Guelph Women’s Health Associates Physiotherapy

Aishwarya Desai

Registered Physiotherapist

BSc (Bio), MPT

Aishwarya Desai graduated from Western University in 2020 with a Masters of Physical Therapy. She also obtained a Bachelor of Science with honours in the fields of Biology and Medical Physiology from the University of Waterloo in 2018.

Aishwarya offers over 2+ years of clinical experience in orthopedics and neural rehabilitation and has been treating pelvic floor dysfunction since 2021. Aishwarya has experience working with women of all ages, helping them overcome urinary, fecal and urge incontinence, as well as pelvic pain. She works alongside expecting mothers, with the aim of helping them prepare for childbirth, postpartum rehabilitation and returning to exercise and/or day to day activity following their pregnancy. She also treats pelvic organ prolapse and constipation and guides her patients as they undergo menopausal and peri-menopausal changes.

Aishwarya has worked with a wide variety of patient population, including those suffering from adhesive capsulitis, low back pain, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, post-operative rehabilitation, arthritis; cardiorespiratory conditions such as pneumonia, COPD, atelectasis; and neurological conditions such as stroke, MS, Glioma, and Parkinson’s Disease.

Aishwarya speaks English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi and would love to use this knowledge to provide the best possible care for her patients.

Areas of Specific Training:

• Level 1 Manual Therapy
• Hand and upper extremity rehabilitation from Roth/McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Center
• Level 1 and 2 of Pelvic Health Physiotherapy
• Post-partum rehabilitation following cesarian birth

Areas of Clinical Interest:

• Urinary, feal and urge incontinence
• Pelvic pain, including pain associated with intercourse
• Post-partum recovery, and post-partum return to exercises
• Acute and chronic neck and shoulder pain

Sara Riazi

Registered Physiotherapist & Pediatric Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

Sara is a graduate of McMaster University Masters of Physiotherapy program. Prior to this, Sara completed her Master’s of Science in Biomechanics and her Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph. Sara has furthered her education by taking a Soft Tissue Release course, Manual Therapy Level 1, Concussion Management, Vestibular Rehabilitation and Acupuncture. Sara has a keen interest in paediatric physiotherapy including paediatric pelvic health. She has taken courses in manual therapy, acupuncture and dry needling and has expanded her scope to treat children. Sara has taken courses in paediatric physiotherapy which includes paediatric pelvic level 1 (bowel and bladder disorders) and level 2 (paediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders). Outside of work, Sara enjoys cooking, baking, playing the guitar, and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Neha Katyal

Physiotherapist Resident, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

Neha completed her education at Manipal university, India where she obtained a bachelors and master’s degree in physiotherapy in 2009. She has 7+ years of experience in treating patient with various orthopedic, neurological, motor vehicle accident and work-related injuries. She has special interest in treating people with pelvic floor dysfunction and has done  advanced training in the assessment and treatment of people with  urinary & fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, painful intercourse, pelvic pain, pre & postnatal care, diastasis rectus abdominis and  Sacroiliac joint dysfunction She strongly believes in treating her patients in a holistic and evidenced based approach. She employs a combination of soft tissue techniques, manual therapy, education and exercise prescription to provide her patients with best treatment experience.    Neha is fluent in English, Hindi & Punjabi In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and travelling.

Eliza Pereira-Karve

Eliza has a special interest in women’s health and pelvic health physiotherapy. Her foray into pelvic health physiotherapy began not as a therapist, but as a patient. Her firsthand experience of the benefits of pelvic health physiotherapy and the positive influence it had on her quality of life, motivated her to pursue formal training in pelvic health.

Eliza graduated in 2009 with a Master in Physiotherapy. She began practising in Ontario in 2011 with a diverse orthopaedic caseload and gradually transitioned to a focus on treating women. She has completed numerous courses focussed on treating incontinence, pelvic pain, dyspareunia, vaginismus, diastasis rectus abdominis, pelvic organ prolapse and pelvic girdle pain, to name a few. In 2021, she completed a pelvic health focussed, clinical mentorship in the Integrated Systems Model (ISM) approach with Diane Lee and associates in British Columbia.

Eliza has experience working with women of all ages, assisting them to overcome sexual health-related challenges, prepare for childbirth, return to exercise and activity after pregnancy and to age gracefully from peri to post-menopause.

Eliza strongly believes that optimal health is a combination of a healthy body, and a resilient spirit and mind. She uses a whole-person treatment approach that involves sensitive communication, education, manual therapy and individualized exercise prescription and modalities.

When she is not practising, Eliza likes travelling with her spouse to off-the-beaten-path destinations. She also enjoys all things artsy and craftsy.

Megan Bendfeld

Part-Time Receptionist

Megan graduated from the University of Windsor with a degree in Family and Social Relations with a concentration in Gender Studies. Megan was a personal nanny for 6 years and joined the GWHA team in 2020. Once completing her degree, Megan started classes to become a Certified Lactation Counselor through the CAPPA program. She is currently working toward becoming an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant through the Newman Clinic. Megan’s goal is to educate and help new parents with feeding their babies; this could be through the means of breast/chestfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, or formula use. Megan was recently married and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. In her free time, Megan can be found baking with her daughter, shopping at the mall, or practicing yoga.

Janette MacMillan

Receptionist

Janette has just recently joined GWHA as a full-time receptionist and has many years working in Customer Service. In my spare time, I like to spend it in my craft room crafting and creating floral arrangements for all occasions. You will often find me throughout the year being a vendor at various craft shows.

Jessica Dorado

Receptionist, Regional Administrative Trainer

Jessica holds a degree in Geography from the University of Guelph and a diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts Management from George Brown College. She first joined EPA’s Bullfrog location in 2015 where she worked full-time reception for a year before going to pastry school. Jesica worked at the University of Guelph pastry kitchen where she focused on recipe development and ensuring smooth day to day operations. With the impacts of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, Jessica excitedly rejoined the EPA team in 2020 at the Guelph Women’s Health location. Jessica is your main contact person for any booking and billing inquiries at GWHA.

Hannah Beaumont

 Receptionist

Hannah graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Human Kinetics. She is now pursuing her education at the University of Western Ontario, working towards a diploma in Pedorthics. In her free time, she loves to go to the gym, spend time with family and friends, and explore with her dog. Hannah can be found working the front desk at Guelph Women’s Health Associates.