About Us

Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence is an integrated team of specialized health care professionals who will optimize your return to sport or an active lifestyle through accurate diagnosis by a Sports Medicine Physician and a well-executed individualized treatment plan. We have experience with a wide variety of injuries for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Dr. Chris Fortier
Sports and Exercise Medicine Physician

Previous care provided to:

• Track & Field athletes as the Lead Physician for Athletics at the Pan Am Games 2015
• Canadian Men’s National Rugby Team (2013-2015)
• World Junior Hockey (2015,  2017)
• National Ballet of Canada (2014-2016)
• Brampton Beast ECHL (2014-2018)
• Brampton Battalion OHL (2013)
• OFSAA High School Track & Field (2013)
• Canadian Short Track Speed Skating Championship (2012)
• Many other professional, elite, recreational, weekend warrior athletes & work related injuries
• A diverse group of other professional, elite, recreational, and weekend warrior athletes
• People with work related injuries

Dana Aitken
Office Manager
Dana is the primary point of contact for our clients over the phone and at the Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence.

She will assist you with scheduling your appointment, updating your medical information, and answering your questions in a friendly and efficient manner.

Jen Mark
Athletic Therapist

Jen is a Registered Kinesiologist, Certified Athletic Therapist, and Registered Yoga Teacher. Jen is an AT with the Markham Majors and the AT/holistic director for the Junior Men’s team with Field Hockey Canada. Jen is the Athletic Therapist and Wellness Coach for Everest Academy. Jen has worked with the Toronto Argonauts, our Men’s National Field Hockey team, and other Olympians. Jen worked with York University’s Track and Field team, winning 3 national team bronze medals and 1 national championship. With Field Hockey Canada, she has won numerous international medals and took the Men’s Junior team to the World Cup in India. She also travelled with Field Hockey Canada twice to the Men’s Pan Am Cup, placing silver both times. Jen worked with the Stouffville Spirit winning the OJHL Championship, and recently with the Newmarket Hurricanes. With the York Simcoe Express 2000’s she won the International Silver Stick, OMHA, and OHL Cup. Jen has worked with many Canadian and International championships for various sports in the GTA. She was a medical manager at the Toronto Pan Am Games. Jen works with DonJoy and Ossur products to offer custom knee bracing for Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence..

Oliver McKay B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc. (PT)
Registered Physiotherapist

Oliver graduated from McMaster University at the top of the class in the Master of Science in Physiotherapy program in 2013, and graduated with distinction from the University of Guelph in 2010 with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Bio-Medical Science.  Upon graduation from McMaster University, Oliver received the Canadian Physiotherapy Association Convocation Award and the Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Programs Outstanding Achievement Award.

Oliver is dedicated to life-long learning and has taken post-graduate courses in both acupuncture and advanced hands-on manual therapy.  He takes an individualized approach with each and every patient, using treatment techniques based upon the best available evidence.

From a sport injury perspective, Oliver has provided physiotherapy coverage for international competitions, including the Pam Am Games (Track & Field) and the Autumn Classic International (Figure Skating). He has also provided injury screening for all Georgian College Varsity Athletes.

He has been involved in primary research on the debate between modern running shoes and the barefoot running style. He can provide expert advice for runners on footwear, proper training, and injury prevention.

Oliver is certified as a Level 1 CrossFit Trainer, a Sport First Responder, and has a strong background in Olympic weightlifting, trail running, volleyball, squash, and soccer. His training and experience make him ideally suited to understand and treat sport or exercise related concerns of any kind.

Lauren McLean
Registered Physiotherapist

Lauren completed her Bachelor of Arts Honors Specialization in Kinesiology from Western University in 2012. During her time at Western, she was a member of the Women’s Varsity Volleyball team and was active in the Sport Medicine Department as the lead student therapist for the Women’s Varsity Soccer team.

