After Claire’s last marathon!
Claire McLean
Dr. Claire McLean is a physical therapist who is passionate about working with people who have Parkinson disease. She loves implementing the research which supports specific exercise programs and other wellness activities that people can do to improve their health and impact their Parkinson’s progression over their life.
She earned a doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Southern California, and completed the Rancho/USC neurologic residency program. She received her Bachelor in Science from the University of Michigan. She has done extensive professional education and is trained and certified in many Parkinson’s specific courses including PWR! Moves, LSVT BIG, Rock Steady Boxing, and Allied Team Training.
Early in her career, after seeing the incredible potential in people with Parkinson’s, she knew she had found her calling.
She founded Rogue Physical Therapy & Wellness in 2018 to offer ongoing access to high quality exercise in Orange County California. Rogue is located in a 6,000 square foot gym/clinic space and has grown from 1 physical therapist to 5 PTs and 1 Occupational Therapist over the past 4 years. Rogue has over 300 members and teaches 34 exercise classes per week in-person and 20 classes online. The in-person program serves members throughout Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego County. The online program has members all over the world.
She loves to keep a diverse professional schedule so in addition to the wellness program she also teaches courses for physical, occupational therapists and fitness professionals around the United States and internationally. She also enjoys working on research studies and staying up to date on the latest innovations in the field!
When she isn’t working, she is trying new plant-based recipes, enjoying time outside, long walks with her dog and flying in small planes with her husband, RJ who is a pilot!
Jamie Tan, physical therapist
Jamie Tan is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and has accumulated years of experience in working with people through exercise. Her drive and passion in exercise as medicine is sparked by her experience as a personal trainer and watching her sister progress with intensive rehabilitation following a stroke. She is motivated to help people feel empowered and improve their quality of life.
She completed her undergraduate coursework at California State University of Fullerton and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, the study of human body movement. During a three-year hiatus, Jamie worked as a physical therapy aide and a personal trainer. Working 1 on 1 with clients, understanding their hardships, and their desire to become the best version of themselves gave her the motivation to pursue higher education. She went on to obtain her Doctorate of Physical Therapy through California State University of Long Beach (CSULB). She is certified in PWR!, Rock Steady Boxing, and Urban Poling.
It was during her tenure at CSULB, that she became passionate about working with people with Parkinson’s Diseases (PD). Jamie could see the potential for the improvement in quality of life through increased strength and mobility. She could see that this population was not having their needs met with traditional physical therapy, which is usually a limited benefit through insurance. When she observed Dr. Claire McLean’s PWR! Moves class, she saw a significant difference in the way people arrived versus when they left class. This is the kind of life changing therapy she wanted to be involved with!
Jamie enjoys being a mom to her two children - Brixton and Raedyn. She and her husband Jimmy enjoy going to Disneyland, the aquarium, traveling, and looking for the next great adventure with their family!
Julia freeman, physical therapist
Dr. Julia Freeman always knew she wanted to help people from a young age. She grew up playing soccer and lacrosse which required her to attend physical therapy herself. She realized the impact her physical therapist had on both her mind and body, which ignited her passion to pursue physical therapy. She graduated in 2019 from New York University with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in nutrition.
Three years later, she received her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California. Throughout her doctoral education she worked with orthopedic, neurologic and pediatric populations. Julia found her passion working for people with neurologic disorders after she was able to teach a person how to walk after being unable to for 18 years. She realized that with continuing education, creativity and passion, she can make a huge impact on people’s lives.
Julia is passionate about working for people with Parkinson’s Disease because of the HUGE potential for growth every person has when they join at Rogue Physical Therapy and Wellness. She hopes to have a positive and uplifting impact on all the members just like her physical therapist did when she was growing up. Julia is also trained and certified with her CSCS and the Parkinson’s Disease course PWR! Moves.
During her free time, she enjoys being outdoors whether that is traveling, hiking or hanging by the beach. She just started learning how to garden and is hopeful to grow some vegetables and fruit in the next coming year!
