Meet Our Office Staff & Team Of Physical, Occupational, & Speech Therapists in Wasilla, AK

Trusted, Personalized Rehabilitation Therapy Since 2002

We opened Alyeska Physical Therapy, Inc. in downtown Wasilla, AK, in 2002. We have worked hard over the years to develop a reputation with providers and the community of being dedicated to providing exceptional care.

Business grew rapidly, we were quickly able to add staff and services and by 2004 we had the opportunity to design and move into a new space. Finally, in 2014, we built our current facility and changed our name to Alyeska Therapy Center, Inc. reflecting our comprehensive rehabilitation team. Having complete control over the design of the building allowed us to make unique spaces that best serve our community.

Our staff comes from diverse therapy backgrounds and is passionate about providing a wide array of services to best meet the needs of our community. We look forward to welcoming you into our clinic family, providing you with exceptional care, and encouraging you to feel right at home. Our passion is for helping you and improving your health!

VIEW OUR TEAMS

Physical Therapy Team

Rusty BURLINGAME

+ PT, MS

Bio

Rusty Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with a master’s in physical therapy from Boston University in 1999. He moved to Alaska directly after school and has worked since that time in outpatient orthopedics. Rusty has training in advanced manual therapy techniques through the Ola Grimsby Institute. He uses a variety of manual skills to take his patients out of pain and back to function. He spends his time off hunting and fishing all over the great state of Alaska.

JACOB ARVIDSON

+ PT, DPT

Bio

Jacob Arvidson PT, DPT, was born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. He graduated with his doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences in Florida in 2005 and joined Alyeska Physical Therapy in 2006. The Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Saint Augustine has an excellent reputation for their emphasis on manual therapy. In his free time Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife and children as well as fishing, hunting, camping, and woodworking.

Corbin Flaming

+ PT, DPT

Bio

Corbin Flaming, PT, DPT, earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Baylor University in December 2024 after completing his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2022. His professional interests include orthopedics, sports rehabilitation, and working with active patient populations.

Corbin takes a patient-focused, holistic approach to care, considering the whole person and the various factors that influence rehabilitation. His goal is to help patients develop meaningful movement habits and life skills that will benefit them long after therapy ends.

Outside of work, Corbin enjoys spending time with his wife, Melissa, and making the most of Alaska’s great outdoors. In the summer, he can be found hiking, fishing, camping, rock climbing, and running, while in the winter, he enjoys cross-country skiing and ice fishing.

PAMELA BURLINGAME

+ PT, MS

Bio

Pamela Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with her master’s degree in physical therapy in 1999 from Boston University. She primarily focuses on patients with central neurological disorders and enjoys working with all ages of clients, newborn to geriatric. Pam enjoys taking a functional approach with each patient and strives to maximize their independence. She loves the variety in her job and her ability to make life-changing improvements in each of her patients’ lives.

Pam grew up in Fairbanks and spends her free time with her family and friends enjoying Alaska’s culture and vast outdoors. She is passionate about dance and is the director for the company EnLiven based out of Sonja’s Studio of Dance in Wasilla.

Valerie Schlabach

+ PT, NDT- C

Bio

Valerie earned her Masters in Physical Therapy in 2002 from the University of Pittsburgh following a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. Valerie’s personal values as a therapist are compassion and excellence. She strives to help people maximize their functional independence with creativity and over 20 years of clinical experience working with all ages with neurological disorders in all clinical settings. Valerie is a life-long learner. Some of her continuing education includes certification in Neurodevelopmental Technique and advanced courses in NDT, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Functional Electrical Stimulation devices and application, Sensory Processing, Vision and Vestibular therapy, Therapeutic Listening, Ola Grimsby and Mulligan manual techniques, and Craniosacral Therapy. Valerie is a dynamic therapist who gives her all to her patients, empowers them, and finds joy in their successes!

Valerie enjoys Alaskan adventures with her teenager and friends in every season hiking, fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, skiing, biking, and climbing. When she’s not outside, Valerie is reading, leading a Bible study, or participating in fellowship with friends.

Madi Hibdon

+ PT, DPT

Bio

Madi was raised in Wyoming and moved up to Alaska with her husband and pup in 2023 after graduating with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Baylor University (fun fact: her dog’s name is Baylor too). She has lots of experience with orthopedics, acute care and subacute care patients of all ages but her biggest passions are for pediatrics and perinatal physical therapy (mamas + babies/kiddos!) She has obtained her Perinatal Specialist Certification, which helps her incorporate a whole family approach to her care.

Year round she enjoys doing yoga, soaking up sun, running, and spending time with her pup, friends and family. In the summer she is a fan of fishing, going to markets/festivals, trail running/hiking and camping. In the winter she is into cooking/baking, strength training, and starting to get better at skiing (after a childhood full of being a gym rat playing basketball all winter!).

She is beyond excited to help out some of the amazing families that call the Mat-Su Valley home.

Mary Olsen

+ PT, DPT

Bio

Mary Olsen, PT, DPT Came to Alaska with her family in 1997. She received her degree in Physical Therapy from University of Maryland School of Medicine where she was privileged to study under the mentorship of the late Florence P. Kendall, one of the country’s most influential physical therapists and educators. Mary has a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. She recently received her degree as a Doctor of Physical Therapy from The College of St Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Mary is certified in vestibular rehabilitation by the American Institute of Balance. She has extensive training as an orthopedic manual therapist, is a certified Strain Counterstain practitioner and is an advanced myofascial release practitioner. She is a member of the Alaska Physical Therapy Association, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and APTA Orthopedic Section. She has practiced physical therapy for more than 30 years in outpatient orthopedics, chronic pain, vestibular rehabilitation, and women’s health.

