In good hands

Hamilton Physical Therapy has become a professional home for
TCNJ alumni — and a starting point for students entering the field.

Words by Michelle Rivera

Scott Giallella, Fred York, and Mark Laurinaitis at Hamilton Physical Therapy.

PATIENTS AT HAMILTON PHYSICAL THERAPY SERVICES in Mercer County are likely to overhear some Lions lore — from championship games to favorite professors to nights at the Rat — when they go in for their appointments. That’s thanks to the easy rapport among therapists Fred York ’83, Mark Laurinaitis ’97, and Scott Giallella ’99, who turned their TCNJ academic and athletic experiences into careers at the practice.

Over the years, those TCNJ ties have extended to a new generation of students. For the past two decades, Hamilton PT has welcomed interns from the college, giving them clinical experience. Some have even stayed on after graduation — including two recent TCNJ alumni hired as part time rehabilitation aides.

YORK, LAURINAITIS, AND GIALLELLA each came to physical therapy from different paths, but sports influenced all three.

York broke his ankle while playing college baseball at TCNJ and went to PT as part of his healing process — an experience that inspired his pursuit of the profession. A biology major at TCNJ, York continued on to earn a certification in PT from Hahnemann University before joining Hamilton PT in 1986.

Childhood sports injuries had sparked Laurinaitis’ interest in the field early on. He studied exercise science in the corporate fitness track as a Lion and then completed physical therapy school at Old Dominion University in 2000. A standout athlete, he’s even in the TCNJ history books for one of soccer’s most dramatic moments: In 1996, he helped the Lions win 2–1 in the NCAA Division III championship game, scoring both goals — including the winner, with six seconds remaining in the fourth overtime. When Laurinaitis names the championship as his favorite college memory, it’s Giallella who supplies the detail about the two goals. The pair met at TCNJ, and no one in this group gets to understate a good story.

Giallella, who once considered studying art, transferred to TCNJ as a corporate fitness major with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. He played baseball and closed his college career with a senior-season trip to the regionals before earning a master’s degree in PT from Widener University. He and Laurinaitis gained early clinical experience at Hopewell Physical Therapy before their careers converged again in the early 2000s at Hamilton PT.

NOAH BELLER ’10, TCNJ’S INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR for kinesiology and health sciences, calls Hamilton PT a crucial fixture in the college’s placement program. Therapists
include students in discussions about assessments, care decisions, and the scientific reasoning behind each choice. In turn, students observe evaluations, therapy sessions, and progress assessments, giving them a clearer understanding of the profession and the graduate education it requires.

“Our previous interns have been absolutely thrilled with their supervisors’ dedication to educating them,” Beller says. “That kind of applied learning is the most valuable experience an undergraduate can get. Interns leave with an understanding of the ‘why,’ not just the ‘how.’”

When students encounter the same concepts later in their studies, their time at Hamilton PT helps them connect the dots. “It’s a joy to be part of their growth,” Laurinaitis says.

Juliana Ciccone ’25 became a part-time rehabilitation aide at the clinic after completing her internship.

Nolan Dindial ’22 took a similar path. For his senior capstone, he worked with an occupational therapist to design a rehabilitation tool for a patient recovering from a stroke. Years later, the clinic still uses it.

“I’m a firm believer that the lessons I’ve learned at Hamilton PT can’t be taught in a classroom,” says Dindial, who is completing prerequisites for physician assistant school while remaining on staff as a rehabilitation tech and physical therapy aide.

Occasionally, the generational divide produces its own lesson. Laurinaitis once told a TCNJ student that he had attended Trenton State, only to receive a puzzled look.

“That’s when I realized they were about 5 when the name changed,” he says. The students he works with today weren’t even born then.

For Laurinaitis, ties to the college continue beyond Hamilton PT. He recently joined a men’s soccer alumni career night to speak with current players about the transition from college to working life.

At the practice, that bond is renewed whenever another TCNJstudent or recent graduate arrives ready to learn. “Because the students come from TCNJ,” Laurinaitis says, “it holds something special to me.”

Photos: Hannah Yoon