91´ÎÔª

Steve Ferdig is a board-certified orthopedic clinic specialist and serves as the Director of the UMPT Clinic.  Dr. Ferdig graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Human Physiology from California State University at Long Beach in 1991 and received his Master of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Southern California in 1993.  He completed a year-long manual therapy program emphasizing spinal treatment through Folsom Physical Therapy in 1995.  Dr. Ferdig served as Adjunct Faculty for 20 years in the Department of Physical Therapy at Chapman University.  In 2011, Dr. Ferdig completed his transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Chapman University.  He was the owner of an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy practice, Specialized Physical Therapy, for 14 years.  Dr. Ferdig teaches examination and treatment of the spine in the musculoskeletal tract of the DPT program at UM.  His passion is to empower individuals to maximize function through education, exercise and self-management techniques.  When not working in the clinic he can be found fly fishing and enjoying time with family.

Stephanie Laut is a Neurologic Clinical Preceptor and clinician at the 91´ÎÔª School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. She received her undergraduate degree at Michigan State University with a BS in Psychology. She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in 2014 then began her career in Neurologic Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic where she served as a clinician in the acute, inpatient, and outpatient settings specializing in Spinal Cord Injury and complex medical conditions. She moved into the private sector in 2016 where she provided home-based therapy to patients with neurologic conditions to assist with community reintegration. After moving to Montana in 2018, she has continued working with a diverse neurologic populations and enjoys providing a well-rounded approach to clinical treatment with specific focus on maintaining community and recreational engagement.

Christy Heidema is a physical therapist and clinical preceptor in the 91´ÎÔª Physical Therapy Clinic. Dr. Heidema received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Dordt University. She subsequently received a PhD in Molecular & Cellular Biology, where she studied mechanotransduction—how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces. Driven by a goal to connect basic science and clinical practice, Dr. Heidema completed her doctorate in physical therapy at the 91´ÎÔª in 2022. She subsequently worked at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, UT, where she had the opportunity to develop a lower extremity emphasis and integrate comprehensive biomechanical testing into clinical care. At the 91´ÎÔª, Dr. Heidema specializes in treating patient with diverse orthopedic conditions. She treats patient both independently and mentors in a 1:4 preceptor to student physical therapist ratio during the Integrated Clinical Experience model.

Kaile Sauro is a physical therapist and clinical preceptor in the 91´ÎÔª School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. Dr. Sauro received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Analysis from Pitzer College in 2017 and completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the 91´ÎÔª in 2022. After graduating, she worked in outpatient orthopedics working with a broad spectrum of orthopedic diagnoses and athletes. Dr. Sauro primarily treats patients with orthopedic conditions and mentors students in a 1:4 preceptor to student model in the clinic.