Staff

DANIELA ALEKSICH, PT

Licensed Physical Therapist

Certified Mat Pilates Instructor

Certified Strength Training Specialist

Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist

Certified Graston Technique Preferred Provider

DANIELA ALEKSICH, PT, has over 20 years of experience in the orthopedic physical therapy field. Born in Yugoslavia, Mrs. Aleksich became interested in pursuing a career in the medical field after completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education for the Disabled at the University of Belgrade. She went on to received her Degree in Physical Therapy from the Medical University of Belgrade and later also attended Loma Linda University Physical Therapy Program in California.

Soon after completing her physical therapy studies in Belgrade, Mrs. Aleksich relocated to California. Over the years, Mrs. Aleksich has built an impressive body of knowledge and credentials via continuing education courses namely in Maitland and McConnell approaches. Her main interest always resided in orthopedic rehabilitation; however, striving to expand her professional reach to help more patients, Mrs. Aleksich completed extensive specialized training in the rehabilitation of TMD or jaw-related disorders. She also acquired specialized expertise in the treatment of vestibular disorders and rehabilitation of balance dysfunctions. Mrs. Aleksich is a Certified Graston Technique Provider. She is also a Certified Strength Training Specialist, a Certified Mat Pilates Instructor, and a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist.

Having exclusively worked in out-patient clinical settings for two decades, Mrs. Aleksich has been cultivating excellent professional relationships and earned a solid reputation for her work. In 1999, she and Genevieve Ferland opened the Pro-Health Physical Therapy Clinic where commitment to excellent individualized patient care remains unwavering.

GENEVIEVE FERLAND, PT, DPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Licensed Physical Therapist

Certified Mat Pilates Instructor

Certified Strength Training Specialist

Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist

Certified Graston Technique Preferred Provider

GENEVIEVE FERLAND, PT, DPT, graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she was also a published researcher with the University’s Biomechanics Laboratory. She later earned her Physical Therapy Doctorate Degree from A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona.

Dr. Ferland started her career in Montreal, where she worked in a large rehabilitation hospital and gained special expertise in the treatment of burn victims. Prior to her relocation to California, she worked as the Director of Rehabilitation Services for a hospital in Eunice, Louisiana. Early in her career, Dr. Ferland became passionate about manual therapy and orthopedic rehabilitation. With this focus in mind, her professional path naturally evolved towards out-patient clinical settings. Through it all, she has been a Clinical Instructor for Universities in the United States and Canada. In 1999, she opened the Pro-Health Physical Therapy Clinic with Daniela Aleksich. She continues to perfect her skills and acquire new knowledge with an ongoing commitment to professional development and continuing education. Dr. Ferland is a Certified Graston Technique Provider. She also holds certifications as Strength Training Specialist, Ergonomic Assessment Specialist, and Mat Pilates Instructor; and has specialized training in the treatment of TMJ and vestibular disorders.

Dr. Ferland has been working in the United States for 20 years. Her professional journey allowed her to acquire broad expertise in inpatient care. This, along with a solid academic background, amounted to a well-rounded understanding of patient care and strong treatment skills to provide effective and comprehensive physical therapy care.

STACEY FUNK, PT, DPT, OCS

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Licensed Physical Therapist

Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist

STACEY FUNK, PT, DPT, OCS, brings to our clinic over 15 years of experience and outstanding training in the field of orthopedic rehabilitation.

Dr. Funk’s exposure to physical therapy began at a young age recovering from injuries sustained as a competitive gymnast. After the completion of her undergraduate studies at UC Santa Barbara, Stacey obtained her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California in 2004.

Dr. Funk began her career seeing a variety of patients in the hospital setting. Her love of orthopedics grew which led her to complete a year long manual therapy course and pass a second board exam to become a Certified Orthopedic Specialist in 2009. Being specialized in various manual therapy techniques, Dr Funk’s career path naturally evolved towards working in out-patient clinics. She continues to take many different continuing education classes and has been trained in many techniques including Mulligan, Strain Counterstrain, Kinesiotaping, and PNF. She is also a certified clinic instructor and enjoys mentoring physical therapy students.

