Doctor CJ Mimee, PT, DPT, RYT (Hyde Park, Chicago, IL 60615)

Owner and Founder

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Registered Yoga Teacher

CJ always loved to move. From a young age, she used to disappear into trees for hours on end, climb door-frames, and clothing line posts four stories high. Later, movement took on a more structured expression in the form of sports and yoga. Raised by her Greek grandparents in Montreal, Canada, she loves languages and understands the importance of access to quality health professionals who take the time to dissolve such barriers. She speaks English, French, and Greek, and is working on Spanish. Because she cares so deeply for people, it is difficult for her to choose a favourite area of the body to treat, however, she feels most fulfilled while taking care of the whole person at the same time. She states that she adores watching people fall in love with themselves again, once pain and difficulty with movements can be addressed.

She attended MGH Institute of Health Professions and lived in Boston, MA, before moving to Chicago. There, she was lucky enough to be the last cohort to perform their own dissections on people who donated their bodies to science and went back for several years to assist with preparing the bodies in advance for future classes of doctor of physical therapy students.

Her dream is to build a community resource where people can come and learn about their bodies, how to advocate for themselves, and feel safe and like family in their healthcare.

Chris Washington, PTA (Hyde Park, Chicago, IL 60615)

physical therapist assistant

(pictured here with Chris-Ray Bonaparte)

joined us february 2023

Born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Chris found his way in the field of service through fitness. As a kid, some of his biggest heros and physical aspirations were LL Cool J, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and of course, Batman. 

Through his course of being the next cape crusader, he soon realized that, to be the hero he wanted required helping others outside of doing 100 pushups a day. He soon became a personal trainer. To his surprise, he found that not many of his clientele sought to become a comic book character. In fact, they were battling injuries, pain, and even neurological problems. These clients inspired him to seek further knowledge in addressing these life-changing boundaries and he soon found Physical Therapy. Chris soon decided to commit in becoming a full time Physical Therapist Assistant, attending Malcom X College here in Chicago.

Chris has been a service to his community since, through healing and changing lives through assisting his clients, turned patients, turned extended family via therapeutic measures.

As far as his aspirations of becoming Batman, no one can confirm or deny. But ask yourself, have you seen Chris and Batman at the same place at the same time? 

Doctor David Vlaich, PT, DPT, OCS (Andersonville, Chicago, IL 60640)

doctor of physical therapy

Orthopedic clinical specialisT

joined us september 2024

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, David earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Arkansas. David then attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2019. He continued his education by becoming a board certified orthopedic specialist in 2021.

David’s interest in physical therapy began after suffering a lower back injury while weight lifting in college. With the help of his physical therapist, he not only recovered but was able to return to strength training pain-free. This personal experience made David realize that he wanted to empower those suffering from pain and disability by helping them return to the activities they love, pain-free.

David prides himself with his ability to work with a wide variety of individuals. David has experience in treating a diverse population ranging from high school to professional athletes, post-operative patients, weekend warriors, older adults, and everything in between.  But due to his own injury history, David's favorite type of individual to work with is helping gym goers dealing with persistent pain and injuries get back to the workouts they love.  David is a strong believer in a patient-centered approach to therapy in which treatment is a partnership between therapist and patient. For David, the key to a positive therapy experience is understanding his patients’ holistically and considering their lifestyle, work, home environment, and physical activity level in the plan of care. Through the utilization of evidence-informed decision making and a combination of manual therapy, exercise prescription, and education, David will work with you to develop the best possible program that will enable you to strive towards your goals.

Outside of the clinic, you can find David watching any sport on TV, calling the Hogs (Woo Pig!), strength training and exercising, hanging out with friends and family, and exploring Chicago's best restaurants and cocktail bars with his wife.

Doctor Julia Hunter, PT, DPT, PCES (Hyde Park, Chicago, IL 60615)

Pelvic floor specialist

Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist

joined us january 2026

Julia has enjoyed helping others for as long as she can remember, beginning with helping her mom take care of her younger sister and brother growing up. As the oldest, Julia eventually expanded her desire to help from her personal experiences to a career in physical therapy.

Born and raised in Chicago, Julia spent time exploring the globe and United States through school and travel. She attended Saint Louis University, graduating in 2012 with an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Spanish before also graduating with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2014 from the same institution. While in college, Julia studied abroad in Madrid, Spain for a semester where her love of learning about other cultures and peoples’ lived experiences bloomed. Upon returning back to the United States she had two clinical rotations on the west coast, in California and Washington State, before taking her first physical therapy job in Boston, Massachusetts. Julia received a certificate in Medical Spanish from Boston College as it helped her communicate most effectively with her patient population at the time, 40-50% of which were primarily Spanish speaking patients. 

