Katie Peters, MS, OTR, specializes in upper extremities, from fingers to shoulders. Her approach to patient care is holistic to rehabilitation and overall wellness by starting with patients’ goals and what they want to get back doing. Katie gains great joy as she walks alongside patients to be a light of encouragement and see them thrive. Her hope is to help all her patients return to the activities they love.
As a recent graduate of Indiana State University with a Masters in Nutrition, Katie was led to a career in occupational therapy after personally experiencing life-limiting injuries as a young athlete which kept her out of competition and enjoyment of everyday activities. That experience of excellent surgical and rehabilitative care was very formative in her upbringing, and she realized that she wanted to make assisting others recover from injury a career. In her free time, Katie loves to explore state parks, weight lift, cook with family and friends and spend time with her niece.
Anne Pecora, PT, DPT specializes in the spine for athletes recovering from injuries as well as individuals managing chronic conditions. Anne’s approach to patient care combines her love for biomechanics with her dedication to mental health to provide a tailored treatment plan for each patient.
In her free time, Anne enjoys practicing jiu jitsu, traveling, hiking, binging Netflix shows, spending time with her dog and, as a native Western New Yorker, rooting for the Buffalo Sabres.
Hannah Zak, PT, DPT, SCS, specializes in treating high school and collegiate athletes in all types of sports, from amateur to professional, as well as working with overhead athletes to return to sport. She also has a passion for preoperative and postoperative knee rehab such as ACLs, meniscus pathologies and patellofemoral conditions. Hannah’s approach to patient care includes meeting her patients where they are at each day for their care – whether that means that they are having a tough time processing their injury still, or they are determined and ready to attack the session, or somewhere in between. She integrates a lot of tools to help decrease pain while addressing functional deficits, such as functional dry needling, blood flow restriction, manual therapy services, etc. Hannah’s PT career path was inspired by a combination of previous athletic injuries, as well as a passion for coaching and teaching. She was a summer swim team coach for eight years and loved the small impact she was able to have in the athletes’ lives by helping them accomplish something new and reach their goals. Being a physical therapist allows Hannah to combine this passion with her love for rehabilitation and the human body. She loves seeing patients’ confidence grow as they can complete new and harder tasks than what they previously were able to do in a pain free manner. Hannah also loves the return to sport/functional activity part of rehab.
In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time with her husband and children, camping, hiking, gardening, running, competing in triathlons and basically anything outdoors.
Kaden Sloan, PT, DPT, specializes in lower extremity pain and dysfunction plus back and shoulder pain. He has spent most of his career working with the functional fitness community and endurance athletes. His approach to patient care is centered on a human-first approach. Because people have pain for a variety of reasons, including psychosocial aspects. Kaden strives to help patients believe they can get better by showing them real tools for healing. In addition to applying manual therapy aspects, his focus is on teaching patients how to move well to provide them confidence in their daily lives without fear.
Kaden was led to pursue a career as a physical therapist after majoring in athletic training in school and realizing he enjoyed the recovery aspect rather than emergency management. He loves fitness and movement and wants to bring that to more people which his career as a PT achieves. He loves the opportunity to teach new concepts to patients and watch them have a “lightbulb moment which unlocks a world of movement possibilities for them. Kaden finds excitement and motivation to provide that breakthrough to patients that no one else has previously created for patients. In his free time, Kaden enjoys maintaining his fitness and spending quality time taking walks and playing outdoors with his family, including his one-year-old son.
Julia Williams, OT, specializes in hand and upper extremity therapy and is skilled in fabricating orthotics, implementing physical agent modalities and manual techniques. She approaches patient care by looking at patients holistically, with a hands-on approach to help them return to the things that matter most to them. Julia decided to pursue a career in occupational therapy because she was attracted to the relational and patient-centered approach OTs take in patient care. She creates an environment where each patient feels involved in every step of the plan of care.
When not at work, Julia enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, climbing and bouldering, hiking and playing pickleball.
Paymon Baygani, PT, specializes in knee replacements, rotator cuff injuries, foot and ankle injuries and ACLs. His approach to patient care includes providing patients the tools they need to succeed without him, such as exercises, education or simply giving patients a platform to discuss what has been going on in their life. Paymon always wanted to have a career in healthcare and was led to PT due to the amount of time it allows him to spend with patients as a primary healthcare provider. He enjoys working in a high paced and motivated environment alongside passionate coworkers who inspire him to elevate his patient care routines by displaying their exceptional work ethics.
As a Carmel native, Paymon finds joy in giving back to the community which has given him so much. When not at work, he enjoys being a subpar golfer, going to F45 with his wife, walking his dogs, cooking and cheering on IU athletics.
Andy Wayda, PT, DPT, specializes in outpatient orthopedics with certifications in dry needling, Graston and TPI (Titlelist™ Performance Institute) for golf. His holistic approach to patient care includes the body and mind while providing actionable steps/exercises that will reduce pain and return patients to their sport or daily activities. Andy actively listens to patients, validates their thoughts or concerns and provides them with tools to overcome obstacles and fully recover from whatever is ailing them.
He was led to a career in PT after disc herniation and surgery. Andy enjoyed his time in physical therapy and wanted to help others recover from injuries or surgeries by using a combination of evidence-based practice and personal experience rehabbing his own body. Andy also has a keen interest in sports like golf, soccer, and basketball which allows him to understand the unique demands of these activities and tailor rehabilitation programs to enhance and improve overall sport performance. In his free time, Andy enjoys golf and travel.
Danielle Brandt, OTR, specializes in upper extremity rehabilitation, with vast experience in adult and geriatric care. Her approach to occupational therapy is client-centered by creating individualized treatment plans for patients to live life to the fullest following injury or surgery. Danielle was led to pursue an occupational therapy career after having a family member appreciate their OT experience, coupled with her love of helping others. She enjoys helping patients get back to doing the things they love most as well as gaining back their independence with everyday tasks.
In her free time, Danielle enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, reading, baking and traveling.
Joel Whittle, PT, works with a wide variety of patients in need of care including athletes, older adults and individuals recovering from surgery. His approach to patient care is holistic, addressing not only the physical aspects of recovery, but also providing emotional support by building connections with each of his patients. Joel strives to motivate, encourage and empower patients as he believes this plays a key role in reaching their full potential in their healing process. He finds great fulfillment in getting to know each of his patients personally while assisting them in regaining their strength and functionality. He was led to pursue physical therapy from several personal and professional experiences. Joel was motivated to enter the PT field, aiming to make a difference in how patients are treated and supported, especially after seeing his mother’s negative experience with physical therapy which resulted in suboptimal outcomes and lingering issues. As a lifelong athlete, particularly football, basketball and track, Joel has a deep understanding of movement patterns and the importance of training for optimal performance.
Outside of work, Joel stays active by running, lifting, bouldering and biking. He also enjoys hiking, discovering new coffee shops, enjoying good food and dancing. These activities keep Joel balanced, energized and passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
