Pelvic Floor / Pelvic Girdle

Instructors - Downey - Abbate

Pamela Downey, MSPT, DPT, WCS, BCB-PMD, PRPC

Pamela A. Downey, MSPT, DPT, BCIA-PMDB, PRPC

Pamela A. Downey, PT, DPT, WCS, BCB-PMD, PRPC, (she/her) is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Women’s Health Physical Therapy and Board Certified in Biofeedback for Pelvic Muscle Dysfunction. Owner of Partnership in Therapy, a private practice in Coral Gables, Florida, she treats women and men with pelvic floor dysfunction, related urogynecological and colorectal issues, spine dysfunction, osteoporosis and complaints associated with pregnancy and the postpartum period. Her mission is to educate and integrate healthy lifestyles for patients on the road to wellness.

Dr. Downey has been honored to teach with the Herman and Wallace Institute since 2006. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University Of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Coral Gables, Florida, and Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A certified Polestar Pilates Educator, she utilizes Pilates and therapeutic exercise interventions specifically designed for patients with pre/post-natal, pelvic floor muscle and other lumbo-pelvic pain-related dysfunctions.

Dr. Downey received her Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and her Master of Science and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami School Of Medicine. She is actively involved in professional activities of the Section on Women’s Health of the American Physical Therapy Association, presently sitting as Coordinator of Research Submissions for annual meetings and as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Women’s Health. Dr. Downey has lectured nationally and internationally at professional conferences and is the author of multiple published research articles and a book chapter on chronic pelvic pain in the medical text, Women’s Health in Physical Therapy.


Lila Abbate, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, WCS, PRPC

Lila Abbate, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, PRPC

Lila Abbate, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, WCS, PRPC (she/her) is the Director/Owner of New Dimensions Physical Therapy with locations Roslyn, Long Island, and the Noho Section of New York City. Dr. Abbate graduated from Touro College in Dix Hills, NY with a Bachelors of Science (BS) in Health Sciences and a Masters of Arts (MA) in Physical Therapy in 1997. She completed her Advanced Masters in Manual Orthopedic Physical Therapy (MS) at Touro College, Bayshore, NY in 2003 and continued to pursue her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Touro in 2005. Dr. Abbate is a Board-Certified Specialist by the American Physical Therapy Association in Orthopedics (OCS) 2004 and Women’s Health (WCS) 2011. She has obtained the Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner (PRPC) by Herman & Wallace Institute, 2014. She is a Diane Lee/LJ Lee, Integrated Systems Model (ISM) graduate and completed the New York series in 2012.

Dr. Abbate has been an educator for most of her physical therapy career. She has experience as full-time faculty at Touro College, Manhattan Campus from 2002 to 2006 teaching the biomechanical approach to orthopedic dysfunction and therapeutic exercise as well as massage/soft tissue work that highlighted trigger point work, scar management, and myofascial release.

She is currently on faculty as a Lecturer at Columbia University teaching the private practice section Business & Management course (since 2016) along with the Pelvic Health elective (since 2012). She teaches nationally and internationally with the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute teaching advanced courses of her own intellectual property: Orthopedic Assessment for the Pelvic Health Therapist, Bowel Pathology Function, Dysfunction and the Pelvic Floor, Coccydynia & Painful Sitting: Orthopedic Implications. She was a co-writer for the Pudendal Neuralgia course and teaches the Pelvic Floor Series of Pelvic Floor 1, 2A and 2B and Pregnancy, Postpartum. She has written two book chapters in 2016: Pelvic Pain Management by Valvoska and Healing in Urology: Clinical Guidebook to Herbal and Alternative Therapies by Chughtai.

She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the National Vulvodynia Association, the American Urogynecology Association, and the International Pelvic Pain Society. Dr. Abbate is also a Senior Physical Therapy consultant for SI Bone, a sacroiliac joint instrumentation company.