Meet the Team
Experience & expertise from our physical therapists and support staff.
Dr. Anne Thomas PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, CSCS, CPed
Physical Therapist, Owner
Anne’s journey to Palmer covers several continents. Born in Nairobi Kenya she completed a BA in Biology in Indiana and then a BSc in Physical Therapy in Aberdeen, Scotland. She started her work experience in Perth, Western Australia and has finally settled in Alaska. She specializes in orthopedic physical therapy and has supplemented her knowledge through becoming a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist, a Fellow of the American academy of manual physical therapists and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Outside of work Anne enjoys the outdoors and adventures with her husband and two boys.

Dr. Carla Vizzerra PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Carla was born and raised in Anchorage, AK. She attended Oregon State University where she majored in Exercise and Sport Science and minored in Psychology. She went on to graduate from Pacific University in 2004 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Her love of Alaska brought her back home to work in Outpatient Orthopedics where she has continued to grow as physical therapist.
Carla strongly believes that listening to the client’s history, concerns and his/her goals ultimately leads to patient success. She emphasizes an eclectic approach and treating the person as a whole and has passion in educating her clients on how to promote an environment for healing. She has had and continues to seek advanced education focusing on manual techniques and creating effective rehab programs that emphasize appropriate therapeutic dosing, individually based and designed. She has extensive education in Ola Grimsby Institute’s manual and therapeutic exercise teachings. She also has a background in a variety of other approaches including but not limited to Mulligan, McKenzie and Strain/Counter Strain. In addition, she has training in women’s pelvic health as well as in dry needling which can be used as an effective tool in healing. Carla is also fluent in Spanish, able to assist those in need.
Outside of physical therapy, she loves spending time with her husband and three children in the beautiful outdoors of Alaska. She has a passion for running and hiking, especially in the mountains.

Dr. Jack Fry PT, DPT, OCS
Physical Therapist
Jack graduated from Idaho State University in 2012 with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. He spent 5 years working in North Pole before moving to Palmer in 2017. He completed an orthopedic and manual therapy residency program with the Ola Grimsby Institute in 2016 and is a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. He has a clinical interest in dry needling, blood flow restriction therapy, and manipulation. Outside of work Jack enjoys spending time with his wife and 4 kids. He enjoys many outdoor Alaska activities including mountaineering, rock/ice climbing, packrafting, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, nordic skiing and nordic ice skating. He is thrilled to be part of the Palmer community, and he loves the great access to mountains and trails around the Valley.

Dr. Holly Thomas PT, DPT, Cert. MDT
Physical Therapist
Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Holly attended the Univeristy of Oklahoma where she earned her BS in Health Studies and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Her career in PT has taken her to multiple states across the country including Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Florida and seeking new adventures led her to pursue travel therapy to Alaska. After falling in love with the many outdoor activities only Alaska can offer, her initial plans to spend 3 months here quickly turned into 3 years and counting. She is certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy through the McKenzie Institute and loves to empower her patients with knowledge and self efficacy on their own journey toward living a healthy and active lifestyle. Outside of work she enjoys traveling with her boyfriend, especially seeing as many national parks as possible, hiking, camping, and kayaking.

Dr. Garrett McCarthy PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Garrett is a physical therapist from Stoneham, MA. He got his doctorate in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College in 2015. He got into physical therapy because he has a passion for helping people and teaching them about how to improve their musculoskelatal health. Garrett prides himself on excellent patient outcomes in a broad variety of patient presentations. He has worked with patients as young as 3 months old and as old as 103 years old. He worked over three years in the North Shore Boston area where he improved his skills and knowledge in the orthopedic world. He has observed over 25 orthopedic procedures from some of the top orthopedic surgeons in the world and has an expertise in post operative patient rehabilitation. He lived in Alaska for 4 months in the summer of 2019 and then moved to Denver for the winter and spring. Garrett has a passion for golf and has taken coursework to work specifically with this population; he is a Titleist Performance Institute certified physical therapist. He has studied dry needling as an intervention and has had phenomenal outcomes with it as an intervention. Garrett is also Mackenzie Certified which helps him improve his outcomes in patients with spine issues. He has been rock climbing and bouldering for the past 5 years and he has worked with an extensive amount of patients on injury prevention and management in the climbing world. He has worked at multiple climbing competitions to help with proper warm up, taping techniques, and rehabilitation of various sports specific injuries. He has advanced skills in manual therapy and evidence based practice. Garrett is always keeping up with the latest literature to give his patients the best prognosis. Garrett always tries to make physical therapy not only effective, but fun as well. Living in Alaska was so amazing last summer he has moved back here full time; Him and his wife really enjoy the Alaskan outdoors and all it has to offer.

Susan Gibbs LPTA, CKTP
Physical Therapist Assistant
Susan was born and raised in Alaska and went to college in New York for a Physical Therapist Assistant degree. She also took other classes for nutrition and athletics, returning to AK in 1992 and has been working in PT since that time, with periodic breaks to raise her girls. Her areas of special interest are in aquatic therapy, sports injury and she is also certified in kinesio-taping. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband and two girls, going to her oldest daughters musical concerts and watching their other daughter pursue a health career. She also loves camping, kayaking and enjoying the out doors.

Jaimie Burke LPTA
Physical Therapist Assistant
Jaimie graduated from University of Alaska Anchorage’s Physical Therapist Assistant program in 2015. She is originally from Illinois but fell in love with Alaska after the military moved her family here several years ago. She has a special interest in aquatic therapy and loves to work with clients in the pool. Jaimie is a hockey mom and outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 boys. She also enjoys bike rides, crafting and video games.
Make an appointment
642 S Alaska St. #209
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 746-0722
Fax: (907) 746-0732
Did you know?
Among older adults with knee osteoarthritis, engaging in moderate physical activity at least 3 times/week can reduce the risk of arthritis-related disability by 47%.
Three brands, one vision. Visit us in Downtown Palmer!
Opened in 2008, AKtive Soles Performance Footwear is our retail space and shoe store, dedicated to enabling customers to engage in a physically active lifestyle in comfort.
AKtive Body Gym & Fitness is our gym and training facility, open 7 days a week and offering open gym with cardio and weight equipment, group fitness classes and personal training.