Meet Dara Sanchez De Placer: Co-Founder & CEO of Florida Spine & Pain Institute Featured in Orlando Magazine’s “Women Who Move the City 2026”

June 2026 | Florida Spine & Pain Institute

We are beyond proud to share a milestone that speaks not only to the achievements of our practice, but to the vision, grit, and heart behind it. Dara Sanchez De Placer, Co-Founder and CEO of Florida Spine & Pain Institute, has been recognized as one of Orlando Magazine’s “Women Who Move the City 2026” — a distinction reserved for women who are driving meaningful change and enhancing the quality of life in the Central Florida community.

👉 Read the full feature in Orlando Magazine here

Built from the Ground Up

In its earliest days, the practice had no staff and no roadmap — only a vision, a deep conviction, and the willingness to outwork uncertainty.

For Dara, the decision to build was never purely about ambition. It was about family. While her husband, Dr. Javier Placer, was working long, demanding hours at another practice, Dara made a choice: to create a structure that would allow both clinical excellence and quality of life to exist together. She took on every aspect of operations — establishing the business framework, developing systems and protocols, and building relationships with skilled nursing facilities across Central Florida. This foundation became the springboard for everything that followed.

With that structure in place, Dr. Placer began seeing patients part-time in the evenings and on weekends, generating the early revenue needed to sustain and grow the business. What started as a single-operator endeavor in skilled nursing facilities has grown into a multi-location practice with four outpatient clinics, serving more than 30 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across the region.

A Leader Who Chose to Build

Dara’s academic background is impressive — she holds degrees in psychology and law, and a master’s from Harvard University. Yet she felt drawn to something different. “I realized my calling wasn’t to practice law — it was to build,” she says.

Without formal business training, she immersed herself in operations and took a disciplined, long-term approach to growth. Rather than chasing profits, she reinvested into the business — expanding services, hiring the right people, and outsourcing specialized functions to build a scalable infrastructure. That philosophy is still very much alive today.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Clermont, Florida, the practice identified a critical gap: the lack of continuity in physiatry and pain management care after discharge from skilled nursing facilities. Dara reinvested revenue to expand into outpatient care, acquiring the company’s first clinic in Clermont. When Dr. Placer joined the outpatient practice full-time in 2021, demand accelerated — and Dara responded with systems and training to support that growth without sacrificing quality.

What Makes Florida Spine & Pain Institute Unique

Today, Florida Spine & Pain Institute stands apart in a meaningful way:

“We are the only company in Florida offering services in both the skilled nursing and assisted facility setting and continuing pain management and physiatry care at the outpatient clinics.”

This continuity-of-care model is something no other provider in Florida offers at scale — and it’s the direct result of Dara’s vision and strategic execution, addressing the lack of continuity in physiatry and pain management care after discharge from skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.

The practice now supports more than 30 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across Central Florida, with outpatient clinics in Clermont, Winter Park, Davenport, and Kissimmee, with a presence in surgery centers in Orlando and Davenport.

Purpose as the Engine

What fuels Dara’s drive isn’t a single goal — it’s impact. She believes private practice medicine can thrive when approached with discipline and strategy. “You can be the best physician in your field, but at the end of the day, it is still a business.” Sustainable growth, in her view, requires reinvestment, real estate strategy, and strong tenant partnerships.

But beyond business, Dara leads her father’s nonprofit in Puerto Rico, La Fondita Divino Niño de Jesús, and through Florida Spine & Pain Institute, helped establish a sister kitchen in Kenya serving more than 500 orphans, as well as children from Celebration School and a local vocational school.

When asked what advice she’d give to women starting a business, her answer is honest and deeply personal:

“Find your passion. I began this journey seeking a better quality of life, but that alone was not enough to carry me day to day. What gave me the strength to keep going was my purpose — the impact my work had on others. That purpose is what carries you through the demands, the uncertainty, and the challenges of building something that lasts.”

That sense of purpose extends beyond healthcare. Through Florida Spine & Pain Institute’s charitable initiatives, the organization actively supports communities both locally and internationally. From helping provide meals for children and families in Kenya through its soup kitchen program to supporting educational opportunities and community development projects, giving back remains a core part of the company’s mission. For Dara, success is measured not only by the patients served, but also by the lives impacted beyond the walls of the clinic. Learn more about our commitment to serving others through our Giving Back initiatives.

A Well-Deserved Recognition

Being named to Orlando Magazine’s Women Who Move the City 2026 is a reflection of what Dara has built — not just a thriving healthcare company, but a culture rooted in purpose, community, and resilience. We are incredibly proud of this recognition and grateful to our patients, partners, and team who have been part of this journey.

📖 Read the full feature at Orlando Magazine

📍 Florida Spine & Pain Institute 📞 407-499-0755 🌐 floridaspinepain.com 📸 @floridaspinepain on Instagram 💼 LinkedIn: dara-sanchez-placer

Florida Spine & Pain Institute is Central Florida’s only provider offering integrated pain management and physiatry care across both skilled nursing/assisted living facilities and outpatient clinic settings. With locations in Clermont, Winter Park, Orlando, Davenport, and Kissimmee, we are committed to delivering exceptional, continuous care to our patients.