Meet Our Team

Management Team

Diana Toto, MS, Director, Sports Medicine and Business Development

Diana has served as program director for the Matthew J. Morahan III Health Assessment Center for Athletes at RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) since 2011. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at Penn State University and her master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Science from East Stroudsburg University. Prior to working with RWJBH, Diana worked as an exercise physiologist with athletes and other special populations for seven years in the health care industry. Diana has done hundreds of talks on youth safety, concussion, prevention and sports injury management across New Jersey. In 2015, Diana was interviewed on Channel 3 WJLP New Jersey/New York on cardiac issues in youth athletes. Today, under Diana’s leadership, the Morahan Center currently manages over 30 schools across the state for varying services and continues to raise awareness on youth safety, screenings, injury prevention, and injury management. Diana is also an active member of the Brain Injury Alliance Committee for the State of New Jersey, and is a published author on acute concussion research and NCAA cardiac research for RWJBH. Diana was also lead author on an accepted abstract for publication with the International Conference on Concussion and Sport for Publication, the largest concussion conference in the world. Diana is a long distance runner and has done several distance runs and half marathons. She also played Division III collegiate level softball for two years while attending a Penn State Branch campus in Reading, Pennsylvania, and was the assistant coach for Montgomery College Girls Softball in Rockville, Maryland in 2007.

Mustafa Naematullah, BS, Program Manager

Mustafa joined RWJBarnabas Health as an exercise physiologist for the Matthew J. Morahan III Health Assessment Center for Athletes in 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Montclair State University. He was also an athlete himself and was a three-year high school football varsity starter at Parsippany Hills High School and played one year at the college level. Mustafa was named acting program coordinator for the Center in 2016 and program manager in 2018. Mustafa has run countless education programs for coaches and athletes across New Jersey related to concussion management as well as hundreds of screening events. He also spends extensive time leading the clinical team on management of concussions as well as concussion testing, and is an active member of the Brain Injury of Alliance Committee of New Jersey. He is also a published author on acute concussion research for RWJBarnabas Health.

Jessica Springstead, EdD, ATC, Athletic Training Manager

Jessica earned her undergraduate degree in Athletic Training from Kean University in 2002, served as a graduate assistant at Salisbury University while earning her master’s degree in Education in Post- Secondary Education in 2004, and completed an educational doctorate from Seton Hall University in Higher Education in 2015. Along the way, she has been an athletic trainer with in a variety of high school, collegiate and clinical settings. Prior to joining Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, she was as an Ambulatory Operations Practice Administrator, responsible for the daily oversight of 26 different specialties, nearly 70 providers and extensive support staff located across three locations. Jessica has also served on various committees at the state and regional levels, helping to further the profession of athletic training. She is currently President of the Athletic Trainers’ Society of NJ.

Clinical Team

Our multidisciplinary clinical team of physical therapists, athletic trainers and exercise physiologists are all trained in concussion testing, assessment and management. They have worked with thousands of concussion cases and medically assist our physicians in providing individualized plans of care, recommendations for gradual return to sport or work as well as accommodations for school. Using a team approach each clinician provides testing, evaluation, and individualized guidelines comprehensively to safely and efficiently return an athlete to play under the supervision and leadership of the program’s medical director.

Physical Therapists

Michael Heitzman, PT, DPT, Clinical Physical Therapist and Supervisor, Concussion Rehabilitation Program Clinical Team Leader and Educator

Mike has worked closely in the management of concussion patients since 2015. He graduated with a doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York University in 2010. He honed his skills performing and educating in the acute care setting of level 1 trauma centers. He is currently a clinical physical therapist for outpatient physical therapy, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, and the lead therapist for the concussion program. Mike is extremely experienced in ocular-motor and vestibular therapy and takes a creative and unique individualized approach with every athlete he works with to ensure they are safe and ready for game play. He is also a published author on acute concussion research at RWJBarnabas Health and has done several talks for the state’s Athletic Trainers at continuing education events on sports injury management and injury prevention. Mike played collegiate soccer and has been an athlete his entire life. Mike is a father of two boys and spends as much time outdoors as possible. He brings that experience forward and relates his experiences as an athlete with his patients and in practice.

Puja Desai PT, DPT, Supervising Physical Therapist and Certified Musculoskeletal Specialist, Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Rehabilitation Team, JCC MetroWest

Puja has a doctorate in Physical Therapy and bachelors in Health Sciences from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. To continue to grow as a skilled clinician, she pursed a postdoctoral residency program in orthopedics, completed an orthopedic residency in 2018 at Arcadia University and received a Musculoskeletal Certification. The residency provided an opportunity to conduct research, work in academia, observe surgeries and receive training from multiple orthopedic certified specialists to advance her skill set. Although her primary interest is in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, she kept her inpatient skills current by working PRN at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Upon transitioning to SBMC, Puja works with both orthopedic, sports medicine and post-concussive populations. She is a passionate therapist committed to her patients’ recovery. Outside of physical therapy, Puja enjoys traveling, music, spending time with family, creating new recipes and reading.

Vincent Brinas, PT, DPT

Vincent, a physical therapist at the Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Center, joined the Matthew J. Morahan III Health Assessment Center for Athletes in January, 2017. He received his doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. As a physical therapist, he examines and treats patients with concussion and prepares them to return to their sport/activity. While he has treated both the orthopedic and neurological population, Vincent has a special interest in both vestibular and concussion rehabilitation. His interests are dancing hip-hop, cooking, long distance running, and rock climbing.

Athletic Trainers

Jayme Guarino, MS, LAT, ATC, EMT

Jayme, a certified athletic trainer for the Matthew J. Morahan III Assessment Center for Athletes at RWJBarnabas Health, joined the team in December of 2020. She is a Pittsburgh native, and received a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from Marietta College and master’s degree in Athletic Training from Ohio University. Jayme has previously worked in the high school setting, and gained extensive experience in the treatment and management of sports injuries including concussions over the last 12 years. She enjoys expanding her knowledge base, and is also certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Katelyn Ward, MS, LAT, ATC, OTC

Katelyn, a certified licensed athletic trainer and orthopedic technologist, joined the Matthew J. Morahan III Assessment Center for Athletes at RWJBarnabas Health in August 2021. She was a collegiate volleyball player at Ramapo College where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science, and completed her Master of Science in Athletic Training at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Katelyn had an internship at Stanford University where she gained extensive experience in evaluating concussions and heat illnesses in football. She has previously worked with professional, collegiate, and high school athletes, as well as with orthopedic surgeons in a multispecialty orthopedic clinic. In addition to working at the concussion center, she is an athletic trainer for three USPHL ice hockey teams providing hands-on emergency care and concussion evaluations for athletes on and off the ice. She is also the Atlantic District Player Safety Coordinator for USA Hockey. Katelyn is excited to provide innovative patient care and assist in ongoing research projects at the center.