Dr. Julie Kiser
Dr. Julie Kiser is from St. Hedwig, Texas. She did her undergraduate work at the University of the Incarnate Word, finishing a bachelor’s in rehabilitative science in 2019, then earned her doctorate in physical therapy at UT Health San Antonio in 2023. Three years at an outpatient orthopedic clinic gave her a broad caseload: orthopedic musculoskeletal conditions, post-operative recovery, geriatric patients, and patients whose balance had become the problem. She is currently working toward her Orthopedic Clinical Specialty certification, and she is particularly interested in working with the amputee population.
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
What guides the work.
Five things guide how Julie practices: compassion, empathy, responsibility, learning and loyalty. Compassion and empathy are what make the first appointment feel like a conversation rather than an intake. Responsibility is owning your plan of care and being straight with you about it. Learning is why she is working toward her Orthopedic Clinical Specialty certification rather than treating the doctorate as the finish line. Loyalty is why the same therapist is still there in week six.
Off the clock.
Life beyond the treatment table.
Julie trains for triathlons, which covers a fair amount of her week. The rest of it goes to hiking, working out, walking her dog, reading, and playing video games. It is a useful mix for a therapist to have: she knows what training for an event actually demands of a body, and she knows what it costs to keep showing up for it. That perspective tends to make the goal setting more honest.