PTA Instructors

Valeria ChristensenValeria Christensen, PT, DPT, DCE
Department Chair & Program Director
Director of Clinical Education
Professor

Valeria Christensen joined the faculty full-time in 2010.  Dr. Christensen completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science & Kinesiology from the University of Southern California in 1995 and later earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 1999.  She has functioned as the Director of Clinical Education (DCE) for the Physical Therapist Assistant Department since her arrival on campus, and she began her duties as the Department Chair & Program Director in 2019. 

Prior to her transition into academia, Dr. Christensen practiced physical therapy at Citrus Valley Medical Center in West Covina.  During that time, she primarily provided care in the Outpatient Orthopedic setting with time spent in Acute Care and Inpatient Rehabilitation as well.  She served as the Director of Physical Therapy at Citrus Valley Medical Center, Queen of the Valley Campus for 6 years, where her duties also included acting as the Site Coordinator of Clinical Education (SCCE), coordinating student internships from all of the Southern California PT & PTA schools for the hospital.   Dr. Christensen presently serves as the Secretary for the Intercollegiate Academic Clinical Coordinators Council (IACCC), a Southern California consortium of PT and PTA Schools, and continues to practice therapy in the Home Health setting on a part-time basis.  She is actively involved in the American Physical Therapy Association’s Orthopedic and Education sections, including work on a nation-wide task force for the development of a PTA-CAS.  Her teaching responsibilities at Cerritos College have included kinesiology, clinical patient handling skills, physical agents, therapeutic exercise, pathology, soft tissue and manual therapy interventions, laws & regulations, and board exam preparation.   In her free time, Dr. Christensen enjoys spending time with her husband and three boys, camping, hiking, reading classic books, and cheering for her favorite baseball and football teams:  The Los Angeles Dodgers & the USC Trojans.

Christopher IngstadChristopher Ingstad, PT, DPT, OCS, MTC, ATC, FAAOMPT
Instructor

Christopher Ingstad joined the faculty full-time in 2019.  He graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education with emphasis on Athletic Training. He is a certified athletic trainer (ATC) through The National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification. He completed his physical therapy education from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in St. Augustine, Florida in 2007. He holds a certification in manual therapy (MTC) and is an orthopedic clinical specialist (OCS). Dr. Ingstad received his fellowship training in orthopaedic manual physical therapy through the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (AAOMPT) Association.

Prior to his transition to Cerritos College, Dr. Ingstad worked principally in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy and owned his own outpatient orthopedic practice, with significant focus on sport rehabilitation and injury prevention. His areas of interest are in rehabilitation of overhead throwing athletes, sport-related ankle and knee injuries, along with treating cervical injuries, headaches and TMJ-related pain. Additionally, he currently works as an active member of the medical staff for the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and is the physical therapist for the women’s USA National Beach Handball Team. Dr. Ingstad is also an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Orthopaedic section, the California Physical Therapy Association, as well as AAOMPT. His teaching responsibilities include therapeutic exercise, basic orthopedic skills, wound care, and geriatrics. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Toni, and two children, Ryan and Joseph; and one can often find him cycling, hiking, camping, or training Jiu Jitsu.

 

Nancy CourseyNancy Coursey

Nancy Coursey BA, PTA joined the faculty part-time in 2000.  During her time at Cerritos College, Ms. Coursey has taught Pediatrics, Prosthetics & Orthotics, and Therapeutic Exercise with semester assignments varying based on Department needs. Ms Coursey obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biological Anthropology with a minor in Physiology from The University of California, San Diego in 1987.  She has been a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant at CHOC Children’s Hospital for the past 23 years. Her current role at CHOC includes serving as the Center Coordinator of Clinical Education (CCCE), coordinating internships for prospective Physical Therapy and Physical Therapy Assistant students.  Ms. Coursey currently also practices physical therapy in the Home Health setting.  Her current teaching responsibilities include Pediatrics: Growth and Development and Kinesiology Lab.

 

Linda deHaasLinda deHaas

Linda de Haas P.T., M.P.T, O.C.S, C.H.T., received her Associate of Science degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant from Cerritos College in 1985, a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Cal State University, Long Beach in 1990 and a Masters of Physical Therapy from Samuel Merritt College in 1995. She became board certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 2001 and became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2008. Linda will earn her DPT from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, July 2016.

Linda is actively involved in educational activities for physical and occupational therapists.

She is a guest lecturer at several physical therapy schools and presents at national conferences for both the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Society of Hand Therapists. She has been a co-contributor on a chapter on carpal tunnel in the book Rehabilitation of the Postsurgical Orthopedic Patient. Linda works at Professional Physical Therapy Associates in Whittier treating orthopedic patients and is the CCCE (Center Coordinator for Clinical Education). Her current teaching responsibilities at Cerritos College include prosthetics and orthotics and soft tissue and manual therapy interventions.