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Uyen comes from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science of
Physical Therapy degree. She started her career in the field of orthopedics with a primary focus on the
athletic population. From weekend warriors to professional athletes, she worked with people who had
an intense desire to optimize their health and maximize performance.

As her practice shifted to clients with more diverse and complex health issues, she completed her
certification in medical acupuncture, sports medicine acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine
acupuncture along with an advanced post graduate acupuncture program in Beijing, China.

Understanding the complexity of functional movement, she is able to bring a detailed and analytical
perspective to her treatment. Working within the Elevate team Uyen is able to restore clients to proper
movement and a quick return to activity.

Tracey was born and raised in Calgary, but has lived in Germany, Korea, Hong Kong, London,
and Moscow, so all those places have shaped who she is.

She received her B.Ed. at U of A and taught a variety of things before going back to school at
age 44 to study nutrition. She has been in this field since 2014 and specializes in the health of
the gut microbiome and fixing leaky gut. Gut health has significant relevance to neurological
health and autoimmune conditions, so she work a lot with those conditions, as well as the
obvious gut problems. She also specializes in Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation
Syndrome.

Tracey chose to be part of the Synaptic/Elevate Team because of her interest in neurological
health. Her youngest son is from China and was extremely malnourished as an infant, so his
brain did not develop properly. She was able to profoundly change his brain function using a
dietary approach. That experience had a large role in shaping her clinical practice. It is
important to Tracey to have colleagues to refer to and collaborate with, so her clients can
achieve the best possible outcomes – Synaptic/Elevate gives her that team to collaborate with.

Her favorite part of being on the Team is working on complex cases. It’s pretty amazing to be
one part of the complex puzzle that makes up optimal health.

Tracey wants her clients to feel better. Whatever that means for them – better brain function,
better digestive health, better pain management… Her goal to help someone learn how to eat
to reach their goals. That can look very different from person to person, so that customization
is what Tracey aims to contribute to someone’s journey.

If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?

It is probably not surprising that as a Nutritional Consultant Tracey does not eat the kinds of ice
cream most people eat. So, her favorite flavour is one that she makes herself, and it changes
frequently – because there are so many amazing flavours. She has a Sweet Potato Ice Cream
Bar in her cookbook that she loves. She is working on a Salted Hazelnut recipe right now
because she loves hazelnut ice cream.

      Thomas grew up in the south of France, on the French Riviera. He made a first move to a colder country by choosing to study Physiotherapy in Amsterdam, and doubled down on the cold weather by deciding to call Calgary home after his final practicum at Synaptic. Thomas has a passion for sports as a whole with an affinity for team sports, having ironically found his long lost love for soccer again since moving here. Thomas graduated from the European School of Physiotherapy with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy that included a minor in Pediatrics in 2020. He worked for a bit in a private practice in France while waiting for his Canadian work permit, and is now in the process of getting licensed in Alberta. He has a natural penchant for neurology and teaching, hoping to explore the latter once he has gathered more experience and knowledge.

      Thomas moved to Calgary to work and learn under Uyen through Synaptic and Elevate. He finds that the work environment in ideal for him to learn and prosper in, having kind and knowledgeable colleagues, as well as dedicated and hard working clients. Thomas is excited to work in an environment that promotes an interdisciplinary approach, as he strongly believes in the proverb “it takes a village to raise a child”, and finds that is highly applicable to any aspect of healthcare and education. Thomas hopes he can bring a better understanding of the body’s mechanics to his clients, an increased independence, as well as additional tools to help navigate through life a little more smoothly.

      If Thomas were an ice-cream, he would be mint chocolate chip (even though he does not like it at all) because he is pretty cool and chill, although people might not catch on to his unique personality at first. He is also a balance of ambitious and confident, yet brings a relaxing presence to the group. He encourages everyone to work hard and have fun at the same time.

Born and raised in Calgary, Kyra completed her Bachelor of Kinesiology in 2019 at the University of Calgary.

Throughout her student career, Kyra explored her appreciation for rehab, working in physiotherapy clinics and volunteering with the University’s rehab and fitness program for person’s with physical disabilities.

Kyra started her professional career as a personal trainer with a focus on developing, and building upon, foundational functional movement patterns with her clients. Following this, she worked as a Kinesiologist in a multi-disciplinary clinic in complex return to work and brain injury programs.

Kyra is a big promoter of healthy living and incorporating physical activity and movement, in any capacity, in people’s often busy lifestyles.

