The Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center Team

Sharmi Mukherjee - PT, MPT, DPT

Sharmi graduated with her bachelor's in physical therapy from India. She then completed her master's in physical therapy from Loma Linda University in 2003 and earned a doctorate of physical therapy from Northeastern University in 2011. She is certified in vestibular rehabilitation by the American Institute of Balance and has been working with patients with dizziness, vertigo and post concussion symptoms. She has been practicing as a physical therapist in the U.S. since 2007 and enjoys her orthopedic setting extremely, as it gives her a chance to practice her manual therapy skills. Being an avid learner, she keeps the clinic updated with the latest techniques in the orthopedic and sports therapy world.

In her spare time, Sharmi enjoys running, practicing yoga, learning new dance styles and volunteering for different organizations. She also has a master's in Indian classical dance.

Melissa M. de Unamuno - MOT/L, HTC

Meilssa received her bachelor's degree in health sciences with minors in kinesiology and biology from Cal State Hayward in 1999. In 2002, she received her master's degree in occupational therapy (MOT) from Samuel Merritt College after completing internships in both physical disability and hand therapy settings. Melissa began working for Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center in 2003, specializing in the treatment of orthopedic injuries of the upper extremity (elbow to hand). Shortly thereafter, she completed advanced practice certification in both hand therapy (HTC) and physical agent modalities (PAM).

In her free time, she enjoys shopping, hiking and spending time with her husband and two children.

Nelson Tumanda - PTA

Nelson Tumanda received his A.A. degree as a physical therapist assistant at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA, where he graduated cum laude. He has also earned a bachelor's of science in health science from California State University, Fresno.

Nelson has been a Fremont resident since 1994, and has been a member of the Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center staff since 2001.

Nelson enjoys an active lifestyle. He is an avid golfer, bicyclist, motorcyclist and martial artist.

Ashwinder Wadhawan - PT, DPT

Ashwinder earned her bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Guru Nanak Dev University in India in 2007, and earned a doctorate in physical therapy from Evidence in Motion in 2020. She started working in California as a PT in 2010. She has been working in Washington Outpatient Rehab Clinic since September 2013. Ashwinder enjoys working with patients of all ages and speaks English, Punjabi and Hindi fluently. She has a keen interest in manual therapy and vestibular therapy.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading books and traveling.

Michele Chiong - PT, DPT

Michele Chiong is an East Bay Native who graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. After working in customer service and sales for several years, her drive to help others inspired Michele to make a career change and pursue a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of St Augustine in San Marcos, CA. She earned her DPT in 2015, with a focus on manual therapy.

Michele considers herself a career student, always aspiring to learn new things to help her patients. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, running, snowboarding, going to concerts, and attending Oakland A’s, Warriors and Raiders games.

Cartney Dzoan - PT, DPT

Cartney Dzoan, a California-licensed Physical Therapist, graduated from University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in Public Health Science. After earning his bachelors, Cartney received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. As a powerlifting and tennis competitor, Cartney understands the importance of skilled physical rehab from both the clinician’s and patient’s perspective. He has had the opportunity to help many in the outpatient, occupational rehab, and home health settings.

Cartney enjoys working out, playing tennis and spending time with his dog when away from work. He also appreciates good food and is always looking for new places to eat and explore.

Foram Desai - OTR/L

Foram has been a registered occupational therapist since December 2016. She graduated from the OT Program at University of Central Arkansas, Conway in 2016. Since then, she has been participating in continuing education courses to expand her knowledge, with a special focus on upper extremity and hand therapy rehabilitation.

After completing her training, she has been working as an occupational therapist in various settings providing treatment for upper extremity injuries. She earned physical agent modalities (PAM) certification in February 2020 and is currently working towards her hand therapy certification.

Away from work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing board games, reading, hiking, and traveling.

Rebekah Bisset - PT, DPT

Becka, originally from Pennsylvania, received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2016 from Misericordia University. After treating patients in outpatient and home health settings, she received additional training in Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy to serve patients experiencing pelvic dysfunction. To help patients achieve their goals, her approach incorporates both manual therapy and therapeutic exercise.

Outside of the clinic, Becka enjoys running, hiking, reading, and traveling.