DPT Alum Helps Professional Athletes Go for Gold

Sharif Tabbah (DPT ’12) co-owns and leads Alkemē Sports RX in Florida, focused on athletic recovery and performance.

As co-owner and lead physical therapist at Alkemē Sports RX in Miami, FL, Sharif Tabbah (DPT ’12) is using his extensive experience with rehabilitation protocols and functional performance training to help professional athletes thrive.

Prior to enrolling in NYU Steinhardt’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, Tabbah spent five years as a personal trainer before he made the decision to pursue physical therapy (PT) as a career.

“I played sports throughout high school and fell in love with working out, which made becoming a personal trainer a great fit,” says Tabbah. “I learned more about physical therapy when I had a client who was a young PT and had gone to NYU.”

When the economy took a nosedive in 2008 and people began spending less money on incidentals – such as gym memberships and personal training services – Tabbah began considering going back to school for a more stable career. Born in New York and with two parents who went to NYU Stern, NYU Steinhardt’s program was the one that made the most sense for him.

Sharif Tabbah working with a physical therapy patient in a gym

“Steinhardt did a great job of getting us out into the field for clinical experiences,” says Tabbah. “You started doing clinical observations in your second semester, and by the end we were all exposed to between eight and 12 different placements, from in-patient work at a local medical college to working with inmates in a prison.”

One of Tabbah’s rotations in his final DPT year was at a sports clinic in New York, where his clinical instructor told him about another clinic in Miami that worked with professional athletes and thought it would be a good fit. Together, Tabbah and his instructor got the clinic approved as a rotation site within the program, and the organization liked him so much that they hired him full time after graduation.

After working there for a year, Tabbah became the medical director for Bommarito Performance Systems, where he worked with hundreds of professional athletes from the NFL, MLB, NBA, USA Olympic Teams, and more.

“I oversaw multiple disciplines – chiropractic, massage, performance training, and physical therapy – while also liaising with teams and agents,” says Tabbah. “When I reached the top of the growth I could experience with that company, I decided it was time to open my own clinic to focus on athletes.”

It’s really important to me that we are positively impacting the industry by offering a better level of service that results in a higher level of outcomes for our clients.

Sharif Tabbah (DPT ’12)

In 2015, Tabbah co-founded Athletix Rehab and Recovery in Miami, which grew into three internationally recognized sports rehab and performance facilities over eight years of business. His work with various professional athletes has been featured on NFL Network, ESPN, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, The Wall Street Journal, and more.

In 2023, he rebranded as Alkemē Sports RX, where he and his team of dually credentialed Doctors of Physical Therapy and National Strength and Conditioning Association CSCSs (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists) combine elements of physical therapy, injury prevention, exercise recovery, and performance training to help their athlete clients reach their pinnacle.

“At Alkemē, we use evolving technologies to maximize our performance training, such as variable dynamometers to measure force and speed gates for timing and agility,” says Tabbah. “It’s really important to me that we are positively impacting the industry by offering a better level of service that results in a higher level of outcomes for our clients.”

With two locations in Florida, Alkemē’s facilities boast three turf fields, a pool, a private performance weight room, basketball and racquetball courts, and more to best serve athletic-minded individuals. Tabbah also recently hired NYU alum Joseph W. Ho (DPT ’20) to join Alkemē’s team of providers.

Learn more about Alkemē’s work and Dr. Tabbah’s performance tips on Instagram at @alkemesportsrx and @doctor_reef.