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.
Mark Neves - OTL, MS, HTC
Born and raised locally, Mark grew up attending school in Fremont and completed
his formal education with a master's degree in occupational therapy
in 2007 from San Jose State University. With nearly a decade of experience
working as an occupational therapist, he has had the privilege of serving
patients in a variety of settings including: acute care, skilled nursing,
pediatrics and, most prominently, hand therapy, having been certified
by the California Board of Occupational Therapy. He has been working in
Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center for more than eight years
now, specializing in treatment of injuries to the upper extremities.
Mark takes great pride in assisting individuals with their recovery process,
helping them restore their functional abilities and maximizing each client’s
quality of life.
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
Ashwinder earned her bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Guru
Nanak Dev University in India in 2007. 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 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.
Angelica Valenzuela - PT
Angelica Valenzuela earned her physical therapy degree in 2002 in the Philippines.
She has been working as a licensed physical therapist in the U.S. since
2005. Angelica has more than 10 years experience working in various outpatient
orthopedic rehabilitation clinics. She has treated patients with various
diagnoses, ages and conditions. Working in orthopedics has always been
her interest.
In her spare time, Angelica enjoys photography, travel, and spending time
with her friends and family, especially her daughter.