Mary is a caring practitioner who is passionate about helping her patients achieve their goals to maximize function and mobility. She works individually with her patients for forty-five minutes to an hour in each treatment session. Because Mary is committed to excellence in the practice of physical therapy, her treatment approach is evidenced-based. She sets aside several hours each week to study recent research articles, published in the professional literature.

Mary and her husband, Dale, enjoy the magnificent recreational activities in our beautiful state. She is a licensed single engine land and seaplane pilot. She and Dale also enjoy hiking, running, camping, fishing and hunting.

Kathryn Tiemessen

+ PT, MS, DPT

Bio

Kathryn Tiemessen, PT, MS, DPT received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise science at the University of Montana, before graduating with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Indiana State University in 2023. She enjoys working with both orthopedic and neurologic populations, and has a special interest in traumatic brain injuries, balance and cardiopulmonary disorders. Kathryn holds certifications in RockTape, Graston and LSVT BIG, and is willing to try a variety of methods to find what works best for each patient. Kathryn grew up in Fairbanks, and is excited to explore southcentral Alaska and to be joining the Alyeska Therapy Center family. When not in the clinic, Kathryn loves to be out snowboarding, hiking and running any races that have a unique twist, such as obstacle course mud runs, glow-in-the-dark races, costume runs and burro races.

Occupational Therapy Team

Alys Bowman

COTA

Bio

Alys began working in Occupational Therapy in 2001. She moved to Alaska in 2007 to work at Providence Transitional Care, and in 2011 was hired at an outpatient clinic to work exclusively with the 0-18 year old population focusing on child developmental disorders (including Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder). Alys has certifications in Pediatric NDT (2013), Certified Infant Massage Educator (2015), Blomberg Rhythmic Movement Training (2016), Evidence-Based Aquatic Therapy for Pediatrics and Aquatic Sensory Motor Integration for Pediatrics (2017). After a brief return to adult rehab, she is excited to be working with Alyeska’s pediatric families and team. When she’s not working Alys enjoys getting outdoors for almost any activity: hiking, kayaking, berry picking, fishing, hunting, cross country skiing or just walking with her dogs in the woods.

Kristin Shelton

OTD, OTR/L, NDT-C

Bio

Kristin completed her doctorate in occupational therapy in 2024 through the Creighton University – University of Alaska Anchorage hybrid program. Prior to her OT career, she completed a bachelor’s in social work and established a career in human services. Kristin is passionate about helping adults with neurological impairments return to their valued roles and daily activities so they can live life to the fullest. She is LSVT-Big Certified, holds a micro-credential in driving rehabilitation, and loves supporting adults explore goals related to driving and community mobility. When she’s not in the office, you can find Kristin hiking, gardening, cross-country skiing, or adventuring around the great state of Alaska!

Lori Miller

OTR/L- via Telehealth

Ron Miller

OTR/L- via Telehealth

Speech Therapy Team

KIM PRAYNER

+ M.A., Au.D., CCC-A/SLP

Bio

Kim Prayner, M.A., Au.D., CCC-A/SLP, has over 20 years of experience in the communication disorders field. Kim is a licensed and certified Audiologist after initially receiving her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of North Carolina in 1994; she received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014. Kim earned her Doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2003. She is passionate about working with pediatric patients and finding ways to maximize their communication skills. Kim has worked in the hospital, private practice, school, acute care, and hearing aid manufacturing settings. She has a vast array of experience working with children who have apraxia, autism, cleft palate, cognitive disabilities, dysfluency/stuttering, hearing loss, non-verbal language, social skills deficits, and speech/language deficits. Kim is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)’s Special Interest Group 1: Language, Learning, and Education and a member of ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kim lived in Fairbanks for over 10 years before moving to Wasilla. She spends her free time with her family, kayaking, fishing, snowboarding, and enjoying the outdoors.

Amanda Carver

CCC-SLP

Bio

Amanda Carver, MS, CCC-SLP, is a lifelong Alaskan who graduated with her master’s degree from the University of Oregon in 2021. Since then, she has had experience working in educational, medical, and private settings, and her passion is working with individuals with complex communication needs who benefit from alternative communication devices. She also has specialized experience and an interest in working with children with dyslexia and learning disabilities, and adults with neurological difficulties. Amanda enjoys serving clients across the lifespan. In her free time, Amanda can be found training for her next marathon, skiing, hiking, and spending time with her dogs.

Julia Kosht

MS, CF-SLP

Bio

Julia Kosht, MS, CF-SLP was born in Anchorage and moved to Wasilla in 2016. After working in the Mat-Su School District, Julia developed an interest in the field of Speech Language Pathology and obtained her master’s degree from East Carolina University. She has a special interest in emergent language development, early intervention, and working with infants, young children and their families. While celebrating the individual personalities and strengths of each child, Julia enthusiastically works to develop early language skills to nurture their confidence and establish meaningful connections. Her favorite at home activities include reading, baking, dancing with her daughter, and she has maintained a lifelong love of horses.

Front Office Staff

Jessica

+ Office Manager

Bio

Jessica has been with Alyeska Therapy Center since 2017. She is passionate about her position as office manager because it allows her the ability to support her clinic family and her community at the same time. She particularly enjoys watching the clinic’s patients make meaningful improvements through therapy and intentional interactions. In her spare time Jessica loves being active with friends and family hiking, kayaking, camping and traveling.