Dr. Funk is an avid sports fan and enjoys helping patients recover from sports injuries. She loves working with middle school and high school age students to return to their sports and activities. She also likes the geriatric population focusing on fall prevention and exercise to maintain function. Dr. Funk finds great pride and satisfaction in being able to help people of all ages to lead active and healthy lifestyle.

ELAINE S. CHAN, PT, DPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Licensed Physical Therapist

ELAINE S. CHAN, PT, DPT, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California Irvine. She went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2016from the University of Southern California, consistently the number one ranked PT program. Dr. Chan has completed internships in many outpatient orthopedic settings, as well as some specialty clinics focusing on the shoulder complex in Scottsdale, AZ and the women’s health/pelvic floor at USC’s faculty practice.

Dr. Chan’s training and interests have been focused on the orthopedic and sports population. She enjoys analyzing movements to guide her through manual and exercise treatments. She is currently studying for the Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) certification exam.

While participating in the sports medicine program in her high school in Walnut and later during her undergraduate years at UCI, Dr. Chan’s became interested in physical therapy. This career choice centered on health and fitness was fitting for her as she played competitive tennis at club sports level at UCI, varsity level at community college, and continues to play recreational leagues with her fellow alumni’s. A professional goal would be to combine her interests in tennis and physical therapy and work with the professional tennis tour.

ALEXANDRA NUTTALL-SMITH, PT, ATC

Licensed Physical Therapist

Certified Athletic Trainer

Certified Kinesio Taping Professional

ALEXANDRA NUTTALL-SMITH, PT, ATC, born in Montreal, Canada, she attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro playing NCAA Division I & II tennis for UNC-Greensboro from 1988 to1992, and earning her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science/Athletic Training in 1992. She went on to study physical therapy at Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania, and received her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 1996.

After the completion of her graduate studies, Mrs. Nuttall-Smith moved to Hong Kong, China, where she worked in out-patient private physical therapy clinics in addition to providing medical coverage for many sporting events as head physical therapist and athletic trainer. Over a period of seven years, she covered many competitive sporting events all over Asia, allowing her to gain remarkable expertise in sports medicine and rehabilitation.

Mrs. Nuttall-Smith has established her home in California and has been working in out-patient physical therapy clinics in the South Bay since her return from China. She has been working as a part-time physical therapist at Pro-Health since 2003. Coming from a competitive tennis background and having gained excellent knowledge in orthopedic and sports rehabilitation over the years, Mrs. Nuttall-Smith has been involved with many American and International Tennis Associations since 1998. She has been a valuable member of the medical team for the WTA, USTA, ITF, ATP, and Davis Cup associations. In addition to being a licensed physical therapist, Mrs. Nuttall-smith is also a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and a Certified Kinesio Taping Professional (CKTP).

LIYA WANG, PT

Licensed Physical Therapist

Certified HawkGrips Practitioner

Certified with the Learning Movements

Orthopedic Physical Therapy Program

LIYA WANG, PT, is the latest therapist to have joined Pro-Health, bringing over 20 years of experience to our clinic.

Liya completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of California San Diego in 1995. It is during an internship within a multidisciplinary hospital team that Liya, as she says it, fell in love with physical therapy. And so, she continued her studies to earn a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 1998 from Washington University.

Liya has always been moved by the challenges that sick or elderly patients face when trying to remain independently living. Wanting to help patients be safe in their home and lead a fulfilling life throughout their recovery or during the aging process, Liya started her career working as a home-health physical therapist. She opened her own home-health agency to ensure quality care and was able to train several outstanding therapists. Her expertise was sought after, and Liya went on to supervise and support other agencies as well. Through it all, Liya also worked in out-patient clinics seeing a variety of sports and orthopedic injuries and post-operative rehabilitation.

Liya completed a full-year manual therapy specialty course and is a certified clinician with the Learning Movements Orthopaedic Physical Therapy program. She is also a HawkGrips Certified Practitioner. Liya’s combined expertise in out-patient and home-health PT care makes her a well-rounded clinician who can uniquely relate to patients and address their needs in all steps of their recovery. While she continues to see some patients via home-heath, Liya now spends much of her professional time at Pro-Health.