OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS
Dr. Brendan Gomes
Owner & Chiropractor
DC, D.ACU, B.SC (HONS) CSCS, CPT, DNS, FRC, IP, IT, FMS
Rabia Mirza
Physiotherapist, Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist
MScPT, CAMPT Level 1, Pelvic Floor Level 1, CPT
DC, D.ACU, B.SC (HONS) CSCS, CPT, DNS, FRC, IP, IT, FMS
DC, D.Acu, B.Sc (Hons) CSCS, CPT, DNS, FRC, IP, IT, FMS
Dr. Brendan Gomes is the owner of The Lab – Movement & Sports Medicine. Working in the Fitness Industry for nearly a decade, as well being a competitive athletes, Dr. Gomes understands the unique physical demands of activity and sport on the body. Taking the strongest tenets from many streams of manual therapy, rehabilitative exercise and complimentary medicine; Dr. Gomes provides fuctional, evidence-based care for the athlete in sport or life.
Dr. Gomes holds a Bachelor’s Degree with specialized Honors in Kinesiology from York University. He later graduated from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College with his Doctorate of Chiropractic in 2017. He spent 8 years as a Personal trainer, owning his own freelance personal training business, all while going to school full time. He is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and holds a strong background in exercise science, biomechanics, and sports injuries. He is a certified Biomedical Acupuncturist, as well as the Lead Instructor for Integrated Seminar Series – an innovate, evidence-informed courseware in mobility, movement patterning, rehabilitation, performance biomechanics, acupuncture and integrated therapeutic interventions for other healthcare practitioners. He is a published author in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association for his paper “Femoroacetabular Impingement in Elite Hockey Goalies”. He was part of the Preseason performance team for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017 and has helped athletes at all levels – from youth, amateur, collegiate and professional ranks. He has worked with athletes from the MLB, NBA, CFL, NFL, and Ironman
Despite the extensive educational background, Dr. Gomes is a firm believer in continuing education to hone his skills and add to the toolbox. He holds certification in Athletic Taping through SportSide Medical, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilzation (DNS) and Integrated Therapeutics (IP, IT)
His broad experience in movement and biomechanics is exhibited in his unique approach to dissect movement and identify inefficiencies and limitations associated with the condition. He is interested in finding the root cause of the dysfunction, not just treating the symptoms. He is also very passionate about patient education and awareness, to ensure the condition does not return.
In addition, he’s formed partnerships with several gyms across the GTA, where he educates members on a complimentary basis with various workshops – to promote patient education and reduce the incidence of injury in gyms.
Whether you are a professional athletes, avid gym-goer or weekend warrior, Dr. Gomes treats you the same – allowing you feel better, move better and perform better; in whatever it is you do.
M.OMSc, BSc (Hons)
Rowen is a graduate from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy and has earned in Masters Diploma in Osteopathic Manipulative Sciences. He is now a professional member of the Ontario Osteopathic Association. Rowen studied his undergraduate at York University where he completed his degree majoring in Kinesiology and minoring in Psychology. He then went on to do his certification as a Personal Trainer. After spending time in the health and wellness field, he became fascinated by body’s inherent ability to heal. While searching for a more in-depth understanding of the human body, Rowen came across classical Osteopathy. After receiving his first osteopathic treatment Rowen knew he had found his calling in classical Osteopathy. Human anatomy and physiology had always been his core strengths but osteopathy made him realize that the body truly is a dynamic unit of function. This understanding of “functional anatomy” is an ongoing lifetime study which treats each person as a unique individual. His practice therefore is based on customizing a unique treatment plan for each patient, as no one person is the same as the next.
Rabia completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University in 2014. She then worked as a Kinesiologist, Personal Trainer, and Aqua Therapist before deciding to pursue Physiotherapy. Rabia completed her Masters of Physiotherapy at McGill University in 2019. While pursuing her Masters, Rabia has worked with a variety of athletes of all ages from varsity to professional in a strength and reconditioning and injury prevention and treatment capacity. While in Montreal, Rabia worked with the Montreal Alouettes football team and subsequently completed her Master’s thesis on Injuries within the Canadian Football League (CFL). Rabia has taken continuing education courses completing Level 1 Manual therapy with the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Therapy, Pelvic floor level 1 with Uro Sante, and the Integrated Patterning course with Integrated Seminar Series focused on movement patterning. Clinically, Rabia focuses on educating her clients on self-management, using her manual therapy skills to help restore function, and promoting an active lifestyle outside of rehabilitation. Outside of work Rabia enjoys working out, going for hikes, and watching basketball and football.
MSc, CAT(C), RMT, RYT
Ana Vera started in the health and wellness field when she was 18 years old, finding fulfilment in helping people get healthier by living a more active lifestyle. Eventually Ana found herself pursuing Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College, to be able to not only help people get active, but also be able to prevent injuries and rehab them as well. Through this education, she fell in love with learning and studying (nerd), and pursued her Masters in Advanced Athletic Training from the university of South Florida, where she specialized in the paediatric population and presented her thesis on Ankle injury prevention for athletes.
Ana further pursued Massage Therapy, where she was able to reinforce some of her manual skills, as well as learned about sports and dynamic cupping and fascial Gua Sha techniques to help her clients through aches and pains.
Most recently Ana embarked in a journey of meditation and yoga, becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher in Bali as well as a Vegan Nutritionist.
When Ana is not treating/training clients, you can find her at a local vegan restaurant, reading some new material, or trying new yoga classes!
Favourite exercise: barbell split squats
Least favourite exercise: burpees
Sami is a Certified Athletic Therapist and a Registered Massage Therapist that has vast experience working with different patient populations. Sami graduated from the University of Toronto before heading to York University to obtain her Athletic Therapy Certification. At York and U of T she had the opportunity to work with different sports including Rugby, Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Wrestling, and Football to name a few. She has in the past worked with amateur, semi-professional, provincial, national and professional level athletes.
A strong believer of proper movement techniques she utilizes manual and exercise therapy to get to the root of the issues and aims to resolve dysfunction and pain. When not in the clinic working with patients Sami works with Canada Soccer covering tournaments and camps for the youth teams.
Raj Shergill is considered an expert in the field of sports medicine, rehabilitation, fitness and sports performance. As a physical therapist, athletic trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist, Raj uses his background in sports biomechanics, movement quality, muscle imbalances and manual therapy to specialize in all aspects of human performance. He has worked extensively with a variety of professional athletes and was an integral member of the New York Mets MLB medical team.
Raj uses a combination of advanced manual therapy techniques and specific exercise programs to help his clients reach their goals and return to pain-free activity faster. As a competitive baseball player, Raj understands the importance of regular activity and movement and has experience working with different modalities in achieving patient treatment goals.
The techniques that Raj uses to treat his patients include:
Balance/ Proprioception Enhancement Techniques.
I started out in this field because I was inspired by the care and sports rehab that I received when I was an athlete. From competitive gymnastics to soccer to varsity track and field, I’ve been in and out of my fair share of clinics!
I have a passion for helping people return to doing what they love. Whether that be sports, recreational activity, or returning to a pain-free everyday life. I want to work as a team with each individual to create a treatment that fits their mental and physical needs. I believe that exercise and activity is an essential component of wellbeing and want my clients to be able to engage in these activities without compromise.
Education-wise I went to Western (GO STANGS!) for my undergrad, earning a Honours Bachelor of Arts with Specialization in Kinesiology and followed that with a Diploma of Massage Therapy from Sutherland-Chan.
In my spare time, I like to lift weights, read, play volleyball and spend time with family. I’m a huge sports fan, especially the Leafs, Raps and Jays!
