Jun 10, 2026
Finding purpose in practice
How residency shaped John Mantanona PT, DPT
As a high school football player in Washington State, John Mantanona was sidelined for nearly two years by a shoulder injury.
He visited a dozen different doctors, encountering a health care system that often felt rushed and impersonal. “It didn't feel like anyone was listening to any of my symptoms,” he said. “I finally got in with the leading shoulder specialist in Seattle, who diagnosed me correctly in 30 seconds.”
Until that point, Mantanona added, “the only person who really listened to me and really tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together was my physical therapist.”
That experience planted the seeds for his career.
Today, Mantanona, DPT, is a neurologic physical therapist at Sheltering Arms Institute (SAI), an inpatient rehabilitation facility and a collaboration with VCU Health. He credits the VCU-SAI Neurological Physical Therapy Residency Program – which he completed in 2025 – with transforming not only how he treats patients, but how he thinks as a clinician.
Mantanona had wanted to enter health care from a young age, having observed his grandfather’s work as a physician. Though he initially explored other paths, his trajectory became clear as he gained more exposure to physical therapy.
Family and mentors encouraged Mantanona to consider PT as a natural fit for his interests. “They told me, ‘You love exercising and you love helping people,’” he said. “The more I dug into it, the more I loved it.” He eventually earned his DPT from Texas State University.
During clinical rotations, Mantanona expected to gravitate toward orthopedic or sports rehabilitation. Instead, neurological physical therapy – which treats patients with brain, spinal cord and nervous system conditions – captured his attention. His search for a residency focused on that area brought him to VCU’s Department of Physical Therapy.
“I had no idea how good the therapy was over here until I did the research,” he said. “It's better than any other place that I've lived. The clinicians are so doggone smart.”
Immersed in a culture of evidence-based practice, Mantanona found mentors who consistently challenged him to think deeper and act with purpose. Rather than viewing sessions as isolated encounters, his residency training emphasized intentionality: why each intervention mattered and how it translated into real-world function.
“None of the patients that I worked with asked for their injuries,” Mantanona said. “They deserve the best care possible. Backed up with evidence and the best teams that I could imagine, I knew I was giving them the quality of care that they needed.” That mindset continues to shape his daily work across a wide range of neurologic conditions, from stroke and Parkinson’s disease to rare and complex diagnoses.
While his residency was demanding, it coincided with one of the most meaningful transitions of Mantanona’s life: becoming a father. Welcoming his son during residency could have added strain, but instead reinforced the program’s culture of support and balance.
“It forced me to actually stop thinking about the residency every day,” he said. “Whenever I would go home, until my son went to bed, it was time to be a dad.” He added that his wife – who “shouldered a lot of the load through my PT school and residency” – continues to be an invaluable source of support.
Mantanona encourages early-career clinicians considering a similar path to be intentional and courageous as they pursue career advancements. “It’s so scary applying for residencies because of all that self-doubt,” he said, “but you're never going to hit a home run if you never take a swing.”