Alyx Abel, Physical Therapist
Alyx is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy who is passionate about working with people with all neurologic conditions. She has a special interest in helping those with Parkinson’s disease and vestibular/dizziness issues.
Alyx grew up in Salem, OR, completed her undergraduate BS in Exercise Science at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and graduated with her Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree from Azusa Pacific University in 2013. Alyx always knew she wanted to work with people with PD and other neurologic conditions.
She dedicated the first year of her career to working in an acute care hospital. After that she completed a year-long Residency in Neurologic Physical Therapy at Precision Rehabilitation. Alyx then worked at MemorialCare Long Beach in the Outpatient Neuro Clinic for 6 years. During that time she continued her education by taking many classes pertaining to movement disorders and vestibular disorders.
Alyx is certified in PWR! Moves, LSVT BIG and she is a Parkinson’s Foundation Faculty Scholar. Alyx is also adjunct faculty in the DPT program at Mount Saint Mary’s University and helps to teach the neurologic rehab curriculum, including the Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s Plus syndrome content.
Alyx married her high school sweetheart and she is mom to two pionus parrots and a playful pup named Fry. In her free time Alyx enjoys kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, Pilates, weight lifting, camping, traveling, wine tasting, and making home made pasta. She is trying to learn some basic gardening skills and is also in the process of completing her Pilates instructor certification.
MADI CHRISTINE, PHYSICAL therapist
Dr. Madi Christine knew she wanted to be a physical therapist since she was 14. She grew up playing softball and running track where she experienced multiple injuries requiring her to attend physical therapy. She realized the rehabilitation process was not just a physical battle, but a mental battle as well. She saw the overall impact physical therapy had on her as a whole person and knew this was the field she wanted to pursue.
She graduated in 2020 from Beloit College in Wisconsin with a B.S in Health & Society. In 2023, Madi received her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California. She explored several avenues within physical therapy such as working within the hospital with individuals with neurological disorders, to managing athletes post concussion, as well as working in the COVID respiratory rehab unit. Although she had experience in different fields, Madi was passionate about the neurological aspect of physical therapy.
Madi had an 8-week clinical rotation at Rogue and fell in love with the environment that Rogue provided for the members. She saw the huge impact both physical and emotional that exercise had on people with Parkinson's and knew she wanted to be a part of this community. Madi is excited to continue learning through further courses and certifications.
In her free time, Madi enjoys stand up paddleboarding, hiking, running, and just being by the beach. She has a lionhead bunny named JJ. Madi hopes to run a marathon in the next couple years!
Leann VITALE, occupational therapist
Leann has been an Occupational Therapist since 2014. She graduated with her master’s in Occupational Therapy from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has worked in large hospital systems for most of her career and has extensive experience with neurological conditions including Parkinson’s Disease.
Her love for working with individuals with Parkinson’s began in a clinic in Naples, Florida where she was exposed to the LSVT BIG therapy protocol. She was fascinated by the progress that the clients made throughout the program. Although she wanted to gain experience with all conditions as a novel therapist, she knew that she would ultimately focus on neurological conditions, especially movement disorders.
Leann has always loved being active and working out. She grew up playing team sports, cheerleading, and dancing. She remains passionate about physical fitness and loves encouraging others to find their own ways to promote their health. She strives to spread a positive outlook to our members and continuously encourages them to have FUN during workouts!
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and going on long runs with her 85-pound Weimaraner puppy. She loves to garden and be outside for any reason. She is ecstatic to be a part of the Rogue team and looks forward to having FUN during all her classes!
Stephanie Callander, SPEECH therapist
Stephanie was introduced to the world of speech therapy when her son was about to turn three years old and had a very limited vocabulary. At that time Stephanie was an elementary school teacher, teaching first grade in Long Beach, CA. Stephanie attended all of her son’s speech therapy sessions, which sparked her desire to one day leave the classroom and become a speech language pathologist.