Julia’s introduction to Pelvic Health was through IAMT, The Institute of Advanced Musculoskeletal Treatments, when she took a course called “Pelvic Health for the Orthopedic Therapist” while living in Memphis in 2017. It is at this time that she realized there was a huge gap in care and there was something she could do to help! Julia has been treating pelvic health conditions ever since! She is one course away from becoming a Certified Pelvic Health Clinician through IAMT as well as has recently become a Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist. Julia has two young children and although she had fairly uncomplicated pregnancies and recovery periods, it has impassioned her to fight for incredible care for her patients, from beginning to end of their pregnancy and postpartum period.

Now back in Chicago as of 2023, Julia continues to pursue her passion in community care and building. Always having worked in community health, she cares for her patients as a whole person and likes to get to know what motivates them and what their goals are. She recognizes pelvic floor physical therapy can be a bit daunting and promises to her patients to take things slowly, answering any and all questions, and being sensitive when asking about typically taboo topics (bladder habits, bowel habits, and yes, even sex habits!)

Doctor Jeffrey Tan, PT, DPT (Hyde Park, Chicago, IL 60615)

doctor of physical therapy

joined us may 2026

Born and raised in Chicago's Chinatown and Bridgeport communities, Jeff has developed a deep appreciation for communities. Jeff holds an Associate of Science Degree from the City Colleges of Chicago, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Sciences minoring in Disability and Human Development from the Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago, and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Governors State University. Jeff is passionate and intentional, carrying that same spirit into his physical therapy profession. Prior to physical therapy school, Jeff enlisted in the United States Navy as an opportunity to further develop character before taking the role as a healthcare professional. Now, as a new healthcare professional Jeff seeks to learn and lead in his new profession. 

Jeff is starting his career at Velona Health PLLC, bringing a keen interest in neuromuscular reeducation to the repertoire of treatments. Jeff's passion and interest in incorporating neurological principles stem from his experiences being raised by a single mother who is also a twice stroke survivor. Jeff is curious, passionate, and driven to find better practices for neurological conditions, especially for strokes. 

When Jeff is not providing care at Velona Health, he shares his time and effort in other initiatives. Jeff actively mentors high school students, undergraduate college students, and fellow veterans transitioning into the health sciences. Jeff also conducts research at a specialized neurological outpatient clinic, and volunteers as a teaching assistant in Governors State University's Physical Therapy program. Jeff plans to pursue lecturing in the future, but until then, he teaches people how their mind, body, and spirit move forward after injury or setbacks! 

DOGtor Kala Mimee (Hyde Park, Chicago, IL 60615)

Human Resources

morale manager

Kala lives to people-watch, particularly if they are doing something brand new that she has never seen before. She worries about people when they are having difficulty walking or moving around in public and will look to Dr. CJ Mimee for insight and reassurance that they are going to be ok. She has the memory of a computer and will remember something forever, including her friends. She will never share your medical history, but if she sees you in public, she will let on that she knows you.

Kala is a problem-solver by nature and does not tire with difficult projects, often returning to them later with fresh eyes. Self-driven, she takes on new tasks and loves to keep busy. She is a hostess at heart and may offer to carry patient’s hats/gloves/umbrellas into clinic for them from the hallway, while also respecting a patient’s independence and autonomy.

Although only born in June of 2019, Kala assists in clinic with patients who enjoy her company; if someone makes a noise from pain, she will walk up, watch and listen for the person’s breath to normalize, and then return to her resting spot.

If you see her in the community, she enjoys good conversation over cuddles.

Administrative Support (Hyde Park, Chicago, IL 60615)

Administrative assistant

Position Filled! Bio Coming soon.

Sabrina Campbell

billing assistant

joined us june 2026

Sabrina has always been the person who makes sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes — and she wouldn't have it any other way. Growing up in South Florida, she developed an early appreciation for structure, reliability, and showing up for the people who count on you. Those values have followed her through every chapter of her career and her life as a single mom of three.

With over 20 years of administrative and operations experience, Sabrina has supported everyone from attorneys and orthopedic surgery teams to C-suite executives and growing small businesses. She got her start as a Surgery Coordinator at Orlando Orthopaedic Center, where she learned firsthand how important precision and calm communication are in a healthcare setting — and how much patients and providers alike depend on the person keeping logistics airtight. From there, she moved through roles in client relations, office management, and executive assistance, earning a Bachelor of Business Management from DeVry University along the way.

Now settled in the Missouri Ozarks, Sabrina brings a steady, solutions-first energy to the Velona Health team. She genuinely loves the backend work that most people find overwhelming, and takes pride in being the kind of support that lets a practice run with confidence.

When she's not keeping operations humming, she's chasing after her three kids and their perpetually chaotic schedules — training, she says, that makes even the busiest inbox feel manageable.