Doctor of Physical Therapy
Kelly Reid
Front Desk Coordinator
Kelly is originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, but decided to come further
south to pursue a B.S. in Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina.
south to pursue a B.S. in Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina.Kelly has a background in soccer and virtually every team sport imaginable, but she has recently become interested in weightlifting, thanks to her experience as a former Vertex intern. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks by the river, hanging out with her friends, cheering on the Gamecocks, and talking about her two favorite things in the entire world: her idol, Elton John, and her family dog, Bambi.
Kelly is excited to start graduate school in August 2023 at USC to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy!
cayce@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Marlaina Webster
Front Desk Coordinator
Marlaina grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is currently a student at the
University of South Carolina finishing up her Exercise Science Undergraduate degree. She hopes to pursue Physical Therapy school in the future.
For the past few years, she has been an avid weightlifter and is passionate about fitness. She plans to continue her education in personal training and earn her CSCS certification.
In her down time, Marlaina loves to spend time with her friends, family, and dog, Ace.
cayce@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Mara Argyriou
PT, DPT, CSCS, RRSC
Mara grew up in Limassol, Cyprus – a small island in the Mediterranean. She started playing tennis at the age of five and competed on the international junior tennis tour and the Cyprus Fed Cup team before moving to the States to play Division I tennis for the College of Charleston. In each of her four years she earned CAA All-Conference Team honors and for two consecutive years she was named Team MVP. Mara graduated from CofC in 2017, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science with magna cum laude. She then earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020.
Mara is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and a Certified Running Rehabilitation Specialist through the Institute for Athlete Regeneration. She is passionate about working with athletes, runners and active individuals of all ages with the goal of maximizing their potential and enhancing their performance.
Within the last few years Mara took a strong interest in long-distance running and began training and competing in marathons. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her fiance, Tom, and their dog, Chuck. They particularly enjoy taking Chuck swimming and paddleboarding. Yes, Chuck is a pro paddleboarder!
mara.argyriou@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Check out Dr. Mara’s instagram @marasportsphysio to see her treatment approach!
Dr. Thavi Chhoun
PT, DPT
Thavi was born and raised in Spartanburg, SC and went on to complete her undergraduate career at Clemson University in 2017, with a B.S. in Bioengineering. As a daughter of Cambodian refugees, she held a specific passion for cultural competency which led her and others to chartering a sorority that aimed to spread cultural awareness. This is where she realized she loved working with people, not computers. Therefore, she pursued her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at UofSC and graduated in August 2021.
She is heavily involved in the local amateur adult soccer leagues and has played since she was six, which influences her interest in treating the soccer athlete and injury prevention/management. Throughout her career, she has found that she enjoys working with people of various physical backgrounds and showing the benefits of movement. In her free time, Thavi enjoys traveling, eating good food, and spending time with her dad.
thavi@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Thomas DeHaven
PT, DPT
Thomas was born and raised in Charleston, SC. He developed a passion for health and human performance as an Ocean Rescue Lifeguard. During his time on the beaches, he worked as a United States Life Saving Association Trainer and ensured his guards could perform at the highest level when necessary. While in Charleston, he attended the College of Charleston to improve his understanding of human performance graduating with a B.S in exercise science.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Thomas worked in a variety of physical therapy settings including inpatient rehab and an outpatient physical therapy facilities. He completed his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of South Carolina in 2020 and has called Columbia home ever since.
In his off time Thomas enjoys exploring areas nearby Columbia with his wife, Abby, and enjoying the great outdoors. They both enjoy competing in half marathon road races. Other interest include mastering new skills in the gym, playing golf, playing beach volleyball and training their two dogs.
His clinical strengths include a wide array of manual therapies aimed to reduce your discomfort and get you back to doing what you love as quickly as possible. Thomas also chose to specialize in a golf certification provided by Titelist Performance Institute. He can help golfers of all skill levels improve their ability to execute a powerful, effortless and repeatable golf swing without pain.
thomas.dehaven@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Erin Hodell
PT, DPT, CSCS
Erin was born and raised in Augusta, GA. She competitively swam and ran track, and she quickly found a passion for coaching. She attended the University of South Carolina where she earned her B.S. in Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology, summa cum laude. She then went on to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Georgia Southern University in Savannah, GA. During her time in Savannah, Erin worked with the Coast Guard, educating the unit on exercise programming and injury prevention to help them perform at their highest level.
Erin is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She enjoys working with patients of all ages and is passionate about empowering each person that walks through the door. Erin is the oldest of five, and she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, practicing yoga, being outdoors, and watching Carolina football.
erin.hodell@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Carly Holthausen
PT, DPT
My name is Carly Holthausen! I was born in a small town in New Jersey, but my family moved to South Carolina when I was young, so I grew up in Lexington and claim it as my hometown. I tried my hand at many sports growing up, but ultimately landed on soccer and running (the only ones I was pretty good at). My passion for PT came from growing up with my dad who suffered a spinal cord injury as a young adult. Over the years, he has been in and out of PT for lots of things related to his original injury. I graduated from Clemson University (don’t hate, Go Tigers) in 2016 with a BS in Health Science. I then moved to Charleston for PT school. I graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2020 as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. I continued to play soccer while in school (shout out to Dr. Thavi who I met playing club at Clemson!), and fell in love with urban hiking in CHS and hiking in the mountains in the upstate.
