About Us
Serving the Mat-Su Valley region since 2008, Ptarmigan Pediatrics is an exceptional, state-of-the-art clinic, where kids come first.
Ptarmigan Pediatrics saw it’s first patient on September 18, 2008. Since then we’ve added numerous staff and expanded our suite. We’re planning for future expansion to keep up with the growth in the Valley! We are proud to be a successful, thriving, and rapidly growing practice serving the now world famous population of Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley. We are committed to offering that hometown, small-clinic, personalized service that our patients find so appealing.
If you are looking for a pediatrician, our friendly staff will gladly answer any questions you may have.
Call 907-357-4kid (4543). Ptarmigan Pediatrics is always just a phone call away, 24/7, through our after-hour answering service.
Services
Our clinic provides routine, acute, and well-child exams, school & sports physicals, immunizations, and immunotherapy injections (for both adults and children in coordination with the Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Center of Alaska). We also have in-house laboratory tests for lead, strep, flu, mono, rsv, and simple urinalysis. More extensive lab tests can be drawn here and sent outside for analysis.
We can provide in-patient and delivery attendance/ nursery services at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer if you specify one of our doctors as your child’s personal pediatrician. Are you expecting? We will gladly arrange a complimentary prenatal visit in our clinic so you can meet with one of our doctors and get a clinic tour prior to delivery. Call our office to set that up.
Ptarmigan Pediatrics uses state-of-the-art electronic medical records for keeping our patients’ files.
Ptarmigan Ptimeline
2008
Pediatrician Dr. Laura Peterson separated from active duty at then Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska in 2008 and started the practice that fall.
2009
Pediatrician Dr. Bruce Hess separated from active duty at then Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska in 2009 and joined Dr. Peterson as co-owners of Ptarmigan Pediatrics, LLC.
2010
Pediatric nurse practitioner Randy Twenhafel joined Ptarmigan Pediatrics in December 2010. Nurse Twenhafel served with distinction alongside Drs. Peterson and Hess at Elmendorf AFB Medical Center where he was often the most requested provider. His strong work ethic, excellent bed-side manner and patient care priorities help Ptarmigan Pediatrics meet the immediate needs of a growing patient population. Randy continues to be a very active provider in our clinic.
2011
Pediatrician Dr. Elowyn Smith, D.O. and family nurse practitioner Lea Anne Abernathy both joined our practice from Providence Matanuska Health Care in August 2011. Their expertise with special needs and adolescent patients is an important contribution to Pteam Ptarmigan.
2013
Family nurse practitioner Janet Shelley joined Ptarmigan Pediatrics part-time in February 2013. Janet was a nurse practitioner student in our clinic for several months and performed admirably. She helps cover acute appointments when our other providers are on call at the hospital or otherwise unavailable.
2015
Ptarmigan Pediatrics moves to a new building with state-of-the-art pediatric facilities.
Dr. Therese Tomasoski, M.D. joined Pteam Ptarmigan in January, 2015, following the closure of Providence Matanuska Health Care at the end of December 2014. We welcome her and her patients to our clinic.
Dr. Marie Westphal, M.D. joined our practice in March 2015 after retiring from active duty in the USAF at Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson. We also welcomed psychologist, Dr. Erika Stannard. Dr. Stannard offers psychological, neuropsychological, and educational health support to Ptarmigan Pediatrics.
2016
Dr. Marta Beaubien joins us from Moses Lake, Washington. She graduated from the University of Washington and completed her pediatric training at UCSF-Fresno.