
Jeff Jukes, Physiotherapist
Jeff is a born and raised Vancouverite and a graduate of the University of British Columbia Masters of Physiotherapy program. Practicing for close to a decade now, Jeff treats a wide variety of conditions and injuries. He has spent the past 6 years pursuing further training in pain sciences and the treatment of complex and persistent pain. He was directly involved with the development of a chronic pain management program while working at a pain clinic in Ontario and has continued to expand his knowledge base and treatment approach to encompass this training. Jeff’s Physiotherapy approach involves first and foremost building strong relationships with his clients, evaluating each individual's concerns and story and then creating a goal-oriented, individualized treatment plan that works for them.
Jeff prides himself on practicing in an evidence-based manner. This means he buries his head in the latest research to guide the way he treats and educates his clients. Research tells us that there are some strong and effective strategies for pain management and helping clients return to their best function. He strives to help his clients understand what their pain or injury means, reduce the threat and uncertainty of pain and then pursue solutions in a one-on-one setting. With so much information on health related issues out there, Jeff seeks to really help his clients gain a deep understanding of their issues - including filtering through Dr. Google’s advice! His treatments are designed to help people move comfortably and continue to get better every day.
Jeff looks forward to welcoming clients into the amazing facilities at Tall Tree Physiotherapy and Health Centre. The staff at the clinic will always keep the mood light and fun to provide the best experience possible. Outside of Physio practice, Jeff is a super happy new(ish) dad to his daughter and an exciting new baby addition in late 2018. Jeff and his family are recent East Van residents and love to get out around the city for active days and weekends. Having always played and watched multiple sports, Jeff keeps up with the sporting world and can always find time for sport related chats or debates. Jeff is also a craft beer and wine fan as well as fitness/running regular so feel free to tell him about your favourite beer, running route or personal adventures!

Ali Alexander, Physiotherapist
Ali began her career as a professional ballet dancer, whose injuries and experience unveiled her passion and fascination with the human body. After a career ending injury, Ali returned to school and completed a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree, followed by the Master of Physical Therapy Program at the University of British Columbia. In addition, she has completed her Pilates Teacher Training with Dianne Miller at the Vancouver Pilates Center.
Ali believes that a person’s ability to move confidently, and with ease, is vital to optimal health and wellness. By combining the clinical evidence-based knowledge and application of physiotherapy, with the theory and detail of the Pilates work, Ali advocates that Clinical Pilates is a powerful rehabilitation platform that can be uniquely utilized for each Client and their respective needs. With an extensive background in ballet, Ali understands the demands and requirements of high level athletes but enjoys working with clients of all physical abilities and experience. Ali is excited to empower you to take an active approach to your own rehabilitation to help you achieve whole body health.

Nathan Hers, Physiotherapist
Growing up Nathan played all sorts of sports: soccer, basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, badminton, even some table tennis. In the midst of these endeavours he inevitably came across a few physiotherapists who helped him along the way getting back to the court/field/table. Later on, when pondering what to do with his life, these experiences loomed large; Nathan could now put his scientific inclinations to use helping people get back to doing the things they love: be it on a sports field or more generally in the field of life. He equally enjoys working with an athlete getting back to high performance competition as he does a grandmother wanting to hold her grandkids with less pain.
Nathan enjoys pondering big questions in physiotherapy and is happiest when he is learning new things. He often thinks about how we can leverage the research to help people achieve their goals. You will regularly see him talking with other physiotherapists about how to best treat different conditions or better build a relationship with a patient. A treatment session with Nathan will often consist of manual therapy, education around what is likely causing the issue, and the physiotherapist’s most powerful tool - exercise.
Nathan graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Master of Physical Therapy program, and is now involved in taking a Transitional Doctorate of Physical Therapy through Evidence in Motion - a research group out of the United States. He has worked in a few different clinics through the Lower Mainland and is excited to work with the Tall Tree team of forward-thinking physiotherapists. Nathan is also the Education Manager for the Physiotherapy Associated of British Columbia - helping coordinate education for physiotherapists across the province.
These days in his spare time Nathan enjoys making his dear wife go on slightly-longer-than-she’d-like hikes across Southwest BC, running in his hometown of Richmond (it’s nice and flat!) and competing in a board game with friends.

