Lenore Filler Morrissey, MPT, DPT, OCS, CFC: Lenore Filler Morrissey was born and raised in Torrance, California. She earned her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at Whittier College in Los Angeles in 1993. She continued her studies in sciences at San Francisco State, Long Beach State and Louisiana State Universities. During this time, she published two peer reviewed studies and performed preliminary development of a transdermal blood sugar monitoring watch for a biomedical research company in the Bay Area. Lenore was accepted into the Feinberg School of Medicine Program in Physical Therapy at Northwestern University and graduated with her Master of Physical Therapy Degree in 1998. She was published in a peer reviewed pediatric physical therapy article while at Northwestern. Upon returning to California, she worked in a variety of physical therapy settings including pediatrics, home health and inpatient rehabilitation. At Kaiser Permanente she treated patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition, she participated in a year-long manual physical therapy course after which she achieved her Orthopedic Certified Specialty from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists 2004. Then in 2005, Lenore developed, owned, and operated a private outpatient orthopedic physical therapy practice in Rancho Palos Verdes for 11 years. During this time, she attended many continuing education courses including functional movement athletic testing, kineseotaping techniques, sarco-iliac joint dysfunction, foot and ankle injury, and orthotic prescription and fabrication to name a few.
While running her practice, she saw a growing need for physical therapy expertise in head and neck disorders, particularly its relationship to sleep disorders. This prompted her to seek out education in alternative non-traditional physical therapy treatment. Her first eye-opening course came when taking oral myofunctional therapy with Joy Moeller in 2012, then the Laynee Restorative Breathing Method and craniosacral therapy with Upledger Institute. In the following few years, she earned her Certification as a Craniofacial Specialist under the training of renowned expert in craniofacial and temporomandibular disorders, Mariano Rocabado via the University of St. Augustine. She then went on to receive her transitional doctorate in physical therapy with this university specializing craniofacial study in 2017.
Lenore is a faculty member lecturer for the Airway Focused Dentistry Mini-Residency with Mark Cruz, DDS and Barry Raphael, DDS; a member of American Physical Therapy Association, the California Physical Therapy Association, the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences, the Foundation for Airway Health and the American Academy of Applied Physiologic Medicine and Dentistry for which she is a liaison. Lenore is an Oxygen Advantage instructor and uses capnometry for patient airway assessment and treatment. She is currently active in continuing study with the Postural Restoration Institute®, Applied Integration Academy and Stecco® Fascial Manipulation. Her goal is to provide patient care to help resolve airway disorders with an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach that will hopefully become a less unique physical therapy specialization in the not-so-distant future. She currently treats private patients both in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in person and virtually.