Jennie Smallcomb, DPT

Bio

I am a Santa Rosa native and enjoy working in the community where I was raised.

I became interested in working as a physical therapist after participating in physical therapy as a patient. I have been active in some form of exercise for most of my life. Unfortunately, I was constantly getting injured which lead to multiple sessions of physical therapy for rehabilitating two broken ankles, a dislocated shoulder and knee surgery. The therapists that helped me rehabilitate from these injuries were tremendously helpful in my recovery. I realized that I wanted to have a similar impact on people recovering from injury or sickness. After graduating from UC Davis with a Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science, I went to University of the Pacific in Stockton and received a Doctoral Degree in Physical Therapy.

I joined Kaiser Permanente in 2005 at the San Rafael Medical Center. There, I treated patients in the outpatient physical therapy department. I was inspired to join Kaiser for a number of reasons including the integrated, team based approach and emphasis on preventative and proactive medicine. I also like the electronic medical charting system where I find it easy to communicate with other health care providers and access important information about my patients.

In June 2007, I moved to the Santa Rosa Medical Center. As a Santa Rosa native I wanted to work in the in the community that I live. Here, I am a physical therapist in the department of occupational medicine. This means that that I treat patients that have injured themselves on the job.

I am also excited to be a member of the Sports Medicine Team. Currently, I am working with Montgomery High School Girl's Soccer team doing injury prevention and recovery. This is especially rewarding because I was a member of this team years ago.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

I enjoy being a physical therapist because the job is so dynamic. Every patient has a unique problem and different goals. I believe it's important to treat the whole person - not just the injured body part. I love to help facilitate the body's natural healing process by teaching people how to take care of themselves through exercise and activity modification. I also strive for constant and never ending improvement and am always looking for new ways to improve as a health care provider.

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

More stretching

The Soccer Team

Stretching

Helping to stretch

Soccer Practice

Treating a shoulder

Interests

Currently reading:
Lonely Planet's Guide to New Zealand and What to Eat by Marion Nestle

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I met my husband, Nathan during highschool. He works as an Information Technology Manager. We spend a lot of time with our families who also live in Santa Rosa.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

Nathan and me in Kauai

Arthur is our 1 year old Boxer. We like to teach him tricks and take him walking or running. His favorite thing to do is eat expensive items around the house!

We also have 2 cats - Oolie and Walter.

Pet Photos:

Arthur

Oolie and Walter

Travel

An adventure I've had:

Nathan and I love to travel. This coming year we are planning trips to Kona, HI, New Zealand and a 2 week road trip through the midwest!

Favorite place in the world:

My favorite vacation place is a small motu in French Polynesia called Le Taha'a. I have never seen a more beautiful and peaceful place.