Physical Therapy, Sports Rehab, Geriatric Rehab, Occupational Therapy

Meet Our Therapists

Marc D. Favieri, MPT

Marc is a graduate of Touro College, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical therapy. Marc also has a BA in Health Sciences from Gettysburg College. While at Gettysburg College, Marc was captain of the baseball team and was selected as a pitcher for the 1990 All-American Team. He has worked in a wide range of physical therapy settings, including acute care trauma, skilled nursing, home care, and outpatient orthopedic facilities.

Marc is the co-founder of Palisades Rehabilitation Center, which opened in 1997. He has attended numerous continuing education courses in areas like manual therapy, therapeutic modalities, and exercise training. Marc specializes in performance enhancement and injury prevention for the young athlete, and is especially interested in sports medicine for the throwing athlete. He has also earned a certificate in the Back to Golf program, and has a passion for working with recreational and professional golfers.

Marc is past president of the Cresskill/Demarest Rotary Club, where he is currently an active member. He resides in Ridgewood with his wife Jennifer and their 3 children, and enjoys coaching baseball and football in his spare time.

Deborah M. Longest, MS, OTR/L

Deborah received her BS in Human Services and Counseling from George Washington University, and her MS in Occupational Therapy from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. Seeing the need for community outpatient therapy, she opened Palisades Rehabilitation Center of Cresskill in 1997. Her areas of interest include Cognitive Rehabilitation, Home Safety & Modifications, and Older Driver Safety. Deb is a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS) through the National Home Builder’s Association, and a Certified Car-Fit Instructor through the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Deborah began her career working in mental health at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, and moved into home care with Englewood Hospital and Bergen Community Home Care and skilled nursing facilities like Care-One at Dunroven. She supports community activities through the Demarest Schools, Cresskill-Demarest Rotary Club and St. Therese Church. She and her husband Greg have three children, and enjoy raising them and spending time as a family.

Jennifer S. Favieri, MPT

Jennifer is a graduate of Gettysburg College, where she earned her BA in Psychology. After obtaining her master’s degree in physical therapy from UMDNJ/Rutger’s University, Jennifer opened Palisades Rehabilitation Center of Cresskill in 1997—where she oversees Medicare billing compliance. Jennifer has over 14 years experience in orthopedic and neurological care for both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her past experience includes working for UMDNJ/University Hospital in Newark, NJ, providing home health care for Englewood Hospital and Valley Home Care, and providing skilled nursing for assistive living facilities.

Jennifer enjoys working with the adult population, and strives to help patients reach their maximum functional level. She also enjoys spending time with her family, and raising three children.

Rachel Erlich, MA, OTR/L

Rachel received her Bachelor of Science degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and her MA in Occupational Therapy from New York University. She has over 27 years’ experience specializing in hand therapy, and treats hand injuries such as fractures, tendon lacerations, burns, gunshot wounds, tendinitis, arthritis and sprains. She also fabricates static and dynamic splints.

Setting quality care and treatment goals for each individual patient, Rachel aims to bring clients to maximum functional level as quickly as possible. Rachel enjoys biking with her husband on the Palisades Parkway, and raising her three children—who are all currently in college.

Margie Goldstein, MA, PT

Margie received her BS in Physical therapy at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY, and her MA in Motor Control from Teachers College, Columbia University. Margie began her career at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, where she worked as a supervisor and clinical coordinator. During this time, she traveled around the U.S. to teach courses in motor learning and consult on therapeutic intervention for neurologically impaired individuals. Margie has been working in Bergen County for 25 years, and has developed an extensive following of individuals with a wide range of disabilities. She is also a Certified Childbirth Educator and Doula.

Margie has been at Palisades Rehabilitation since 2006, where she was recently named Director of Physical Therapy. She is also the coordinator of the growing Palisades Rehab Wellness Program. Recently, Margie became certified to teach the Australian Physiotherapy Method of Pilates, and has integrated the Pilates Method into her treatment regimen. Margie lives in Palisades, NY with her husband Bill and two children, where she is an avid runner and cyclist.

Vincent DiPersia, PT, DPT, CSCS, CAMT

Vincent received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from Touro College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the Maimonides Award for his class. He has been working with Palisades Rehabilitation since 1998. Since then, he has attended many post-graduate seminars pertaining to manual/manipulative therapy and corrective exercise prescription. He has a special interest in gait restoration and lower limb biomechanics.

