Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Research

Scientific Director: Lynn Tanner, PT
Lynn Tanner is the Scientific Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a Rehabilitation Clinical Specialist in Oncology. She has worked as a physical therapist for 20 years at Children’s focusing on improving the lives of children and teens with cancer so they can play tag at recess, play for their favorite sports team, or hike through the woods. Through research, the team is learning how chemotherapy affects the nerves and function of a child, how rehabilitation techniques like strengthening, balance training, and ankle braces may help a child recover, and how hospitals can deliver services to every child who needs them. When not at work, she enjoys finding new adventures with her family and friends in the mountains, near the ocean, in the backyard, or around the dinner table.

Carrie Gorzek, DPT
Carrie Gorzek is a Physical Therapist and Rehabilitation Clinical Specialist in Bowel and Bladder services. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. She has worked as a physical therapist at Children’s MN for 16 years striving to improve the quality of life for all patients and their families. Since 2017, she has been treating children with incontinence, so that children and their families can live life to the fullest, participating without worry, in all things they love. Carrie is passionate about developing the Bowel and Bladder Program at Children’s MN to continually improve quality of care and patient access so that all people who need these services can receive expert care. When not at work, she enjoys traveling to new places with her family and friends, cooking (and tasting) new recipes, reading, and practicing yoga.  

Christine Hajduk, Clinical Research Associate

Becki Derrick-Schmitt
Becki Derrick-Schmitt is a Speech-Language Pathologist and the Feeding and Swallowing Clinical Specialist at Children’s Minnesota. She has been with Children’s for 13 years. She has experience treating children with various communication disorders and is especially focused on pediatric feeding and swallowing. The premature birth of her first child who experienced significant medical challenges, including feeding and swallowing difficulties, in addition to her ongoing interest in learning, inspired her to participate in research and continuous quality improvement within pediatric feeding and swallowing.  She provides clinical leadership for the feeding and swallowing programs at Children’s Minnesota. Becki is passionate about learning, research, and program development and enjoys collaborating with families and medical teams to ensure the best outcomes. Outside of work, Becki enjoys running, camping, and spending time at the cabin with her two children and husband.

Kelsey Gustner, PT, DPT

Jenny Henrickson, PT, DPT, PCS
Jenny Henrickson serves as manager for the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Services Department. She supports our Rehab Clinical Specialists in building research-driven rehab programs to bring state-of-the-art therapies to our patients and families. Jenny received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the Mayo School of Health Sciences. She is a board-certified pediatric clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy. In her free time, Jenny enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors with her husband and their golden retriever, Abby.

Monica Olsen, PT, DPT
Monica Olsen is a Physical Therapist and Rehabilitation Clinical Specialist in Oncology. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, and has worked at Children’s Minnesota with children and teens currently battling cancer, as well as cancer survivors, since 2019. In the Children’s MN Cancer and Blood Disorders Clinic, she focuses on keeping kids doing all of the things they love to do throughout their entire cancer journey – like playing sports, going to school, having dance parties, and participating in family bike rides. The cancer rehab team performs research to learn more about how cancer treatments impact a child’s nerve functioning, walking pattern, and mobility skills; and particularly how to measure this neuropathy in very young children. The team is learning how rehabilitation interventions can help a child recover from their cancer treatments, and teaches these findings to doctors, nurses, and therapists around the world. Outside of work, Monica enjoys trying new recipes, making music, and spending as much time outside as possible – especially while hiking, camping, and teaching adaptive downhill skiing.

Lauren Scott, PT, DPT, PCS
Lauren Scott is a Board-Certified Pediatric Physical Therapist and Rehabilitation Clinical Specialist in the NICU. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, in 2012. She has worked at Children’s Minneapolis since 2017 providing care for infants, neonates, and their families. She is passionate about finding meaningful ways for caregivers to bond with their babies through touch and early opportunities for movement. She looks forward to utilizing research to ensure the best developmental outcomes for our tiniest patients. On a personal note, Lauren spends much of her time experiencing the world through the eyes of her young children. She enjoys listening to podcasts/audiobooks, going for walks with her dog, home improvement projects for her century old home, and bike riding.
 

Nancy Slater, OTR/L, CLC, NTMTC
Nancy Slater is a Rehab Clinical Specialist for cardiovascular care in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. Her primary focus is improving the developmental outcomes and quality of life for patients and families with congenital heart disease. She attended the program in occupational therapy at the University of Minnesota and has been with Children’s MN for over 25 years. She has provided pediatric occupational therapy services in the inpatient and outpatient settings for many different patient populations. Ms. Slater enjoys spending time with her husband and two young adult children, doing anything outdoors in Minnesota from camping and kayaking in the summer to cross-country skiing with her dog in the winter.