Our Team
Karen Agostinucci
PT, DPT, MS, OCS, Cert. SMT, Cert. DN, Dip. Osteopractic
Founder and Owner of Body Mechanix Physical Therapy
Karen graduated from Boston University in 1983 with a BS in Physical Therapy and from the University of Rhode Island in 1999 with an MS in Exercise Science. Karen has completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She is a certified orthopedic clinical specialist with over 30 years of experience, specializing in advanced manual therapy. Karen is certified in Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Dry Needling through the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. She received her Diploma in Osteopractic Physical Therapy December, 2015 from the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy.
Maria Joseph
PT DPT, MA, Cert. DN, Cert. IDN
Maria joined Body Mechanix Physical Therapy in 2005. After graduating from SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY in 1987 with a BS in Physical Therapy, she pursued a MA in Human Motor Learning from Teacher’s College (Columbia University) in 1990. Maria went on to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2015. Maria has over 30 years of practice with extensive experience in Orthopedics, Geriatrics and Women’s Health. Maria is certified in Dry Needling from the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. In the past, she successfully completed a Scoliosis Advanced Accreditation (SAA) for the Scientific Exercise Approach for Scoliosis (SEAS) from the Italian Scientific Spine Institute (ISICO).
Shari Kaliski
DPT, Cert. SMT, Cert. DN, Cert. IDN, Dip. Osteopractic
Shari received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from University of Rhode Island in 2007. Since joining Body Mechanix Physical Therapy in 2008, she has completed advanced training in manual therapy. Shari is certified in Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Dry Needling from the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. She received her Diploma in Osteopractic Physical Therapy December, 2015 from the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. She is also trained in integrative dry needling through the Integrative Dry Needling Institute.
Erin Johnson
DPT, Cert. DN, Cert. IDN
Clinical Director and Clinical Education Coordinator
Erin joined Body Mechanix Physical Therapy in 2012 after graduating from the University of Rhode Island with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She performed her undergraduate work at the University of Rhode Island in 2009 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. Erin is certified in Dry Needling from the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. Erin continues to pursue advanced manual therapy training to achieve her Diploma in Osteopractic Physical Therapy.
Cassie Catlow
PT, DPT, Cert. IDN
Cassie joined Body Mechanix Physical Therapy in 2018. Cassie graduated from the University of Rhode Island in May 2018 with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. In 2015, she graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology specializing in Exercise Science and a minor in psychology. While attending URI she completed research on the amount of concussion education in academic health curriculum in the United States. She also served as a team captain for the University of Rhode Island Women’s Hockey Team and was selected to represent the United States at the World University Games twice. Cassie is currently a member of American Physical Therapy (APTA). She is interested in outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation, sports physical therapy and geriatrics.
Justin Dufrene
DPT, Cert. DN, Cert. IDN
Justin joined Body Mechanix in 2021 and is originally from Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 2015, he graduated from McNeese State University with a B.S. in Health and Human Performance for Exercise Science. In 2016 Justin moved to Rhode Island to attend URI and graduated from the Physical Therapy program in 2019. A passion for coaching and teaching led Justin to his current career. He enjoys working with patients of all ages to help them reach their rehab goals by focusing on patient education, manual therapy techniques, and functional movement science. He is also certified in Functional and Integrative Dry Needling. In his spare time Justin enjoys traveling with his family, hiking, camping, skiing, snowboarding, going to the beach, and cooking traditional home-made Louisiana Cajun cuisine. He is also a big fan of the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, New Orleans Saints, and LSU Tigers.