TRAINING THE LEADERS IN MUSCULOSKELETAL MEDICINE
The FDM Academy
Get to know our team
Dr. Todd Capistrant,
DO, MHA, CS, FAFDMA,
FDM Instructor
Founder FDM Academy
Dr. Todd Capistrant is an osteopathic physician who has increasingly centered his practice on the Fascial Distortion Model. He maintains a busy osteopathic manipulative practice at the Tanana Valley Clinic/Foundation Health Partners in Fairbanks, Alaska. He is a board member of the AFDMA, and routinely engaged as one of its instructors to teach the FDM throughout the world. He also serves as a regional assistant dean for Pacific Northwest University, an osteopathic medical school located in Yakima, Washington, bringing Alaskan osteopathic students back to Fairbanks for training. Todd lives and practices in Fairbanks, Alaska. He was originally attracted to Alaska through sled dog racing. He has completed the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Between trips teaching the FDM he can often be found enjoying the beauty of the great state of Alaska.
Dr. Jennifer Ribar,
DO, FAFDMA, IBCLC,
FDM Instructor
Dr. Jennifer Ribar is an Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine specialist practicing in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was introduced to FDM just prior to starting medical school while shadowing Dr. Capistrant. Throughout her medical training, she has consistently incorporated the Fascial Distortion Model into her practice. Dr. Ribar is the first female physician FDM instructor in the US, and has served on the AFDMA board as secretary, director at large, President, and is currently Immediate Past President. She has a passion for teaching FDM all over the country and is currently adjunct faculty at both her alma mater of Pacific Northwest University COM and at Michigan State University COM where she completed residency. When she is not practicing or teaching FDM she can be found testing new recipes in her kitchen or finding somewhere new to explore in Alaska.
Dr. Angela Lim, DO
FDM Instructor
Dr. Angela Lim is board certified in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Family Medicine and practices in Sacramento, CA. She was introduced to FDM after several years of practice and found that the FDM has significantly improved the effectiveness of treatments for her patients. Since then, she has been consistently and is increasingly involved with the AFDMA, having served on the board as Director at Large and as President. Angela is in private practice in Davis, CA. She is also adjunct faculty at Touro University in Vallejo, CA. When she is not working or teaching, she enjoys all the benefits of living in Northern California, including wine tasting, trying the latest food trends, and hiking in the nearby state and national parks.
Brandy Capistrant
Operations Manager
Brandy (Coltellaro) Capistrant has supported FDM Academy, LLC behind the scenes for years, helping guide its steady growth and organizational development. Her passion for the FDM stems from her personal experience as a patient and her commitment to advancing Dr. Capistrant’s vision for its future.
A seasoned administrative leader with exceptional attention to detail, Brandy brings extensive high-level experience from her role as Statewide Probation Chief for the State of Alaska’s Division of Juvenile Justice. Her leadership, organizational expertise, and fiscal responsibility have been instrumental in strengthening the Academy’s operations amid growing instructor engagement and increasing demand for FDM modules.
Brandy's role as Operations Manager, helps ensure FDM Academy remains focused on its mission of spreading the FDM for years to come. When Brandy is not working she is found enjoying time with her family, cooking, reading, and traveling.
Dr. Scott Leggoe,
DO, Associate Professor,
FDM Instructor
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Dr. Leggoe attended medical school at Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, VA - graduating in 2009. He completed a residency in Family Medicine and OMT in the Philadelphia region and, following an additional training year, in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine in Orlando, FL.
Afterwards, Dr. Leggoe has been fairly mobile as his wife is an osteopathic physician in the USAF. He has been involved with medical schools, residency education, program directorship, family practice, OMM, urgent care medicine, and information technology, among other things.
His medical interests are musculoskeletal medicine and incorporation of OMT into everyday practice. He also enjoys culinary medicine.
Dr. Libby Abbas,
DO, FASAM,
FDM Instructor
Dr. Elizabeth “Libby” Abbas is an international FDM-certified physician who has been using the Fascial Distortion Model since 2011 in her clinical practice. She is board-certified in Family Medicine, Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, and Addiction Medicine, and completed a pre-doctoral fellowship in OMM at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Abbas graduated residency at Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency in Augusta, Maine.
Dr. Abbas integrates the FDM daily in patient care and is passionate about teaching others to apply the model effectively. She brings extensive clinical experience in full-spectrum rural family medicine and medical education, having previously served as core faculty and now as the founding program director of a new rural family medicine residency in Maine. When not teaching or caring for patients, she enjoys the outdoors and staying active through mountain biking, hiking, and adventures with her Doberman.
Dr. Joshua Boucher,
DO, FAAFP, IFMCP,
FDM Instructor
Joshua Boucher has been practicing the FDM since 2014. He graduated from Des Moines University in 2016 and later graduated family medicine residency at Eisenhower Army Medical center in 2019. He has published multiple articles in the FDM to include a large studies on the use of FDM for plantar fasciitis. He has served as director at large, chair for the research committee and is currently the president of the AFDMA. He is certified in Functional Medicine. He practices in Juneau Alaska for Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, where he is the Senior Medical Lead of the primary care clinics in Juneau. He enjoys helping athletes, soldiers and underserved communities with the FDM.
Dr. Jessica Pelletier,
DO, MHPE, FAAEM,
FDM Instructor
Dr. Jessica Pelletier is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Residency Program Director at the University of Missouri–Columbia. She completed a fellowship in medical education at Washington University in St. Louis, earned a Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, completed her EM residency at Virginia Tech Carilion, and received her osteopathic medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Pelletier integrates the FDM into her daily practice in the emergency department and is deeply committed to advancing its use as an effective, rapid, and low‑resource intervention for acute pain and functional impairment. She is highly invested in teaching and disseminating the FDM globally, with a focus on empowering clinicians in low‑ and middle‑income countries to use FDM as a practical, scalable tool to improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Thomas Pentzer, DO
FDM Instructor