Zahra Amarshi, Chiropractor
Zahra was born and raised in North Vancouver. She earned a Bachelors of Science with a double major in Biology and Medical Science at the University of Western Ontario while also playing varsity field hockey. After graduation, she returned to Vancouver where she nurtured her interest of older adults and strived towards a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. Still hungry to learn more, she moved to funky-beautiful Portland, OR to concurrently undertake a Doctorate of Chiropractic and a Masters in Sports Medicine at the University of Western States. During her time in Portland, Zahra’s love for food and cooking blossomed. When not at the clinic, you will spot her frequenting and indulging at Vancouver’s many fine food establishments.
Zahra has direct, clinical experience assisting athletes on the sidelines of football games and at the finish lines of marathons. In doing so, she has enhanced her ability to improve patient recovery time, performance, and overall wellness. She loves working and problem solving with all populations including high school students, pregnant women, desk jockeys, weekend warriors and older adults.
Zahra truly believes that no patient is the same and no one, regardless of injury, should be afraid to move. In order for her to provide patient-centered care, she makes it a priority to regularly add to her tool box with a variety of certifications and continuing education courses, such as Active Release Technique, Rock Tape, McKenzie Mechanical Diagnosis, Mulligan and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization. She believes movement, soft-tissue techniques like ART, instrument-assisted and myofascial cupping are great tools in addition to chiropractic manipulation to promote recovery from injuries related to car accidents, daily life or sports. Her favourite part of being a Chiropractor is having the ability to get to know each patient, find out what drives them on a daily basis and empower them to accomplish their goals. Zahra is eager to help you get back to doing what you love (or need) to do!

Sean Overin, Physiotherapist
From an early age, Sean was always physically active, always looking for new ways to challenge the mind and body competing in baseball, hockey, and soccer and always seemed to excel in human biology and physical education in school. Recognizing these interests, Sean started his educational journey at the University of British Columbia (UBC) obtaining a Bachelors of Human Kinetics. After graduation, Sean started working as kinesiologist providing individually tailored exercise programs for patients across the lifespan looking to recover from neurological and musculoskeletal injuries, but also for patient’s simply looking to improve their fitness or perform better in their sport.
On a quest for more knowledge, Sean went on to complete his Masters of Physical Therapy from UBC in 2013. Understanding that the entry-level masters program would only scratch the surface of the many practice areas in physical therapy, Sean wanted to specialize in musculoskeletal orthopedic care and started a Transitional Doctorate of Physical Therapy program with the Evidence in Motion Institute of Health Professionals. This excellent program exposed him to the depths of the scientific literature where he critically read and appraised past and current evidence relating to pain neuroscience, manual therapy, and exercise. Additionally, he acquired spinal and peripheral joint manipulative skills and learned how to incorporate laboratory analysis and medical imaging studies into clinical practice. It is from these studies Sean has developed a special interest in critical reasoning, pain neuroscience and chronic pain, neck and low back disorders, migraines, and headaches.
Within the physiotherapy community Sean is known for his passion regarding continuing education and being up to date on the best clinical research. Although what he believes to be the most important component of his practice is the relationships he builds with his patients. As such, he is most focused on listening and understanding what each patient is looking achieve. No matter how big or small the goal, his treatments are always individualized, educational and client-centered supplemented with manual therapy and progressive exercise programs that look to enable and empower patients to take control of their health and condition.
Sean is a partner with Accelerated Motion Physiotherapy (AMP). AMP hosts high caliber physiotherapy instructors from around the world and offers progressive, evidence based, clinically relevant courses for physiotherapists. AMP also produces evidence summaries that inform physiotherapists of the old and new science surrounding topics in physiotherapy. Sean has also written several articles for the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia including “Imaging and the Lumbar Spine”, “Management of Lateral Epicondylalgia”, “Prevention of Lower Extremity Injuries in Sport” and “Management of Whiplash Disorders.”
Sean is excited to join the team at Tall Tree and looks forward to the collaborative experience of working with excellent clinicians, continuing to grow as a therapist, and to provide the best possible care for his patients. Beyond the walls of the clinic, you can catch Sean staying active mountain biking on the North Shore mountains, running around the seawall or lifting weights in the gym. If he’s not moving, he enjoys the local craft beer scene and spending time along the Naramata bench enjoying some British Columbia’s bold red wines. But most of all, he loves hanging out with his family, and taking long walks around Vancouver with his wife and 2 year old daughter.