Vincent is a Certified Advanced Manipulative Therapist (CAMT) whose focus is evidence-based, hands-on orthopedic care. He was recently selected as a teaching assistant for the CAMT program. Vincent is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), where he assists with treatment programming and design for the higher level athlete.

Vincent currently delivers ongoing, televised talks about athletic orthopedics topics—including ACL pathology and female knee injury prevention. His research article on manual therapy of the shoulder was published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Body Movement and Therapy. Vincent recently completed the HSS advanced Hip Clinician Certification program—a professional credentialing and education program designed for therapists. The program provides training in focused care for pre-surgical and post- surgical hip disorder patients. He is currently preparing to take the OCS examination through the APTA, which will recognize him as a Board Certified Orthopedic Physical Therapist. Vincent’s favorite pastime is spending time with his wife, Elizabeth, and their son, John Vincent.

Rashida Cassubhai, PT

Rashida has over 35 years experience as a physical therapist. Since 1974, she has worked in acute care, sub-acute care, nursing home and in-home care, early intervention, and outpatient therapy. After receiving her degree in Karachi, Pakistan, Rashida spent a portion of her early career in Singapore before returning to Pakistan to work at an established clinic. She quickly became the preeminent on-site physical therapist, and moved to the United States in 1988 to join the staff of Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, NJ. There, she worked closely with Dr. Joel Lehrer, a renowned ENT, to launch the Vestibular Rehab Program.

Aside from Rashida’s clinical practice, she also served as a supervisor and Acting Director of Holy Name's Rehab Department. Rashida has been associated with Palisades Rehabilitation Center since 1999. During this time, she has also worked with infants through the Early Intervention Program and in 2003 she became a consultant with ARC of Bergen/Passaic, catering to the needs of physically and mentally challenged adults.

In 2006, Rashida became a Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner—a method that that focuses on the relationship between movement and thought. Rashida has incorporated this method into her traditional neuro-rehab approach, which has benefitted patients of all ages and diagnoses by providing them with a holistic and self-directed therapy regimen. In her spare time, Rashida is an active member of the Zonta International Club, and enjoys Tai Chi.

Ellen Breger, MA, PT

Ellen is a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical Center, where she earned her BS in Physical Therapy. She continued her education at NYU, earning an MA in Kinesiology (the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement). She completed her master’s thesis on strength training of knee musculature and did extensive research in this area. Formerly, Ellen was an Assistant Chief Physical Therapist at New York Hospital and worked at several private physical therapy offices in NY and NJ before joining Palisades Rehabilitation Center in 2001.

Ellen’s patient care experience has included in-patient rehabilitation and acute care, as well as outpatients with orthopedic and neuromuscular deficits. While working in NY she served as an examiner for the New York State Physical Therapy Licensing exam. Ellen has specialized training in the biomechanics of the foot as it relates to the complex relationship with the lower extremity, and assisted as a lab instructor for a continuing education course in lower extremity biomechanics. Using this expertise, Ellen is able to evaluate the need for custom foot orthotics.

During her physical therapy career, Ellen has taken numerous continuing education courses in a wide variety of areas, including manual therapy. This enables Ellen to deliver a comprehensive approach to her patients. Most recently she has added Pilates and Tai Chi to her physical therapy treatments.

Ellen and her husband David have two daughters. She makes fitness a priority, spending time taking Pilates classes and exercising and enjoys the outdoors: hiking, biking and gardening. In her spare time she volunteers for Children’s Aid and Family Services, Inc. and also participates in other local charitable activities as often as she can.

Sonal Modi, PT

Sonal is a graduate of Bombay University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 1983. Upon graduation, she worked in the governmental/municipal hospital, where she received training in Mumbai. She was promoted to working on a special project monitoring Muscular Dystrophy patients for the All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Locally, Sonal worked at Palisades General Hospital 1985 to 1989, treating a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient clients with respiratory, cardiac, orthopedic, post surgical and medical diagnoses. Since 1989, Sonal has been working in home care for Englewood Hospital Home Health Services, Pascack Valley Hospital Home Care Services, as well as various other home care agencies and skilled nursing facilities. She brings her extensive experience of over 22 years in homecare to Palisades Rehab Home Visits. In her spare time, Sonal enjoys yoga and is an advisor for "Options for College," a college placement company. She lives in Bergen County with her husband and two college-aged sons.