Our Mission
ISR Institute is dedicated to excellence in work injury prevention, employee wellness, and advanced integrated ergonomics by providing:
- motivational, behavioral-based injury prevention and wellness seminars and videos,
- Train-the-Trainer and credentialing courses,
- Functional capacities (fit-for-duty) testing for new hires and return-to-work cases,
- Ergonomics consulting and
- McKenzie-based approaches to the prevention and treatment of spinal and extremity disorders

About the Owner and CEO
Dr. Bunch owns and directs ISR Instute, an ergonomics, wellness and physical therapy practice that includes outpatient orthopaedic physical therapy clinics in Louisiana that service private patients and injured workers. WorkSaver services, a proprietary program developed by Dr. Bunch, includes WorkSaver Functional Capacity Evaluations, Fit-For-Duty evaluations, and ADA-Compliant New Hire Evaluations. WorkSaver services have received high acclaim from medical physicians, employers, case managers, judges and attorneys. ISR Institute offers WorkSaver services nation-wide via a growing network of certified clinical affiliates.

Dr. Bunch is nationally known among industries as an industrial physical therapist, a dynamic professional speaker, and as an ergonomic and wellness specialist. He is the founder and provider of WorkSaver FCEs and serves as a legal expert in federal and state courts in matters of ergonomics, clinical biomechanics related to injury causation, FCEs, validity of disability, and physical therapy.

He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES), American Association of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and National Speakers Association (NSA). Dr. Bunch is a published author and consults and lectures world-wide for industries and professional organizations.

About the President
Ellen Bunch, R.N. is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and attended Nichols State University School of Nursing where she received her Registered Nursing Degree in 1975.

Ms. Bunch has over 32 years of combined orthopaedic, neurological and acute care nursing experience. She has provided nursing care to a wide range of patients in hospitals, outpatient clinics and home health.

Ms. Bunch became President of ISR Institute, Inc. in 1995. She coordinates ISR administrative functions and is well known for her broad depth of knowledge in health issues, especially as they pertain to orthopaedic and neurological disorders, for her highly organized skills, excellent management style, extreme dedication to detail, and most sincere dedication to providing ISR Institute’s clients and affiliates with the most excellent support and service available.

Ms. Bunch coordinates WorkSaver services with industries, and directs her staff of Q.A. nurses and administrative staff to conduct quality assurance reviews of all WorkSaver Fit-For-Duty evaluations and ADA-Compliant New Hire Evaluations. She is instrumental in making certain that all functional testing runs smoothly and efficiently. When required, she ensures that testing guidelines and policies are updated and followed by all WorkSaver clinics. She is also in charge of working with new client acquisitions and helping industries understand the proven benefits of WorkSaver services.

Ms. Bunch is a member of the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses (NAON) and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). In addition to her professional career she is very active in several Animal Rescue Organizations such as Humane Organization for the Protection and Education for Animals (H.O.P.E. for Animals) and the Humane Society.

About the Senior Vice President
Trevor Bardarson graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 1994. He holds numerous credentials. He is certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy by the McKenzie Institute USA, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and is currently the Training Director for the Worksaversm FCE Protocol. He is an excellent hockey player but finds it difficult to pursue this interest in the swamplands of Louisiana. However, he has found new pleasures in Louisiana’s saltwater fishing venues.

Mr. Bardarson serves as Senior Corporate Vice President of Clinical Operations for Industrial Safety and Rehabilitation Institute and Clinic Director/Partner of ISR Physical Therapy of Houma, LLC. Mr. Bardarson has performed over 800 functional capacity evaluations (FCEs). As a result he is recognized as an expert in physical therapy and functional capacity evaluations in federal, state, and workers compensation courts.
Mr. Bardarson is astute in business operations and is in charge of expansion of ISR Institute’s corporate services, development and expansion of new clinics, formation of joint ventures, and assessing new business venture opportunities. He combines the rare blend of excellent clinical skills, interpersonal skills, and business knowledge that ensures successful operations of clinic and a method of quality practice that patients and referral sources find very rewarding and effective.

Mr. Bardarson has also performed hundreds of ergonomic evaluations, office and field, in both onshore and offshore environments. He is a senior faculty member of the CBES Credentialing course and specializes in the application of the McKenzie approach to spinal evaluation to treat injuries of the spine and to prevent spinal injuries. He also specializes in conditioning programs for employees, physical demand validation, and material handling analyses using the NIOSH Lift Equation. He currently oversees Industrial Safety & Rehabilitation Institute’s contract with ChevronTexaco’s and Tidewater’s functional testing program for new and injured workers and assists Dr. Bunch in coordinating rapid response services for industries. Mr. Bardarson is a member of the American and Louisiana Physical Therapy Associations.