Andreja Kovacevic-Cikes, Kinesiologist
Andreja has been a Practicing Kinesiologist for 20 years. She graduated from SFU in 1998 with a BSc. Kinesiology and later returned to SFU to complete a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Gerontology (the study of Aging) in 2005. Her love of learning has spanned the years of professional practice; and still continues, with her sights set on a Master’s in Rehabilitation Science. When it comes to leisurely reading her book of choice will be some heavy thick scientific text-book…over a fiction novel any day.
Andreja holds a mandate ‘to help people’ and is driven by science to find solutions. She takes a methodical approach in her exercise programming and looks to restore function, correct patterns, increase strength, enhance performance, condition for sport, and above all improve quality of life! Her clients range from severely injured to high functioning, and everything in between: MVA claims, musculoskeletal conditions, chronic conditions, pre- and post-op orthopaedic conditions, post-stroke rehab, sports injuries and healthy populations.
Andreja is well known for comprehensive musculoskeletal assessments and a focus on movement and technique within every program. She holds certifications in: Kinesio-taping, Functional Movement Systems (Level I/II), Active Isolated Stretching (AIS - Mattes Method), Functional Capacity Evaluation (Matheson System), Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Level I Exercise / (DNS) Level II Exercise, TRX - Suspension Training, and Trigger Point Performance Therapy.
Andreja is a member in good standing with the BC Association of Kinesiologists (BCAK) and has been an instructor for the BCAK Functional Assessment of the Spine and Extremities course for the past 10 years. She also served on the BCAK board of directors for 10 years and held the position of President in an effort to continue driving the profession of Kinesiology forward. In her spare time Andreja enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 young daughters, playing in the outdoors, running marathons, and working on her strength and conditioning.

Ellie Beaudry, Registered Massage Therapist
Ellie is a graduate of the Vancouver College of Massage Therapy and has been practicing massage since 2015. Client comfort and care are of utmost importance to Ellie. She utlizes a varitey of massage techniques, depths of pressure and open communication to adapt treatment to clients individual needs and goals. Ellie believes that massage is a beneficial modality in the maintenance of a healthy, pain free and functional life, and is excited to help clients achieve a greater sense of well-being through hands-on therapy and education on how to take an active role in health and wellness with recomendations for exercise and lifestyle.

Andy McMillan, Registered Massage Therapist
Andy is a graduate of the Vancouver College of Massage Therapy. His personal experience with injuries and postural concerns have not only influenced his decision to become a massage therapist, but also his method of treatment and preferred styles. Favouring the effective and specific approach of Myofascial Treatment versus a more traditional massage, Andy is focused on the primary complaint while remembering to keep a big picture approach. Andy is committed to respect and support for his clients, both through hands-on treatment and personalized home care. Outside of the clinic Andy enjoys snowboarding, outdoor adventures with his family, and listening to music.

Sharon Xu
Sharon recently completed a BA in Health Sciences at SFU. She is interested in all facets of health and is definitely excited to one day use her knowledge to help others. She has enjoyed working in a variety of administrative settings and loves meeting and getting to know different people in her community.
When Sharon is not at work, she can be found in the gym, exploring Burnaby mountain, checking out new movies, and hitting the malls and shops with her friends and family. She also has a passion for travelling and has explored 15 different countries! Her dream is traveling around the world and collecting all the different refrigerator magnets :).
Sharon is so thankful to join the Tall Tree team and feels excited to be able to go to a job that she loves. She is delighted to be working in such a friendly environment and meeting so many incredible people!

Vanessa Valencia
Vanessa is excitedly working towards a Bachelor's degree in Nursing where she hopes to specialize in Emergency Care in the not too distant future.
When Vanessa is not working or studying, she enjoys exploring the variety of food Vancouver has to offer. Vanessa likes to balance her busy school/work life with trips to the gym where she dances and pumps iron ;). She believes physical activity is essential for the mind and body to promote healthy habits. It rejuvenates the body and makes her that much more productive to help her clients at Tall Tree :).
Vanessa is excited to be working in an environment that promotes the health and well-being of others. As well as be a part of the team that makes it happen!

Wendy Nahanee
Wendy has spent the last decade working in the health and wellness field in all aspects from Coordinator to Management. She delivers 5-star customer care. No question is too small and no task is too tall!
Wendy has a zest for life and a taste for sunny adventures. She is passionate about natural living and exploring our beautiful planet be it hikes, bikes, kayaks, beaches or picnics in the park. You can find Wendy happily chasing the sun on any given day.

Amanda Lorenzo
Amanda completed a degree in Animation in Art and Design and now uses her creativity to help and welcome others. She loves providing above excellent service and making people laugh. She believes a positive attitude is essential to a healthy and balanced life.
When she's not working, she loves tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, exploring the city with her friends, and Vancouver Island with her family.












