VOREE SMITH, MPT

Voree was raised in Burlington and has spent his entire professional career in Skagit and Island County. Graduated with a Masters degree from Loma Linda University in 2000 and moved back to his home town to start his career. In 2005, he and his associate Greg Fritz started Burlington Physical Therapy. He decided to go solo with Burlington PT in 2008 and has seen thousands of patients there since. In addition to being a well rounded physical therapist, Voree specializes in bicycle fitting, having been trained by former National Track champion Paul Swift and Katrina Vogel, DPT in addition to retailing Serotta Custom bikes in their hay day. Voree also works with Donkalope Bikes in Bellingham establishing custom frame measurements via his Serotta sizing cycle. In 2022, his former mentor Dr. Fritz retired from private PT practice and passed Voree the torch of his three practices, Anacortes PT, Oak Harbor PT, and Coupeville PT. Voree currently splits his time between the 4 practices.

ALI VANDE CASTLE, DPT

Ali graduated from Marquette University with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2010 after completing her B.S. degree in Exercise Science. Her main goal in treating the outpatient population is to treat the entire person, not just an injury or pathology. She has experience with both orthopedic/sports injuries and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Ali grew up in Chicago but has moved around the country with her husband Bill, a Navy pilot. She worked from 2011-2014 at both Anacortes Physical Therapy and Coupeville Physical Therapy and is excited to return to the area with her family, to raise their three boys in the Pacific Northwest.

GORDON “TAL” BLAIR, DPT

Tal graduated from the University of St. Augustine’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2010. Following, he completed an out-patient orthopedic residency program in Denver, Colorado.

Tal grew up in Southeast Alaska, and is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest. He likes to spend time with his wife Morgan and daughter Norah, and enjoys trail running, snowboarding and being outside in general. His goal as a Physical Therapist is to give individual attention and education to people regarding their state of pain, and create a plan of action to return them to things they love doing.

GREG FRITZ, PT, DPT

KANDACE HABENICHT PT, MSPT

Kandace Habenicht, MSPT
Kandy graduated from Andrews University with a Master of Physical Therapy in 1994. With
experience in multiple areas of physical therapy, her evaluation and treatment plan focuses on
the client as a whole person and is client goal-driven. She applies a philosophy that healing and
progress begin when clients are engaged and their treatment plan is meaningful and personal.
She has experience in neurological dysfunction/ movement disorders and trauma injuries with a
passion for balance disorders/vestibular dysfunction/stroke and spinal cord injuries.

Kandy was born in the tropics but raised in the beautiful state of Michigan and considers herself
a “Great Lake’s girl”. She enjoys spending time with her family/pets, traveling, and outdoor
activities with a fondness for kayaking. Until now Kandy has practiced in Michigan and Indiana
raising a son, who has graduated from collage and moving on to his own new adventures.
Moving to the Great Pacific Northwest has fulfilled a long-time dream of Kandy’s to be closer to
the ocean, the mountains, and her family.

MIYABI GLADSTEIN, PTA

Miyabi has been working at Anacortes PT since April 2023, after two years in Home Health. She loves being active and feels energized by getting people back to what they love to do whether its after an injury, joint replacement or from wear and tear.

Before becoming a PTA Miyabi was a licensed massage therapist for 20 years with 15 years in private practice, after a ski injury in 2015 she decided to switch to the rehab side of things.  Miyabi loves anything outdoors, on the weekend you can find her skiing, hiking, paddleboarding and mountain climbing. She also has a big vegetable garden and loves to cook meals with her daughter inspired by what’s in season.

CARLA DERIE, OPERATIONS MANAGER

Carla moved to Anacortes in 1998, relocating from the Tacoma area with her husband, toddler son, and newborn daughter. After a few years as a stay at home mom and then Lead Scheduling Coordinator at Island Hospital, Carla pursued an opportunity to advance her career and accepted a position at Skagit Island Rehab Group/Anacortes Physical Therapy as Operations Manager in 2010.

She splits her time between three physical therapy clinics as well as two commonly owned businesses, including a medical billing company and MSK imaging consulting. Her duties have grown over the last 10 years to include office management, bookkeeping, payroll, financial management, staffing, and anything else that might get thrown her way. In her personal life, Carla enjoys spending time with her now grown “kids”, hiking, going to the beach, and she looks forward to traveling again someday soon.

CHALIS FULTON, PATIENT COORDINATOR

Chalis originally hails from the southwest, moving to Bellingham from Flagstaff, Arizona because of her love for the Pacific Northwest. 

She enjoys the people she gets to meet and work with here at Anacortes Physical Therapy. 

In her free time, she is enjoying the great outdoors, reading, trying new recipes or exploring new places with her husband Jared.

LESLEE SUTTON, PATIENT COORDINATOR

RACHEL LIDDLE, EXERCISE TECHNICIAN

Rachel hails from Skagit County, having lived in nearly every town in the valley during childhood. She loves the slow pace and gorgeous scenery that Skagit Valley offers and being close to family. Her background in retail management and customer service at Hobby Lobby has served her well here at the clinic, as she seeks to provide an upbeat, welcoming atmosphere with each patient she gets to work with. She enjoys being a part of the APT team, whether it’s coaching a patient through a newer challenging exercise, keeping the clinic neat and tidy, or (occasionally) subbing at the front desk. 

Rachel is currently a student of Whatcom Community College’s PTA program where she gets to fulfill two of her passions – helping people feel better and studying the amazing complexity of the human body and how it functions.

Off the clock, Rachel loves to be active outdoors and at her local church. She serves alongside her husband in various ministries including teaching Sunday School, leading a Kindergartners class in her church’s Awana Bible club, and coordinating church events throughout the year. Her favorite hobbies include minimalistic home interior design, cooking, teaching piano on the side, and spending quality time with her man and two adorably crazy kitties, Bagheera and Buttercup.

TIA PINAS-FERNANDEZ, EXERCISE TECHNICIAN

Tia graduated from Western Washington University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, pre-healthcare specialization. She’s a proud Navy brat, having lived all over the world. In 2014, she landed in Whidbey Island. From there began her slow-burn romance with rain, coffee, and being outside.

YASHIKA, EXERCISE TECHNICIAN

Yashika graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a Master of Science in Kinesiology in 2024 and she has completed her Bachelor of Physical Therapy. She is currently studying hard for her National Physical Therapy Examination.