I have a few years’ experience in the field now, and have realized helping people heal, no matter the setting, the injury, the background, fills my cup. So many people helped my dad through the toughest of times – I wanted to be that for others, and this field has given me that opportunity. I’m excited for this new chapter in my life and my career and I am excited to be part of the Vertex team!
In my free time, you can still find me trying to relive the glory days playing soccer in adult rec leagues, hiking in SC’s state parks, in the gym, or in a local coffee shop feeding my *boujee* coffee addiction!
carly.h@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Tim O’Neal
PT, DPT
Tim has been a Physical Therapist in the Columbia area since 2010. Originally from Irmo, SC, Tim went to PT school at USC here in Columbia (classmates with Brandon) after getting his bachelor’s degree from Clemson University. While at Clemson and was a HS assistant wrestling coach, he helped in the football team Chaplain’s ministry where his interest in strength, conditioning, and rehab really started.
Through good mentoring relationships, professionally, Tim gained certification in Dry Needling and Orthopedic Manual Therapy. He has been fortunate to work with a wide spectrum of patients from Olympians, Professional Athletes, Tactical Athletes, all the way to the older adult and total joint replacements. Tim finds the greatest joy in helping prevent unnecessary surgeries and helping patient’s exceed their expectations while improving their ability to move with strength and without pain.
Outside of work Tim enjoys his church community, hunting, fishing, and being outdoors with his family. He is also an instructor with Body Tempering Education (@bodytemperingeducation) affording opportunities to work with some of the best coaches and athletes across the country. However, being a husband and a dad are what he considers his greatest opportunities.
tim.oneal@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Aimee Shelton
PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, Pelvic Health Specialist
Aimee grew up in Atlanta, GA, living there for 18 years until moving to Tennessee for both undergraduate and graduate school. She received her B.S. in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from East Tennessee State University. After graduating from physical therapy school, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky where she completed an orthopedic residency program to improve her clinical skills in treating musculoskeletal conditions. During her time in the residency program, Aimee had the opportunity to treat local high school and collegiate athletes, developing a strong interest in treating female athletes.
Aimee has been an athlete her entire life, playing several sports throughout high school and college such as softball, basketball, rowing, soccer, and long distance running. Within the past few years Aimee has taken up a strong interest in fitness sports such as Powerlifting and CrossFit. In addition to specializing in treating female athletes as a physical therapist, Aimee is also a coach for women of all ages through Vertex Performance Training.
Aimee is the oldest of 6 girls, which includes a set of twin sisters and a set of triplet sisters. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, attending church, enjoying the outdoors, playing the guitar, and cooking. She can be found on social media as @ironladydpt.
aimee.d@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Josh Jeffery
PT, DPT, MS, CSCS
Chief Operating Officer
Josh grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and completed his undergraduate work at the University of Dayton in 2012, graduating with a B.S. in Business Administration. He moved to Columbia, SC in 2013 to begin graduate school at the University of South Carolina, earning a M.S. in Exercise Science in 2015 and his Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2019. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA, an OPEX coach and a CrossFit Level 2 trainer.
Josh began his career in the strength and conditioning field and has experience working in multiple settings. He has worked with the athletes at USC, NFL players, Olympic athletes, elite level CrossFitters, weightlifters, powerlifters and everyone in between. As a former college baseball player, Josh enjoys working with throwers and other overhead athletes as they work to get back to their sport. He also enjoys working with functional fitness athletes and has coached Crossfitters to the CrossFit Games, regionals and sanctional events.
In his spare time, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife and their two dogs, traveling the country to teach continuing education courses, and training and competing in CrossFit and weightlifting.
josh@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
Dr. Brandon Vaughn
PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, Full Body ART®
Chief Executive Officer
Brandon is the founder and co-owner of Vertex PT Specialists and is a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS). A graduate of The Citadel, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science in 2007 with high honors. He then completed his graduate work at The University of South Carolina where he earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2010. Brandon furthered his specialized training by earning certifications in Spinal Manipulation and Dry Needling through the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. He is also an NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), is certified in the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), certified in concussion management through the American Institute of Balance, certified Pose Method running technique specialist, Full Body Active Release Technique® certified, and most recently Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)® certified.
Brandon specializes in combining advanced manual therapy skills with dry needling, functional movement, and mobility restoration. Brandon has utilized these techniques while rehabilitating several world-class athletes including NFL players, Olympians, and CrossFit Games athletes at the highest level.
In his spare time, Brandon enjoys spending time with his wife and two children as well as training and competing in Ironman triathlons and local CrossFit competitions.
brandon@vertexpt.com
803.973.0100
