. Build on the strengths of each of our providers so we all continue to grow both individually and as a team
6. We would really love to have a regular get together for awesome patient parents to just hang out!

Image Credits
These pictures are all from our own clinic pictures! 🙂