Nicole joins Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia with over 20 years of healthcare leadership experience in the acute care hospital setting most recently the system chief operating officer of Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg, SC. In her previous roles as COO of Regional Medical Center, AdventHealth Polk and Bartow Regional Medical Center, Nicole directed operations for a wide variety of hospital services, including cardiology, oncology/ infusion therapy, orthopedics, rehabilitation, imaging services, and the development of new ambulatory services including physician practices, free-standing emergency departments, ambulatory surgery centers and multi-million-dollar hospital expansion projects. Nicole also served as vice president of operations at Belton Regional Medical Center in Kansas City, MO. She earned her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology/audiology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and her master’s degree in health administration from Saint Louis University.  She is a fellow with the American College of Health Care Executives.

Dr. Troyer has been at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia since 1991 and has served as the hospital’s medical director since 1993. He has also served on the Encompass Health Physician Advisory Board since 1999. Dr. Troyer graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree and doctorate of medicine. He performed his internship in internal medicine and residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh. A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Troyer is married and has four children.

Dr. Troyer is an independent private practice physician.

Melanie came to Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia with more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the healthcare industry. She is passionate about quality patient care and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. She worked with Rock Hill and Columbia Encompass Health hospitals for a total of seven years as a rehabilitation liaison before being named director of marketing operations in May 2014. As director of marketing operations, she leads a dynamic team of healthcare professionals responsible for business development, community outreach, patient education and marketing in the midlands area of South Carolina.

Dr. Edward Ty Collier joins Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia as a physical therapist and director of therapy operations with more than 15 years of experience in acute care hospital operations. Most recently Dr. Collier led rehab operations for Prisma Health Tuomey. He is a talented healthcare executive who has a track record of leading multiple business units for large multi-site health systems. His experience includes acute care, sub-acute rehab, outpatient rehab, athletic trainers and wellness services. In addition to his primary responsibilities, Dr. Collier has led supply chain and COVID-19 operations. He is a graduate from the University of South Carolina with a doctorate degree in physical therapy as well as a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the Darla Moore School of Business at USC-Columbia. He continues his involvement with the University of South Carolina as a guest lecturer in both the Doctor of Physical Therapy and MBA programs. Dr. Collier is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, National Association of Health Services Executives, Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers and has served as a director of the American Physical Therapy Association - South Carolina Chapter.

Rick joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia in September 2024 as the human resources director. With more than 13 years of leadership experience, Rick is passionate about fostering a positive and supportive work environment for Encompass Health’s dedicated team members. Prior to joining Encompass Health, Rick held human resources positions at PAM Health and Lower Keys Medical Center. He has a master’s degree in business management and a bachelor’s degree in health administration, receiving both from the University of North Florida.

Leah joined the Encompass Health team as the chief nursing officer in January 2024. She is a seasoned healthcare leader with expertise in orthopedics, neurosurgery, surgical care and the medical-surgical patient population. Leah was hand-selected for the leadership development program when working as a manager for the largest acute care hospital system in the State of South Carolina. She played an important role in her previous hospital achieving magnet status and a Leapfrog Top Hospital designation. She is known for her strategic approach to process improvement and her dedication to fostering positive patient relations. Leah has a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and is committed to delivering exceptional care and driving positive change in healthcare.

Dana joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia in January 2024 with more than 26 years of experience in finance across various industries such as manufacturing, not for profit healthcare and vendor services at several Fortune 500 companies. She came to Encompass Health after experiencing her parents’ need for rehabilitation, seeing the care and support we offer to our patients and watching them achieve their goals. In her previous roles at Trane, IBM and Pratt & Whitney, she oversaw the finances and human resources teams while working across the organization to promote understanding of the finances and promoting lean management. She has a master's degree in accounting and taxation (MSAT) from the University of Hartford and a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Sara joins Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia with more than 13 years of medical social work experience primarily in the acute care hospital setting. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clemson University followed by a master’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina. In 2012, she became an accredited case manager – social worker (ACM-SW) because she knew case management was her passion. As a social worker, Sara understands the importance of meeting patients and families where they are, providing resources and coordinating services to help them work toward their goals.

Jamie was promoted to director of plant operations in November 2006. His responsibilities include supervision of security, engineering, dietary, housekeeping, materials management and emergency response. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Jamie has been employed by HealthSouth since 1994. During his employment with Encompass Health, he earned an associate's degree in electronics engineering from Midlands Technical College in 2002.

Dr. Westerkam is the associate medical director at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia focusing on the traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputation programs. He sits on the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund Board and is an adjunct assistant professor in the department of neurology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Westerkam graduated from Duke University and attended medical school at Emory. He did his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Westerkam is originally from Irmo, South Carolina.

Dr. Westerkam is an independent private practice physician.

Mickey joins Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia as the director of quality & risk. She is a registered nurse with more than 25 years of acute care hospital experience in nursing leadership, performance improvement and quality at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg, SC. Mickey is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She received her master's degree in nursing administration from the Medical University of South Carolina. Mickey is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society and is a certified professional in healthcare quality.

Griselda is the director of pharmacy at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia. She brings with her more than 25 years of leadership in various areas of pharmacy. Her professional pharmacy journey has afforded her the opportunity to operate as the pharmacy manager of a large supermarket chain, own a franchise pharmacy-- The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Augusta, Georgia, she was also the pharmacist in charge at substance abuse treatment facilities. Griselda shares her clinical knowledge at two large teaching hospitals: the former Medical College of Georgia and McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina. She also taught at Virginia College, served as the pharmacy operations manager of a 340B clinic, was a medication therapy management consultant, and worked on Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine project. Griselda received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. She brings a myriad of other expertise, clinical knowledge and experiences to add to the excellent leadership team at Encompass Health Columbia.