ABOUT

JULIE FITZPATRICK

Julie graduated from Drake University with a BA in Biology. While at Drake, she was also a student athlete on the Women's Basketball Team. During her basketball career, she experienced a season ending knee injury, which later inspired her to pursue a career in physical therapy. After graduating from Drake, she earned her Masters and later her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Des Moines University. Her career as a Physical Therapist included both patient care and leadership opportunities. She served as Director of Rehab at NorthBay Medical Center in Florida leading the Rehab Unit through their first CARF accredited certification. She later became Chief Operating Officer for Premier Health Associates leading the therapy team in central and eastern Iowa, fulfilling numerous contracts in hospital, long term care and SNF settings. While raising her kids, she provided part-time services for Progressive Rehabilitation Associates and Mercy Home Health Care in Iowa City. In 2019 Julie started Optimal Wellness, a lifestyle medicine approach to physical therapy that focuses on the wellness side of the healthcare continuum.

  • Doctorate of Physical Therapy

  • Wellness Specialist

  • American Physical Therapy Association Member

  • American College of Lifestyle Medicine Member

  • 17 year volunteer for the American Heart Association’s, Go Red for Women® initiative

Julie resides in Coralville, Iowa with her spouse and their two beautiful children. She realizes the importance of wellness for future generations. While she dedicates much of her work to helping individuals, Julie also specializes in working with parents, children and families to help them overcome the obstacles of stress, poor nutrition, and busy lifestyles to improve their overall health and well-being. She is an artist and finds great pleasure in dabbling in painting and interior design and considers one’s surroundings to be an important part of wellbeing. You can find Julie and her family biking, shooting hoops, golfing or spending time traveling as a family.