I’m Jennifer DePaola, and I created Doctors For Dancers because, quite simply, I couldn’t find healthcare professionals who truly understood the demands of a dancer’s body.

I’m originally from a small suburb outside of Chicago, Illinois, where you know your neighbors, and I grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, immersed in the competitive dance world. From a young age, I was already assisting and teaching classes. Like so many dancers, my goal was to move to Los Angeles and pursue a professional dance career.

Along the way, I pushed through injuries and pain because I thought that was the expectation—and because I loved dance so much, I never wanted to stop or sit out.

Over time, that pain became more serious. When I started seeking help, I struggled to find doctors who understood the physical demands of dance. I was often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told to just rest. But I knew my body, and I knew something wasn’t right.

Everything came to a head during my final recital, when my back gave out and I had to watch from the audience as someone else performed in my place. In that moment, my dream of moving to Los Angeles slipped away, and shortly after, I made the difficult decision to step away from dance.

Years later, I finally got answers that had been missed for years. That experience made one thing clear—dancers deserve access to healthcare professionals who truly understand their bodies and the demands of their training.

That’s why I created Doctors For Dancers—so dancers don’t have to go through what I did.