Our Team

Meet Our Team

Chiropractors

Dr. Angelo Gavris,

BSc, MSc, DC

Availability: Mondays to Thursdays: 9am – 7pm, Fridays: 9am – 4pm

Clinical Focus: Low force and long lever release techniques, kinesio sport taping and active release techniques, assessment of gait bio-mechanics for custom bracing and foot orthotics.

Language Spoken: English and Greek 

A certified chiropractor, Dr. Angelo Gavris graduated with Doctorate with honours from Parker Chiropractic College. He is an active member of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, the Ontario Chiropractic Association, the International Chiropractic Association, and the College of Chiropractors of Ontario. In addition to a variety of chiropractic procedures, including low-force and long-lever release techniques, Dr. Gavris is also trained in kinesio sport taping and active release techniques.

Dr. Gavris has extensive experience working with pre- and post-operative outpatients at Toronto East General Hospital. His practice includes the assessment of gait biomechanics for custom bracing and foot orthotics. Dedicated and focused on a multidisciplinary approach to patient wellness, Dr. Gavris has performed examinations and developed treatment plans for hundreds of patients in the East Toronto area over the past 11 years.

Dr. Alessia Stefenatti

Chiropractor

Availability: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9am – 7pm, Fridays: 1pm – 5pm

Clinical Focus: Working with various patient populations to prevent pain, regain functionality and work on performance improvements. Care consists of manual therapy, acupuncture, soft tissue release, exercise, and therapeutic modalities. Active patient participation is important to help the patient empower their health and reach their personal goals.

Languages Spoken: English and Italian

Dr. Alessia has always had an interest in helping people reach their optimal health and wellness as a health care practitioner. She studied at Queen’s University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours), Specialization in Kinesiology. Dr. Alessia then attended Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and graduated as a Doctor of Chiropractic. She is certified in neurofunctional acupuncture from McMaster University. 

Her favourite activities include skating, snowboarding, running, and travelling with friends and family. Whatever you are looking to achieve from care, Dr. Alessia looks forward to working with you. 

Dr. Barry Nguyen

Chiropractor

Availability: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 9am – 12:30pm

Clinical Focus: Evidence-based treatment approach to allow patients to lead a fully functional and active lifestyle. The goal is to educate patients on what is truly causing their pain or dysfunction and working together to help manage it.

Languages Spoken: English and French

Dr. Nguyen has been a practicing chiropractor for 10 years after graduating from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) and University of Waterloo. His treatment options and services include: Spinal manipulation and Joint mobilizations, Manual Release Soft Tissue Therapy, Neurofunctional and Dry Needle Acupuncture , Rehabilitative and Functional Home/Office exercises, Custom Orthotics and Compression Stockings, Athletic Taping. 

In his spare time, he can be found alongside his wife, enjoying his two energetic young boys and all the craziness that they bring to their family.

Jordan Hoskin,

Physiotherapist

Availability: Fridays: 9am – 5pm

Clinical Focus: Balanced approach combining of manual therapy, exercise prescription, patient education, electro-physical agents

Experience: 2+ years of clinical experience working with diverse musculoskeletal conditions.

Education: Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto. Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo

Languages Spoken: English

Jordan graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy after completing his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo.

Jordan is excited to assist clients in getting back to the activities that are meaningful to them through a balanced approach of manual therapy, exercise prescription, patient-education, and electro-physical agent use.

Jordan is interested in treating a wide variety of orthopedic conditions and will be pursuing further training in manual therapy in the future.

Pooja Patel,

Physiotherapist

Availability: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 9am –7pm

Experience: 10+ years

Education: Bachelor of Physiotherapy from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences

Clinical Focus: Combination of manual therapy, soft tissue techniques, exercise prescription and modalities and return her clients to functionality and mobility.

Languages Spoken: English, Hindi and Gujarati

Pooja Patel graduated from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences with a Bachelors in Physiotherapy from India. She has over 10 years experience working in hospitals and multi-disciplinary clinics.

Pooja is a qualified physiotherapist with expertise in treating various neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and sports injuries and is passionate about providing the highest quality of individualized care. Her goal with each patient is to educate them on their condition and causative factors in order to empower them to take an active role in their rehabilitation process.

