Meet the Team / Danville Staff

Eric Sargent MPT

Co-Owner and Physical Therapist

Eric Sargent, MPT, is co-owner of Diablo Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. He obtained his BS in Business Administration from the University of Redlands, and his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. He worked in several sports medicine clinics in Southern California before opening Diablo Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in January 2000.

In addition to working with patients, he has taught as a lab instructor at USC, mentored physical therapy students, and performed instructional/educational talks in the community on injury prevention, ergonomics, rehabilitation, and sports performance enhancement. His areas of expertise are foot and lower extremity injuries, spine, shoulders and headaches. He specializes in working with swimmers, water polo players, golfers, tennis players, runners, and triathletes. Born and raised in Danville, he coached the Del Amigo Swim Club for several years.

Laura Kitlas DPT

Physical Therapist
lmkitlas@gmail.com

Laura is from the east bay area and grew up playing many sports such as soccer, basketball, swimming, water polo, and lacrosse. She played basketball and lacrosse in high school and went on to play club lacrosse at San Diego State University. Laura graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Pre-Physical Therapy. Laura returned to the bay area for graduate school where she attended Samuel Merritt University and earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May of 2011, while also assisting in coaching for the Las Lomas Varsity Women’s Lacrosse team for 5 years.

Laura enjoys working with all types of sports and orthopedic injuries, with particularly interest in rehabilitating teenagers back to sport. In her off time Laura enjoys working out, coaching and traveling and is hoping to get into cycling and triathlons.

Megan Eorio DPT

Physical Therapist
megdpt@gmail.com

Megan obtained her BS degree in Exercise Science from Northern Arizona University in 2001. She then went on to complete her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Southern California in 2005.

Born and raised in Danville, Megan was excited to join the Diablo PT team in 2005. Growing up she was an avid soccer player, tennis player, and swimmer at Monte Vista High School and local club teams.

Megan stays current in her profession by attending numerous continuing education courses with an emphasis in biomechanical dysfunctions and sports rehabilitation. She not only treats patients with orthopedic dysfunction but also treats patients with Parkinson’s disease and has a strong interest in pursuing a specialty in neurological population. She was recently certified as an LSVT BIG provider for patients with Parkinson’s disease. (www.lsvtglobal.com)

Nicole D'Acquisto DPT, OCS, CSCS

Physical Therapist
nicole.diablopt@gmail.com

Nicole obtained her BS degree in Kinesiology, with an emphasis in Exercise Science and Fitness from San Francisco State University in 1998. Upon completion, she joined a world renowned physical therapy/sports medicine clinic in San Francisco where she gained extensive experience with high level and professional athletes. In 2003 she went on to earn her Masters degree in Physical Therapy from Western University of Health Sciences, during which time she was awarded multiple scholarships and awards along with obtaining her Certification as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

Since joining Diablo Physical Therapy in 2003, Nicole went on to distinguish herself as a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS), and further demonstrated her commitment to the profession by completing the advanced Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. Her constant involvement in numerous continuing education courses keeps her current on evaluation, assessment, and treatment of various musculoskeletal injuries. Nicole especially enjoys treating active patients with knee and shoulder dysfunctions and returning each patient back to their desired activtiy. She enjoys combining multiple techniques to improve mobility and aid in neuromuscular re-education. She is certified with Graston technique and works with both Kinesiotape and McConnell taping for pain management, education and facilitating stabilization. Her approach also focuses on therapeutic exercises to progress healing and improve performance.

Scott Garey PT

Physical Therapist 
scott@diablopt.com

Scott obtained his degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Kansas Medial Center in 1986. Upon graduation, Scott relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area where he has gained more than 16 years of experience practicing in and managing orthopedic and sports medicine clinics before joining Diablo Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine.

Scott has emphasized continuing education throughout his career. Addressing underlying biomechanical dysfunction and musculoskeletal imbalances that result in mechanical stress and pain is the center of his treatment philosophy. Drawing from international osteopathic, sports orthopedic treatment philosophies, Scott has developed an eclectic treatment approach emphasizing manual therapy, exercise and education. Areas of special interest include the spine, shoulder, knee, foot/ankle, upper and lower repetitive stress syndromes, and sport performance enhancement. As a former collegiate soccer player, Scott has taken special interest in the treatment of all levels of athletes as well as common orthopedic injuries.

Kim Jespersen MSPT

Physical Therapist

Kim obtained her BS degree in Human Health & Performance, with an emphasis in Athletic Training from University of Montana. Upon completion, she joined a world renowned Orthopedic sports medicine clinic in Vail, CO where she gained extensive experience treating professional athletes. She went on to earn her Masters degree in Physical Therapy from University of Montana and returned to the Orthopedic group in Vail, while briefly traveling as staff for the Olympic Mogul & Ariel ski team.