Lauren recently completed her Masters of Science in Physiotherapy program at Leeds Beckett University in England. She was among the top of her class and earned the “Outstanding Clinical Profile” award in recognition of her academic achievements during clinical placements. During her studies, Lauren had the opportunity to practice in a variety of settings including orthopaedics, stroke rehab, pediatric neurodevelopment, and acute care. Lauren highly values the role of continued education and plans to pursue additional certifications in manual therapy, acupuncture, and exercise-based therapy.

In her spare time, Lauren enjoys maintaining an active lifestyle with weight training, volleyball, yoga, hiking and running. Through these activities, her education, and previous experience in dance, gymnastics, and team sports, Lauren has identified the importance of proper movement patterns and mobility in injury prevention and performance. Lauren’s treatment philosophy is to use manual therapy, specific exercise prescription, and education to address the underlying issues that contributed to the injury and to prevent reoccurrences.

Dr. Andrew Romanelli
Chiropractor

Dr. Romanelli brings over 20 years of clinical and field experience treating patients from a variety of athletic disciplines, and various activity levels. He holds a Bachelor of Honours Physical Education degree from Brock University, a Diploma in Sports Injury Management (Athletic Therapy) from Sheridan College, and a Doctorate of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC).

A life-long learner, Dr. Romanelli also holds a Doctorate of Acupuncture from the Open University of Complementary Medicine in Sri Lanka, and is also currently working towards his Masters of Science (Rehabilitation Sciences) through McMaster University. In addition to his private practice, he is a faculty member at CMCC, where he not only educates undergraduate students in various courses (orthopaedics, rehabilitation, and clinical diagnosis) but also as a clinician, mentoring fourth year students during their clinical internship.

In addition to his Acupuncture training, Dr. Romanelli has completed continuing education courses in Active Release Technique ®, Graston, Concussion Diagnosis and Management, Orthotics prescription and fitting, and various other fascial-release techniques.

From a sport injury perspective, Dr. Romanelli has provided coverage for various amateur and professional competitions, including being a therapist for the Canadian PGA Nationwide Tour, the NHL Officials Training Camp, the National Beach Volleyball program, as a consultant for NHL and CFL teams, and most recently as a member of the health care team at the Pan American Games (Beach Volleyball) in Toronto. As a former soccer and varsity rugby player, he has worked with various hockey, soccer, volleyball, rugby, and football teams over the years. More recently, his education and research has focused on concussion screening, diagnosis, and management of patients of various age and activity levels, helping them return to activity safely.

Joshua Carty
Registered Physiotherapist

Josh is a registered physiotherapist who has worked in Newmarket, Aurora and Barrie for the past 5 years. Josh is a certified sports first responder and is currently working towards his designation as a sports physiotherapist.

In 2015, he graduated from Leeds Beckett University in England where he earned his Masters of Science in Physiotherapy. In Leeds, Josh was able to work in the NHS and experience a wide variety of physiotherapist roles including; sports injuries, acute and chronic pain, orthopaedics, stroke, cardiac disease and elderly populations.

In 2011, Josh earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree at Western University. At Western, Josh took a special focus in athletic injuries and earned the position of trainer and rehab specialist for the men’s varsity soccer team. He also gained experience working with sports medicine physicians and physiotherapists at the renowned Fowler Kennedy clinic in London, Ontario.

At Sports Medicine Centre for Excellence, Josh will assess and design an individualized treatment plan to get you back to your sport and lifestyle. He will use manual therapy, soft tissue mobilization, therapeutic exercises, acupuncture, stretching and modalities as part of your rehabilitation.

We will carefully explain to you your treatment options so you have a plan that is best for you. Our goal is to return you safely to your sport or activity as soon as possible. We use evidence based treatment plans and cutting edge techniques that are adapted to meet your needs.

Areas of Expertise

• Recent Injuries (including concussions, muscles, joints & bones)
• Chronic Tendon Injuries (for example rotator cuff tendon injuries)
• Treatment of Osteoarthritis (knees, shoulders, hands & feet)