She is a firm believer that an active treatment plan is the key to a successful recovery. Her client-centred treatment style is a combination of manual therapy, soft tissue techniques to treat the source of their impairment, exercise prescription to correct/resolve muscle imbalances that lead to musculoskeletal injury and modalities that manage pain, repair injuries and return her clients to functionality and mobility.

Pooja enjoys treating a wide variety of conditions from athletes to post-operative care to work-related aches and pains. She believes that physiotherapy is a partnership, taking the time with her patients to ensure they fully understand their injury and proposed treatment plan.

Payal Patel,

Physiotherapist

Availability: Saturdays: 9am – 1pm

Experience: 1 year of clinical experience working with musculoskeletal conditions

Education: Bachelor of Physiotherapy from Sardar Patel University, India

Clinical Focus: Patient-centred care with hands-on therapy, active rehabilitation, exercise prescription, modalities and education to support patients on their road to recovery

Languages Spoken: English, Hindi, Gujarati

Payal Patel graduated from Sardar Patel University with a bachelors of physiotherapy from India. During her internship she worked in variety of settings, encompassing pre and post orthopedic surgery, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. Payal is committed to providing quality, individualized care to assist patients in achieving their goals and returning to their everyday activities. Payal also plans to engage in continuing education courses such as acupuncture and pelvic health to continue her professional development and further provide best care for patients.

Registered Massage Therapists

Dawn Fernie

RMT

Availability: Mon, Tues and Wed 9AM – 7PM,  Thurs 1PM - 7PM

Experience: 24 years

Education: RMT (Extensive background in rehabilitation massage, as well as geriatric care)

Clinical Focus: Deep tissue, sports massage, or a gentle, relaxing Swedish massage

Languages Spoken: English

Dawn Fernie graduated from the Canadian College of Massage and Hypnotherapy in 1995. She immediately knew she was going to pursue further studies in women’s health. She is a certified infant massage, instructor as well as fully trained in pregnancy massage and labour support massage. Her current studies have a led her into the field of breast chest and oncology massage. 

She has a passion for learning, and has been a valuable member of the Don Valley health and wellness team since 2000. 

Here is what she says about working at Don Valley Health and Wellness Centre:

“One of the best things about working at Don Valley Health and Wellness is their therapists truly care about patient's health and well-being . Even if the patient needs to switch to a new therapist in our clinic after seeing the same therapist for 10 years, it will never feels awkward.  All our therapists want is for our patients to feel better. You don’t see that a lot in other clinics . I love that we are such a cohesive team! “ DF 

Jennifer Yin Li

RMT

Availability:  Tues, Wed 9AM – 7PM, Thurs 1PM – 7PM, Fri 9AM – 12PM

Experience: 6 Years

Education: ICT Kikkawa College, Massage Diploma

Clinical Focus: Chronic pain management, frozen shoulder, tension headache, and sports injuries are common cases treated on a day-to-day basis. She is also experienced in treating other soft tissue-related conditions. Treatments are customized based on assessment results. Specialties: Myofascial Release, Sports Massage, Swedish, Tuina.

Languages Spoken:  English, Mandarin, and Cantonese

Jennifer Yin Li specializes in providing deep tissue Swedish massage combing with Chinese Tuina to target any long-term and short-term muscle problems. She offers treatments to a diverse range of conditions, including but not limited to chronic pain management, sciatica, frozen shoulder, tension headache, MVA, prenatal and postpartum care, sports injuries and etc. She provides constructive treatment feedbacks and clear homecare instructions to ensure clients continue to maintain and improve their muscle health outside the treatment time.

Jennifer enjoys taking on new challenges and witnessing progress during individuals' healthcare journeys. She believes in preventative care and often provides tips and referrals to clients to help them target problems early.

Jennifer graduated from ICT Kikkawa College with a massage diploma in 2016. She is an active member in good standing with CMTO (College of Massage Therapy Ontario). 

Haiya Yang

RMT

Availability: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9:00am- 5:00pm, Tuesday 9:00am-4:00pm

Experience: 2 Years

Education: Bachelor of Science from University of Saskatchewan

Clinical Focus: Soft tissue injury, chronic pain, joint mobilization, work tension

Languages Spoken:  English, Mandarin

Haiya is dedicated to incorporate both eastern and western techniques in her treatments, and combines Tuina, deep tissue massage, Swedish, sports, meridian massage to create a customized treatment plan.