Kim relocated to the Bay Area & worked for a a regional hospital system working in Rehab, Perinatal & Finance divisions after obtaining a Finance MBA. She is excited to join the team at Diablo PT locally in 2021, after practicing and managing in several sports medicine clinics in the Bay Area.

Megan Friske PT, DPT

Physical Therapist

Megan obtained her BS degree in Physiological Science from UCLA in 2016. She was a Sports Medicine Intern at the UCLA Athletics Department, mainly working with the baseball and rowing teams. She then went on to earn her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Northwestern University.

A San Ramon native, Megan moved back to her hometown because she wanted to help patients in the community where she was raised. Megan played many sports growing up and was a volleyball player throughout her years at Cal High. She hopes to promote an injury-free lifestyle for athletes, weekend warriors, post-operative patients, and people who want to improve their health and fitness but don’t exactly know where to start.

Megan is a very active person who enjoys CrossFit, scuba diving, and volunteering at the local SPCA jogging shelter dogs on the weekends.

Steven Garske PT

Physical Therapist

Steve obtained his BS in Physical Education from UCSB and his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. He worked in neuro rehab for 2 years, then in orthopedic and sports medicine clinics first in Southern and then in Northern California, primarily in the Bay Area, including his own previous private practice in Pleasant Hill for 5 years and Walnut Creek for 10 years, working with a wide variety of sports injuries from age 7 to 100, including “weekend warriors”, student, semi- pro and professional athletes in multiple sports including basketball, football, baseball, water polo, soccer, running, golf, volleyball and an Olympic swimmer that won multiple gold medals in multiple events in multiple Olympic years, including rehabilitation, injury prevention and sports performance enhancement.

In addition to working with patients, he has taught continuing education courses with the Institute of Physical Art, for the California Physical Therapy Association, is a certified clinical instructor who has mentored physical therapy students, presented educational talks in the community and to businesses in multiple locations, earning his CEAS (Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist) certification, performing ergonomic injury prevention evaluations and training, saving businesses thousands of dollars/year in the worker’s compensation/total developed losses costs.

Steve has enjoyed playing in the same local recreational basketball league 30+ years. His areas of treatment expertise include lower and upper extremity orthopedic, sports nerve injuries, spine, shoulders, throwing injuries, TMJ (temporomandibular joint and headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve entrapment problems. Steve does very thorough, comprehensive evaluations that include postural, flexibility, strength and movement pattern assessments and designs comprehensive treatment programs that include skilled manual therapy, exercise, body mechanics movement pattern enhancement re-education and training with custom home exercise programs designed to help his patients reach their treatment goals.

Will Quibell DPT

Physical Therapist
will.diablopt@gmail.com

Will Quibell grew up in Northern California in the small town of Anderson. He played many sports and also loved watching them. During that time, he was first exposed to physical therapy when a local physical therapist worked with his high school football team. As he learned more about the profession, he decided it was a great way to combine his love of sports, science, and his desire to help people as a career.

Will attended the University of the Pacific and received his bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine. He then went on to receive his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA.

Will has many years of experience working in an outpatient orthopedic and sports physical therapy setting. He is certified in Graston Technique and is an APTA certified clinical instructor. After spending the past decade in the Los Angeles region, he is excited to move back to Northern California and join the team at Diablo Physical Therapy. In his free time Will enjoys staying active, being a Star Wars and superheroes enthusiast, and following his favorite sports teams; 49ers, Giants, Warriors, and Sharks.

Kiersten Banke PT, DPT

Physical Therapist

Kiersten earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at University of the Pacific and her Bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State University. As a Danville native, she is grateful she can return to her home town to use her skills and experience in treating common orthopedic conditions to help athletes of all levels return to the activities they love.

With a special interest in pelvic rehabilitation, Kiersten is Herman and Wallace-certified and completed an internship at a pelvic physical therapy residency facility. She brings compassion and expertise to this area of care, understanding the importance of addressing sensitive issues with confidence and a tailored, holistic approach.

Kiersten’s ultimate goal is to empower her patients to achieve their goals, whether recovering from an injury, improving mobility, or enhancing athletic performance. She takes a personalized approach to every treatment plan, ensuring that each patient feels supported and confident throughout their recovery.

Outside the clinic, Kiersten stays active through rollerblading, running, Pilates, yoga, and resistance training, always seeking new ways to stay connected to her passion for movement. She is excited to bring her energy and expertise to every patient she meets and looks forward to helping you achieve your best health.

Front Office Staff: 
Angel Freytes, Front Office Manager​

Billing Office Staff:
Lindsey Halliday, Billing Manager

Erin Hartley Givens