The Vineyard Nursing Association has announced the hire of a new, full-time physical therapist. Eric M. Gordon, PT, is the founder and CEO of the Gordon Institute for Human | Sports Performance, and a physical therapist practitioner for 20 years. Though his area of practice has been orthopaedics and athletes, he has also been a pioneer in the area of oncology rehabilitation.

His work in the area of oncology rehabilitation focuses on pre-treatment or pre-surgery techniques that better prepare the body for therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and the physical changes that will be a part of the treatment.

“It’s not ground-breaking to recognize that the greater the strength and conditioning a patient has, the better the outcomes are likely to be,” says Mr. Gordon. “What is not common practice, however, is integrating complementary services such as psychology or nutrition into the overall PT service plan. That is where we can consistently see the best outcomes regardless of age or mobility.”

Mr. Gordon graduated from Northeastern University and has trained at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Kernan Hospital in Baltimore, and at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, N.C. He moved to the Island in August with his wife, Laurie, and two daughters who are attending the Edgartown School.