Her treatment focuses on the root cause of pain, rather than the symptoms themselves and specializes in treatment of soft tissue injury, chronic pain, joint mobilization and work tension.

She is going to have an acupuncture license in April 2023 and will be able to integrate cupping, moxa, acupuncture in her practice.

Ayse Gul Perksoy

RMT

Availability: Monday 9:00am-7:00pm, Tue 1:00pm-7:00pm and Thursday 9:00am-7:00pm

Experience: 2 year

Education: Trios College, Massage Diploma

Clinical Focus: Soft tissue injury, chronic pain, joint mobilization, myofascial release, sports massage and Swedish

Languages Spoken:  English, Turkish and French

Ayse Gul Perksoy is a dedicated and compassionate Registered Massage Therapist whose journey into the field of health and wellness is marked by a lifelong commitment to movement and helping others. Born and raised in Istanbul Turkiye, Ayse's passion for sports began early, with a strong foundation in competitive swimming, followed by years of engaging in volleyball, tennis, and water sports including her biggest passion, kite surfing. Her active lifestyle inspired a deep understanding of the human body and a desire to promote health through physical activity. Ayse holds a degree in French Language and Literature and studied Tourism and Hotel Management at Bogazici University. For 14 years, she excelled as an executive in the hospitality industry, where her dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to service shone. However, driven by a desire to support her father in managing ankylosing spondylitis (AS), she became certified as a Pilates and Yoga instructor, equipping herself with the skills needed to aid those struggling with physical limitations. Her journey continued in Canada, where she pursued a Physiotherapy Assistant diploma, followed by an Honors diploma in Massage Therapy from Trios College. Her extensive training, coupled with her personal dedication to wellness, uniquely positions Ayse to provide empathetic, knowledgeable care, helping her clients restore balance, reduce pain, and achieve optimal physical well-being.

Chiropodist

Mark K. L. Chan

Chiropodist, BSc. (Hons)

Availability: Tuesday and Thursday 9am - 7pm

Experience: 2 years

Education: Higher Education, University of Plymouth; BSc. (Hons) Cardiff Metropolitan University; prescriptions and injections for chiropodists, Michener Institute; Acupuncture, Acupuncture Canada

Clinical Focus: General foot care including nail care, callus, corns, plantar warts, biomechanics assessments and custom orthotics, soft tissue surgeries, foot and ankle injections, foot and ankle acupuncture, diabetic foot care and ulcers

Languages Spoken: English and Cantonese

Mark K. L. Chan is an Ontario registered Chiropodist, Saskatchewan registered Podiatrist, UK registered Podiatrist, and Hong Kong Podiatrist. His clinical focus includes General foot care including nail care, callus, corns, plantar warts, biomechanics assessments and custom orthotics, soft tissue surgeries, foot and ankle injections, foot and ankle acupuncture, diabetic foot care and ulcers.

As a passionate chiropodist/podiatrist, Mark is always learning new things to increase the scope of his practice. He enjoys working in a multidisciplinary in order to communicate with different professionals for some complex cases.

For more information on what Mark is up to, follow him @:
FB: @markchanpod
IG: @markchanpod

A Chiropodist is a qualified foot specialist. The practice of chiropody is the assessment at the foot and the treatment and prevention of diseases, disorders or dysfunctions of the foot by therapeutic; orthotics or palliative means. In Canada, Chiropodist and Podiatrist are interchangeable terms, and are the only regulated foot professionals educated exclusively in the assessment and treatment of foot disorders.

Naturopathic Doctor

Dr. Sheila Dyer

ND

Availability: Wednesday; 9:00am - 7:00pm Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Experience: 2 years

Education: Doctor of Naturopathy from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (2017); Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa (2007)

Clinical Focus: Digestion, hormonal health, mental health, Women’s health, Diet and lifestyle counseling, functional medicine testing, botanical medicine and targeted supplementation

Languages Spoken: English

Sheila is known as an effective and caring Naturopathic Doctor. She believes in truly holistic care, creating individualized treatment plans that address the wellbeing of the whole person. Her first career was as a registered nurse working in the intensive care unit. She brings together both conventional medicine and Naturopathic medicine giving you the best of both worlds.

Sheila’s practice welcomes all patients, but has a focus on digestion, hormonal health, mental health and Women’s health. She uses a mixture of diet and lifestyle counseling, functional medicine testing, botanical medicine and targeted supplementation. One of her strengths is creating a safe healing environment for you to share your health concerns.