Now, as a part of the Synaptic/Elevate team, Kyra is excited to bring her perspective. She strives to lead her clients to push themselves to new challenges, and provide them the tools to build success.

If Kyra was an ice cream flavor, she would be cookies and cream. She takes life as it comes, stays cool and finds fun in the mundane.

Eric was born and raised in Calgary. He attended university in Kelowna, UBCO, where he completed his
Bachelor of Kinesiology, in which he graduated in 2019. After that, he started personal training and
online coaching, which gave him a fantastic opportunity to learn valuable client management skills. He
chose to be a part of the Synaptic/Elevate team. He genuinely believes an interdisciplinary mindset is
the best approach to treat and resolve the root cause of injuries in the most efficient way. More so, he
wanted to work with truly committed and motivated clients. Eric admires his work environment as the
camaraderie and the passion for helping others lie within each team member. He aspires to increase
client’s quality of life and help them regain function for them to engage in hobbies that positively
contribute to their well-being.

If Eric were ice cream, he would be a scoop of cookie dough. He is resourceful, crafty, and one who will
make the best of any situation.

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Kristy grew up on an acreage just outside of Medicine Hat, AB. She moved to Chestermere, AB, in 2001
and worked as an administrative assistant with a children’s mental health program. While working parttime,
she completed her Bachelor of Social Work online with the University of Victoria and graduated in
2015. She pursued further education, obtaining her Master of Social Work with a clinical specialization
with the University of Calgary in 2019. Kristy pursued her gerontology passion for a not-for-profit
company that provided housing for seniors in Calgary and the area. For the last four years, Kristy has
been working part-time within long-term care.

Kristy’s areas of interest include assisting individuals who have been impacted by an injury or illness,
grief, and anxiety.

Kristy joined the Synaptic/Elevate team in 2021. Her favourite part of being part of the team is the work
we are doing together with the people we serve. Kristy aspires to let the people she works with know
that you are not alone in your journey. Sometimes we need someone to be there, to allow a safe space
to share our story.

If I were ice cream, what flavour would I be?

If Kristy were ice cream, she would be Neapolitan. This ice cream is an appropriate mix of different
flavours together, just like my personality. She can be introverted and extraverted, optimistic and
sometimes pessimistic. She is flexible in her thinking style; doesn’t hold on too tightly to specific
thoughts or ideas. She can be brave sometimes and other times a bit more careful. She is fair and
reliable.

Diana is originally from Edmonton and made her way down to Calgary in 2020. She
completed her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta in
2019. Diana has practiced in various areas, including acute care, subacute
neurorehabilitation, and long-term care. She is currently working in the community with
adults who live with chronic pain and chronic fatigue, as well as supporting older adults with
aging in place.

Diana joined the Synaptic/Elevate team, because of her interest in the neurological field and
her passion in supporting clients in their communities and homes. She hopes to collaborate
with her patients in re-engaging in their meaningful activities after experiencing an injury or
health event, whether that be to return to work, spend more time with their loved ones, or
independence with self-care activities.

During her free time, Diana enjoys spending time with her friends and family and making the
most out of the mountains. She is an avid Village Ice Cream fan. If she were an ice cream
flavour, she would be their Village vanilla bean, because of her reliability and ability to work
well in versatile environments.

Born in England but calling Canada home since 2004, Catharine has experienced her fair share of
significant life transitions. From moving provinces and cities for family and education and having both
professional and personal experience with the Canadian healthcare system, Catharine is no stranger to
significant life changes and creative problem-solving. Catharine obtained her Honors Bachelor of Arts in
Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario, her Master of Arts in Physical Education &
Recreation from the University of Alberta, and her Master of Occupational Therapy from the University
of British Columbia. She continues to be a life-long learner, frequently taking courses in mental health,
concussion, brain injury, and adaptive equipment. Catharine specializes in seating and mobility
(wheelchairs), accessibility (home renovations, adaptive equipment), cognition
(memory, attention, higher-level thinking), and mental health (adjusting to a significant life event like an
injury/illness). 

Catharine joined the Synaptic/Elevate team after referring a client to the team and experiencing the
innovative and committed therapy Synaptic provides. With her passion for neurology, mobility, and
mental health, Synaptic was a perfect fit! Catharine’s favourite part of being on the team is the energy
and collaboration between all the practitioners to help clients achieve their goals, and checking the
‘Wall of Progress’ for client updates. Catharine aspires to facilitate a smooth and client-led progression
through a client’s healthcare journey, whatever that may look like, providing support and resources but
ultimately letting clients forge their paths and be their advocates for their needs.