Stephanie earned her bachelor of arts degree and a multiple subject teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. Years later she earned her second bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education from Utah State University and then her master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Chapman University. During her externships in the master’s program she discovered how satisfying it was to work with the adult population. She spent four years working at a hospital in Southern CA in both the outpatient clinic and acute care settings. In 2016 she became certified in SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd from Parkinson Voice Project. During her years at the hospital, Stephanie worked primarily with people with Parkinson’s, teaching them how to turn their automatic, diminished voices into an intentional act. Her passion was fueled by witnessing so many people with Parkinson’s speak clearer, louder, and with intent!
Stephanie has been an active member within the Parkinson’s community. On two occasions she was a guest speaker for PMD Alliance at their Renew Retreats, providing education about the benefits of speech therapy for people with Parkinson’s. She is a guest lecturer at Chapman University, teaching graduate students about Parkinson’s disease and the SPEAK OUT! therapy program. During her years at the hospital, she held quarterly information sessions throughout the community. These sessions provided education on how speech and swallowing are affected by Parkinson’s and what can be done to strengthen the musculature for speech and swallowing.
Stephanie recently relocated from Southern CA to Northern Ohio where she lives with her husband and two sons. In her free time she enjoys hiking the Metroparks with her husband, cooking plant-based meals, and birdwatching from their backyard. She is thrilled to be a part of the dynamic Rogue team from all the way across the country!
Nancy Levien, studio manager
Nancy Levien is the studio manager at Rogue and also Claire’s mom. She retired over four years ago from the University of Southern California as a Principal Contract and Grant Officer helping professors submit proposals for research and then negotiated awards as they came in. Once retired she started coming to Rogue every day for exercise classes as they are good for everyone! This interest in Claire’s passion led to joining the team as Rogue expands. Nancy also has two other adult children, Brenna and Aaron who live in Southern California as well.
Nancy received a BA in art education from the University of Missouri.
Nancy did teach art for a few years after college and then managed her husband’s chiropractic office while their family was busy growing up. She specifically moved to California to work at USC so that Claire could receive tuition benefits. It worked! What was to be a pause to what was next in life became a new and rewarding career. Being in the world of academic research was fascinating and is one of the interests she shares with Claire. One of the reasons she wanted to work at Rogue was the wonderful people that she had gotten to know by exercising there after retirement. Nancy’s dad had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. She knows firsthand how crucial management of medication and therapies are in living the best life possible!
Nancy enjoys gardening, settling into her new condo and training her new rescue dog, Lily, so that she can be part of the Rogue team too.
Ranjeet Rajan
RJ (short for Ranjeet) Rajan is Claire’s husband! He has always been very supportive of Claire’s dream to build Rogue and has provided much more than behind the scenes support. He has helped build, install and complete many projects at the Rogue gym. He has a background in rock climbing and film set construction which meant he had the know-how for many of the projects Claire hoped for! When Claire told him she wanted to install harnesses over the treadmill, he pulled out a construction harness from his climbing bag and said “like this?” Yes! It was exactly what we needed!
When Covid hit and we moved the program online, his background working in the film industry was SO helpful! RJ helped Claire get all the details figured out with video, audio, lighting and recording!
He built the Rogue In Motion website including all the organization, images and has edited each of the first 500 videos in the library and then uploaded them all. He taught Claire how to edit so that she can quickly edit videos after class so they can be uploaded quickly for our members!
RJ is from Singapore originally, he moved to California to enroll in a Masters program for cinematography at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. He worked in the film industry in California for 11 years before switching to a career in aviation! He starting learning to fly as a hobby in 2012, he realized he could fulfill his lifelong dream to work as a pilot and Claire is so excited that he is also following his dreams. RJ is now a pilot for JetBlue Airlines and is enjoying his new career very much!
In his free time RJ likes to fly small planes, train with his home flight simulator, hike, and play with their dog Maya!