THE CLIMB CLINIC PRACTITIONERS
Dr. Annie Leavitt
Practitioner
PT, DPT, CSCS
Dr. Annie Leavitt (She/Her) is a rehab specialist at
The Climb Clinic.
She received her Bachelors in Exercise and Sports Science from Oregon State University, and earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Colorado.
Annie is certified in Dry Needling, Blood Flow Restriction Training, Running Gait Analysis, and has undergone extensive training in treating the foot and ankle.
Dr. Christine Neal
Practitioner
PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Dr. Christine Neal (She/Her) is a rehab and strength and performance specialist at The Climb Clinic.
She earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Drexel University and later completed a year long orthopedic residency with Arcadia University where she became a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
Christine is certified in Level 2 Functional Dry Needling, Blood Flow Restriction Training, and
Running Gait Analysis.
Dr. Kevin Cowell
Founder & Practitioner
PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT, Dip. Osteopractic
Dr. Kevin Cowell (He/Him) is a rehab and strength training specialist at The Climb Clinic.
He received his Bachelors of Science in Applied Health from Azusa Pacific University & earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Regis University.
He has undergone extensive post-doctorate training and is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) and Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapist (FAAOMPT) who has received his Diploma in Osteopractic and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
THE CLIMB CLINIC INSTRUCTORS
Derek New
Strength & Conditioning Specialist
CSCS
Derek New (He/Him) is a strength training and climbing specialist at The Climb Clinic.
He earned his Bachelors in integrative physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was also on the climbing team. Additionally, he holds a strength and conditioning specialist certification (CSCS), which allows him to apply his knowledge of physiology to sports and fitness.
He has extensive competition experience, with seven years of climbing in both lead and bouldering at the national and international levels.
Ben Blackmore
Strength & Conditioning Specialist
CSCS
Ben Blackmore (He/Him) is a strength and conditioning specialist at The Climb Clinic. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, where he studied human biology and kinesiology.
Ben is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and an experienced competition and outdoor climber. He has competed internationally in youth and collegiate circuits and climbed over 500 boulder problems from V10 to V14 outdoors.
Ben is passionate about using his educational background in exercise physiology and his climbing experience to best help his clients reach their goals. He brings an extensive understanding of climbing movement to his work and loves developing highly personalized training programs for each athlete. When not in the clinic, you can find Ben bouldering in RMNP, baking, or painting.
Drew Ruana
Workshop Instructor
Professional Climber
Drew Ruana (he/him) is a
professional climber and student based in Golden, CO. He transitioned from competitive climbing to outdoor climbing and has now achieved over 130+ V14 and higher-grade boulder problems in the past four years.
Drew is currently leading workshops at The Climb Clinic as he recognizes that developing proficiency in climbing technique can ultimately make challenging moves feel more manageable and arguably a strength.
Very soon, Drew will be earning his CS degree from Mines and is eager to discover ways to combine his computer science expertise with his passion for climbing.
