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Our Team

Maheshi Fernando

Owner/Physiotherapist

Maheshi Fernando

Maheshi Fernando was born on the tiny island of Sri Lanka and raised in the beautiful Okanagan. In 2009 she received her Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and in 2013 she graduated with her Masters of Science in Physiotherapy from the University of Alberta. She completed her acupuncture training through Acupuncture Canada in 2016.

Maheshi enjoys treating patients of all ages and takes pride in providing the best patient-centered care possible. She believes that you must listen to people’s story and treat them individually. Her preferred treatment style is a combination of patient education, hands on manual therapy & soft tissue release, modalities or acupuncture, and a personalized home exercise program.

Physiotherapist

Karen Howieson

Karen grew up in Southwestern Ontario and recently moved to the Okanagan Valley with her family. She completed undergraduate degrees at Brock University in 2008 and a Masters of Human Kinetics at the University of Windsor in 2010. She received her Masters of Physical Therapy from Western University in 2014 and has completed her Level 3 Manual Therapy courses. She is also certified in IMS.

As a young athlete, Karen played both soccer and hockey competitively and chose a career in physiotherapy after her experiences rehabilitating two major knee injuries. She is motivated to identify underlying biomechanical imbalances to not only heal your injuries, but to prevent recurrences so that you can continue to participate in all of life’s adventures! In her free time, Karen continues to lead an active lifestyle by skiing, babywearing, and discovering local trails with her family and their dog.

Karen Howieson
Physiotherapist

Preet Samra

Preet Samra completed her Bachelor’s in Physiotherapy in 2012. She practiced in hospital as well as clinic-based settings in India and moved to Canada in 2015. She worked at a private clinic in Surrey, BC and moved to the Okanagan Valley in 2021.

Preet uses an evidence-based approach to treat various acute/chronic musculoskeletal injuries, sports injuries, whiplash-associated disorders, work-related injuries, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Her treatment approach to physiotherapy is a combination of manual therapy and rehabilitative exercises to address muscle imbalance or dysfunction and provide a foundation for injury prevention.

Preet is multilingual, fluent in English, Punjabi, and Hindi and has experience working with patients of various cultural backgrounds. In her free time, she likes to explore new places and spend time with her family.

Preet Samra
Registered Massage Therapist

Stephanie Mintz

Stephanie was first introduced to massage therapy after suffering severe whiplash following a motor vehicle accident. While receiving numerous manual therapies, she experienced the healing powers of massage. This inspired her to take an interest in human anatomy. She completed the Massage Therapy Program at the Okanagan Valley of Massage Therapy in July 2018.

Stephanie is passionate about living a healthy, active lifestyle and understands the demands that sports and everyday activities have on the body. Her goal with every patient is to find the root cause of pain and get them back to their optimal level of functioning through manual therapy, muscle re-education, and patient education. Curious and fascinated with the body’s ability to heal, she is passionate to be a part of your road to wellness.

Stephanie Mintz
Administrative Assistant

Hannah Dunsmore

Hannah grew up in Trail, BC where she was a competitive dancer for 15 years. She moved to the Okanagan in 2019 for university and recently completed a Bachelor of Human Kinetics with a minor in Psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. In her free time, she enjoys strength and endurance training, volunteering, and spending time with friends. Her hope for the future is to pursue a career in physiotherapy.

Hannah Dunsmore
Administrative Assistant

Kyla Corbett

Kyla Corbett was born in Nelson, BC. She moved to Kelowna in 2009 and has called the Okanagan home ever since. Kyla recently graduated early from high school and is starting college in the fall.

While she is working hard to set up her future, she also loves spending time with her family and friends. Kyla enjoys helping others and is a friendly face to welcome all our wonderful patients at Turtle Bay Physiotherapy. She is very excited to join the team and learn new skills along the way.

Kyla Corbett