Our Team
Dr. joseph Westlake, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
PHYSICAL THERAPIST, FOUNDERDr. Joseph (Jay) Westlake is a Fellowship-trained, Board Certified Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapist with over 10 years of experience. Raised in Hackensack, NJ, he earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) in Buffalo, NY, and began as a traveling therapist, gaining diverse clinical experience before settling in the Bay Area.
Joseph refined hands-on techniques and combined them with advanced performance and strength training to help patients recover and excel.
He founded Jay West Physical Therapy, Inc. in Oakland, offering one-on-one care in a gym setting focused on sports and orthopedic rehab. An avid cyclist, runner, and strength trainer, his personal interests inspire his approach to recovery.
bernadeth ignacio
PATIENT CARE COORDINATORI am Berna, the Virtual Patient Care Coordinator at Jay West Physical Therapy.
With over two years of experience in patient support, I find joy in creating positive and reassuring experiences for every person I assist.
Beyond work, I enjoy weekends filled with laughter, fun activities, and time spent with the people who lift my mood, inspire me, and help me recharge for the week ahead.
Dr. sarah Kittler, PT, DPT,
Dr. Sarah Kittler, PT, DPT, is a licensed physical therapist specializing in orthopedic, sport and pregnancy/postpartum rehabilitation with a strong focus on patient-centered care.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy at High Point University. Dr. Sarah has practiced in diverse clinical settings across Colorado and Texas, treating a wide range of orthopedic, post-surgical, and sports-related conditions.
She has a special interest in pelvic floor physical therapy for female athletes throughout the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum continuum. Dr. Sarah is committed to evidence-based treatment that supports long-term movement health and functional recovery.
STAFF PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Christine Huang, PTA
PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSISTANTChristine Huang is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant with a strong interest in orthopedic and sports rehabilitation. She recently completed her Physical Therapist Assistant training, where she developed experience in therapeutic exercise, functional mobility training, and rehabilitation techniques for orthopedic conditions.
Christine enjoys helping patients feel more confident in their recovery and loves creating a positive, encouraging environment during treatment sessions. She believes rehab should not only help people heal, but also help them get back to doing the things they enjoy most.
Outside of the clinic, Christine enjoys traveling to new cities, drinking matcha lattes, going on walks with her dog Tofu, and trying new bay area food spots with her friends.
Looking to join our team?
MASSAGE THERAPISTInterested in joining the team?
We are looking for a Sports Massage Therapist to join our new space.
Check out the job posting in the careers section.
Inquire directly via email at admin@jaywestpt.com
Bienvenido - Mi Historia
Physical therapy found me long before I knew the name for it. My family pushed me into sports, which meant plenty of time in the trainer’s room. My dad went through multiple joint replacements, yet always bounced back to hiking, coaching baseball, and shooting hoops at Rowland Park. My godfather gave me my first job making cast moldings for the kids he treated in the clinic attached to his home — and the PTs he worked with seemed like absolute angels.
Watching people recover, especially my dad, lit something in me. Afternoons working with my high school athletic trainer, Cindy, I fell in love with the grind of rehab and the feeling of getting back to sport. At SUNY Buffalo, mentors helped me see PT as a real career. I knew early: I wanted to stay active, work with people, and help them get better — not sit behind a desk.
Once I started practicing, I ran into the same frustration again and again: insurance companies limiting care for people who desperately needed it. Decisions made by strangers who never met my patients. Denials for care that could change lives. That frustration is what pushed me toward advanced training and my fellowship in orthopedic manual physical therapy.
After working across more than a dozen clinics, gyms, hospitals, and medical centers, a few things became clear:
My best work happens with true one-on-one time.
The fewer patients I see in a day, the faster they get better.
Hands-on, individualized care helps people get off pain medications sooner.
Patients thrive when I can guide them, treat them, and truly know their story.
And honestly? I’m tired of insurance companies telling you that you need to jump through hoops — seeing a doctor, waiting for hours, getting limited to one body part — just to get the care you already know you need. I joke about it, but that’s the reality of our healthcare system. Enough is enough. Jay West Physical Therapy exists to cut through the nonsense, get you what you need when you need it, and move on with our day.
Because what are the alternatives?
Getting trapped in the cycle of prescription pain meds?
Jumping straight to surgery without exploring conservative options?
Falling through the cracks of a system that doesn’t always put you first?
YA BASTA.
I didn’t pursue more training just to hang another degree on my mother’s wall. Yes, I want to have some of the best hands in the game — but my mission is bigger than that. I want to show you that you do have options. I want to help you understand your body, protect yourself from recurring injuries, and get back to what you love.
If I can do that for every patient who walks through my doors, the paradigm will shift. People will start seeing themselves the way I do — holistically — and I truly believe things will change for the better.
Jay West Physical Therapy is my attempt to create that change, for you and for me. A clinic built around time, attention, hands-on skill, and humanity — where you come first, always.
Dr. Joseph “Jay” Westlake, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
“We want to help you through those tough, recurring, nagging injuries so that you get back to what you love.”