Samantha Wood, MPT, MBA, PMA-CPT, RYT, is a licensed physical therapist, a Pilates Method Alliance-certified Pilates instructor, a Yoga Alliance-certified teacher, and an associate faculty member for BASI Pilates. She has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) since 1997 and of the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) and Yoga Alliance since 2010. She is the owner of The Cypress Center in Pacific Palisades, California, where she and her staff integrate Pilates with physical therapy for people of all ages and abilities. Her clinical expertise includes Pilates-based rehabilitation, yoga therapy, orthopedics, sports therapy, and functional rehabilitation. Wood received her bachelor's degree in exercise science from USC in 1991, where she worked as a student athletic trainer with athletes from all sports, specializing in volleyball, football, and track. After graduation she worked as a fitness instructor for Golden Door Spa aboard Cunard cruise ships. Two years later she earned a master of physical therapy (MPT) degree from Western University of Health Sciences. She also holds an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC). She has worked with many celebrities and professional athletes; while at HealthSouth in Arizona, she was the physical therapist for the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes, Phoenix Mercury, and Arizona Rattlers. In 2010, she was selected as the physical therapist for the EAS Unstoppable Tour, where her responsibilities included keeping elite athlete Sam Tickle in top physical condition as he completed his 30-sport, 30-city, 30-day journey. Wood began her Pilates studies in 2001 with Rael Isacowitz and has attended many of Isacowitz's advanced courses, including the prestigious mentor and master programs. She created and teaches two advanced education courses for BASI Pilates: Pilates for Injuries and Pathologies (for Pilates teachers) and Pilates: Integration Into Therapeutic Practice (for rehabilitation professionals). She has been presenting those courses, in addition to offering other workshops and lectures at Pilates conferences around the world, since 2010. Wood has been featured in the Ask the Expert column in Pilates Style magazine and authored and modeled for an article entitled "Check In to (Injury) Rehab." She also wrote an article about integration of Pilates into a physical therapy practice for Advance for Physical Therapists.