If Catharine were an ice-cream flavour, she would be sea salt caramel, as she considers herself a mix of
sociable and sweet (like caramel), strong and tough (like the texture of salt), with a dry-sarcastic (salty)
British sense of humour!

Garland completed her Bachelors of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia before finishing
her Physical Therapy training at the University of Alberta. She is originally from Edmonton but her love
for the mountains brought her to the beautiful city of Calgary in 2021.

Garland has spent time leading group exercise classes and volunteering with various organizations such
as Reyu Paralysis Recovery Centre, Cerebral Palsy Association and Alberta Aphasia Camps. Following her
schooling, she worked at a Physiotherapy clinic in the Return to Work and Brain Injury Programs. These
experiences have made Garland passionate about understanding her client’s stories and finding out
what is meaningful to them to help them through their rehab journey. She takes an individualized
approach that prioritizes education, exercise therapy and hands-on techniques. She is interested in
supporting people with neurological conditions, persistent pain, concussions and musculoskeletal
injuries anywhere in the body.

Garland is excited to be a part of the Synaptic / Elevate team as she loves how they strive to push
boundaries and celebrate the potential and growth in their clients. Her bubbly personality makes her a
great team player and she aims to work with other disciplines to provide holistic care to her clients.

Outside of the clinic, you can find her hiking up mountains, running, doing hot yoga and keeping a
healthy balance by devouring ice cream from Made by Marcus on a biweekly basis. If she were an ice
cream flavor, she would be a seasonal flavor because she is adventurous and keeps things fun and
surprising!

Originally from southern Ontario, Nora traded lakes for mountains and moved to Calgary in 2012.  She
graduated from Mount Royal College with a diploma in massage therapy in 2015.  She has a certification
in craniosacral therapy and has training in lymphatic drainage, visceral manipulation, brain work, total
body balancing, myofascial release and deep tissue massage.  With over 5 years of working experience,
Nora believes that massage therapy is both an art and a science.

As soon as she heard of Synaptic/Elevate, Nora felt like it was the right place for her.  She knew she
could add her unique perspective to a team that is encouraged to think differently. Nora loves working
with integrated professionals that learn from each other and are driven to help our community.

Nora lives in awe of how connected the body is, and aspires to share this with her clients.  She shows
this connection with massage therapy.  For her, it is the best job in the world. 

If she were an ice cream flavour, Nora would be Cardamom.  It’s earthy, harkens to an ancient time, and
has a quirky, modern twist. 

Jessica graduated from the University of Alberta in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical
Therapy (with distinction) and is the owner of Breathe Well Physio. She continued her education with
numerous post-graduate courses in manual therapy, myofascial release, and acupuncture. In 2006, after
attending a physiotherapy symposium, she discovered the missing element in her practice – breathing.
After attending her first course in breathing biofeedback, she began to integrate breathing retraining
into her practice. In 2010, she traveled to New Zealand to become certified in the BradCliff Method® of
breathing retraining. In 2016 she completed further certificates with the Graduate School of Behavioural
Health Sciences under Peter Litchfield, which allows her to focus on the behavioural aspects of
dysfunctional breathing.

The Canadian Instructor for the New Zealand-based BradCliff Method®, Jessica has also traveled across
Canada presenting and lecturing on the impacts of dysfunctional breathing on health, with recent
keynote speeches at the Saskatchewan Lung Association Conference and the 2019 International
Association for Dance Medicine & Science Conference.

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica quickly recognized the implications of Long COVID on
the population and has pivoted to creating programming that delivers the best available evidence for
both those living with Long COVID and health care professionals working with this population. She has
become an ally and and advocate, taking on the role of Co-Director of Advocacy for the Long COVID
Physio executive board. She has developed several courses and webinars to help with knowledge
translation, and currently runs the BREATHE program in conjunction with Synaptic.

Jessica is excited to join the Elevate team, so that she can integrate a multi-disciplinary team into the
management of complex chronic illness – like lung disease and Long COVID. She is excited about the
opportunities it will give her professionally to grow and develop programming to better suit her client
needs.

If Jessica were an ice cream, she would be Salted Caramel. A little sweetness when she needs to be and
salty when necessary!