For more information about Sheila
Website: www.sheiladyernd.com
Facebook: Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND
Instagram: drsheiland

Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Frank Mastrogiacomo

Orthopedic Surgeon

Availability: Call clinic at 416-466-4438

Experience: 20 years

Education: BSc, PhD, MD, FRCSC

Clinical Focus: Lower extremity reconstruction, specifically, primary and complex revision arthroplasty of the hip and knee, sports injury surgery of the knee, forefoot reconstruction, and orthopedic trauma management.

Languages Spoken: English, Italian and French

Dr. Frank Mastrogiacomo is an orthopedic surgeon who has completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology, Ph.D. in Neurochemistry, and M.D. in Orthopedic Residency and Lower Extremity Reconstruction Fellowship at the University of Toronto.

His surgical interests include lower extremity reconstruction, specifically primary and complex revision arthroplasty of the hip and knee; sports surgery of the knee; forefoot reconstruction; and orthopedic trauma management.

Dr. Mastrogiacomo serves as the Orthopedic Fellowship Coordinator and the Orthopedic Lead Physician Assistant Program Osteoporosis Champion at North York General Hospital (NYGH). He is an attending orthopedic surgeon at Toronto East General Hospital, Ontario's leading community-based teaching hospital at the University of Toronto. He teaches residents and medical students from the University of Toronto, as well as Canadian and international clinical fellows.

Social Worker

Wayne Ivey

Social Worker

Availability:  Mon, Wed and Thurs; 9:00-7:00

Experience: 20 years

Education: Master’s Degree in Social Work, from the University of Toronto.

Clinical Focus: Trauma, crisis intervention, and chronic pain management. He is able to assist as a psychotherapist to help his clients with problem-solving skills, as well as incorporate strategies to allow clients to take greater control over their lives. Wayne works with individuals experiencing a range of psychosocial issues, post-accident rehabilitation, marital problems, major life transitions, substance abuse, and challenges that confront participating successfully within the work environment. He attempts to assess each client that presents to the clinic, and supports them as they address their rehabilitation and recovery issues.

Languages Spoken: English

With a Master’s Degree in Social Work, from the University of Toronto, Wayne Ivey specializes in trauma, crisis intervention, and chronic pain management. As a psychotherapist, he helps his clients incorporate strategies which allow them to take greater control over their lives.

He has worked extensively with both the public and private sectors over his career. He is uniquely positioned to help clients navigate through the complexities within the system such as claims with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) over personal injuries, insurance claims and the challenges of the healthcare industry.

Wayne works with individuals experiencing a range of psychosocial issues, post-accident rehabilitation, marital problems, major life transitions, substance abuse, and challenges that people confront within the work environment. He helps people understand their challenges and the ways in which they can be addressed.

Wayne takes pride in ensuring that his clients have access to a comprehensive range of services and works with them as needed.

Osteopathy

Andrzej Puchta

Osteopathic Manual Practitioner

Availability:  Thursday, 9:00am-7:00pm

Experience: over 20 years

Education: Masters in Physical Education from the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland

Diploma in Massage Therapy from Kikkawa College

Clinical Focus: pre – and post-surgery conditions including knee replacements, total hip replacements as well as surgical interventions for the back and neck, migraines, neck/back pain, whiplash, vertigo and TMJ, arthritic/rheumatic pain, sports injuries, sprains, strains and bursitis, and circulatory problems.

Languages Spoken: English, Polish

Andrzej obtained his Masters in Physical Education from the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland, in 1987. He received his Certificate of Training in Massage Therapy from the Institute of Massage Therapy in Warsaw, in 1985. He subsequently received his Diploma in Massage Therapy from Kikkawa College in Toronto, Canada, in 1994. He is registered with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario.

In 2004, Andrzej graduated from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy & Holistic Sciences in Hamilton, Canada in 2004 with a Graduate Diploma of Osteopathic Manipulative Theory and Practice and became a Member of the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners.

In 2006, he completed extensive training in the Art, Science and Practice of Classical Osteopathy in Maidstone, England, under the tutelage of John Wernham, who himself was trained by the founder of Classical Osteopathy, J.M. Littlejohn, and became a member of the Institute of Classical Osteopathy, England.