The Westview News

Press Release
Leah Kelleher Adds to Westview Sports Medicine
Date
June 25, 2025

      Leah Kelleher PT, DPT carries her vocation forth with passion, professionalism—and most importantly, purpose. Her role today as a Doctor of Physical Therapy is rooted in an early keenness towards medicine developed through family experiences. Through Leah’s education and experience she has accumulated a wide array of knowledge spanning from enabling pediatric populations to helping patients with neurological challenges. She wishes to help her patients live and move to their fullest potential: to aid their ability to live actively, and if needed, to equip individuals with assistive devices to reach their goals. Leah firmly believes that committed efforts result in positive outcomes. She maintains that mindset as constant motivation for herself and her patients as a Physical Therapist at Westview Sports Medicine.

     Raised in Methuen, Massachusetts, formative experiences in Leah’s early life manifested inspiration and motivation for a career in medicine. Her mother works for a prominent medical device manufacturer, and Leah had many opportunities to witness surgeons learning how to perform new techniques with innovative equipment. This imparted her with a desire to pursue her own role in healthcare, and she focused on that mission all the way through her college education and graduate work. Leah attended the University of Hartford; earning a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Without hesitation, she began working in the acute care setting of a large hospital in Rhode Island. Leah’s entry to the medical field started with the specialized PT considerations of the hospital’s neurological population. True to her own cultivated interests and expertise, she took a role identifying patient needs to medical device manufacturers. Leah formed a strong foundation in her career as a Physical Therapist ensuring patient access to the most promising assistive equipment.

     Leah was making important strides in her career and in life. Competitively riding horses since childhood, she was no stranger to overcoming obstacles. Faith and confidence in her own ability has proved valuable at many points in Leah’s experience. Just months before her wedding, her father suffered a massive stroke. His unwavering commitment to walk her down the aisle stood firm. His resolve amazes Leah, and his continued inner strength despite these challenges ignites Leah’s efforts as a Physical Therapist. She points to her father’s fortitude as an inspiration for the patients she is privileged to work with: “I take what I learned from his initial recovery—and the difficulties he continues to face—and I teach that to all of my patients. You have to do the work to see the results. My father’s experience emboldens me to challenge my patients and empower them in recovery.”

     When Leah and her husband Ryan welcomed children into their life, they looked to establish their home in a quiet New England setting while maintaining access to pursue their respective professions. Ryan is a Firefighter and Paramedic in West Hartford, CT and Leah sought opportunities for Physical Therapists in Windham County. Leah took her passion for therapy and rehabilitation to another Connecticut hospital’s outpatient clinic and continued to work with neurologically afflicted patients. She also gained the opportunity at that time to connect with pediatric patients and guide them towards their full physical potential. With her own children Lila, Rhett, and Emerson now growing up, Leah sought daycare options near their home and discovered Westview Child Care Center. Through frequent conversations, Leah struck up a running dialogue with Westview Child Care Center Director Katy Holzer. Their conversations easily flowed between insights into child development to their shared love of horses to a mutual respect for physical therapy. Many around the Westview campus began to hope that Leah would bring her talent to work with Westview Sports Medicine, and they hailed her addition to the team in May 2025.

     Across a lifetime of personal and professional experiences she has accumulated a wealth of treatment knowledge; aiding patients recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and vestibular impairments. Possessing nuanced understanding to treat adults as well as infants, toddlers, and adolescents with a varied set of diagnoses, Leah seeks the growth of patient therapy options for all ages. Leah has a mirrored perspective on critical aspects of the therapeutic journey—both as a family member supporting a loved one recovering from trauma and as a Physical Therapist ardently guiding patients back to their peak ability. Leah identifies her hopes and goals as a member of the Westview Sports Medicine: “Westview Sports Medicine is full of amazing people whose collective goal is to improve our patients and provide our community with the best care.”

     Westview Health Care Center Administrator David T. Panteleakos promotes the facility’s credo of ‘Caring for Generations’ as a guiding concept for our team members. “Leah joins our amazing team with an impressive amount of physical therapy knowledge and patient-focused experience,” stated Mr. Panteleakos. “Her ability to work with patients across all ages is a multifaceted strength and a true complement to our Sports Medicine outpatient program. Leah is a great addition to our team; and we look forward to seeing continued triumphs for Leah and her patients here at Westview Sports Medicine.”

Westview Sports Medicine is part of the Westview family, along with Westview Health Care Center, Westview Outpatient & Aquatic Center, Country Living at Westview Commons, and Westview Child Care Center. Westview Health Care Center is a 103-bed inpatient skilled nursing facility, which includes a distinct and self-contained 28-bed sub-acute short term rehabilitation unit and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies including: Sports Medicine, Adolescent/Pediatric, Adult, and Aquatic Outpatient Centers, all dedicated to providing outstanding quality health care services. The Dayville, Connecticut facility is consistently ranked among the top nursing facilities in the nation, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as U.S. News and World Report, consecutively for the past years.