Our Palmer Team (Urgent Care and Family Practice)
At Summit Family Practice, we have a great team of health care professionals at both our Palmer and Anchorage locations. We're here to provide you with quality health care, and friendly service.
| Providers | |
 |
S. Lynn Hornbein, M.D. is a Board Certified Family Physician. She attended the University of Washington School of Medicine, graduating in 1987 with an M.D. and a Masters in Public Health. She did a three-year residency in Family Medicine in Ogden, Utah and Tacoma, Washington. She moved to Alaska in 1990 and founded Summit Family Practice in 1993. She enjoys hiking, skiing, gardening and quilting. Her favorite outdoor activity is mushing with her team of six Samoyeds. |
 |
Vanessa Darnell, FNP is a Family Nurse Practitioner and received her Masters of Nursing at Wichita State University in Kansas. She practiced in Kansas prior to moving to Alaska this past year. With a B.A. in Kinesiology and a B.S. in Nursing, Vanessa brings a diverse background to Summit Family Practice. She's worked as a teacher, and a Registered Nurse in an emergency room, family practice, and rural hospital setting. She enjoys spending time with her family doing outdoor activities and traveling. |
 |
Mary Barrett, FNP has lived in the Mat-Su Valley since 1987. She and her husband built a house in Chickaloon but now live in Palmer with their two cats and a big subsistence garden. She eats a vegan (plant-based) diet, make her own bread, and loves to cook. Mary runs to and from work year round and has participated in the Boston and New York marathons, as well as in many local races. She has traveled extensively in Latin America and speaks Spanish. She graduated with a Masters of Science in Nursing at UAA in 1991 to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has worked in urgent care in Anchorage for 13 years and then in family practice and urgent care in Palmer and Wasilla. Prior to that, she was an RN in orthopedics, burns and frostbite, and telemetry at Providence HospitaI and a public health nurse in Kotzebue. Mary is dedicated to help people adopt a healthier lifestyle (so they feel better) and also to help prevent chronic illness. |
 |
Donna J. Hanson, PA-C received her Masters of Physician Assistant from the University Of Nebraska School of Medicine, completing her family practice training at Carswell AFB, TX. She is certified in Family Medicine and has been practicing for 19 years. She is retired from the Air Force and has four children, ages from 13-26. The oldest is currently attending the University of Texas San Antonio to complete her Masters of Physician Assistant studies. She and her children enjoy camping and hiking. |
| Administrative Staff | |
| Clinical Support | |
 |
Melissa Sennes, RN grew up in Minneapolis, MN and came to Alaska via San Diego, CA and Portland, OR. She graduated with a BSN from the University of Alaska in 2003. She has worked in healthcare for 13 years, many of those years in Family Practice. She has spent the last three and a half years at home with her two beautiful children but is happy to be back to work serving the community she now calls home. Melissa is very excited to join the Summit Family Practice team. |
 |
Pam Perkins, NCMA is passionate about Summit Family Practice, our patients and her profession. She aspires to further her career and go to college to become an RN. Pam loves Alaska and is glad that Palmer is her home. She also loves to fish and travel. |
 |
Lisa Morgan, CMA was born in North Carolina but having lived in the Mat-Su Valley for 25 years, considers Alaska her true home. Lisa always wanted to be in the medical field and finally had the opportunity to return to school in 2008 to become a Certified Medical Assistant. She has four children and two beautiful grandchildren that take up most of her free time. Otherwise, she spends her time scrapbooking, gardening, baking or doing something else creative. |
| Office Staff | |
 |
Kim Jellison, Front Desk Receptionist is a blessed mom of two…"GO COLONY KNIGHTS!" And is a proud Army wife. Her favorite thing to do is spend as much time with family and friends as possible. In the summer, she likes to BBQ, go four-wheeling , and garden. In the winter, she and her family skis and snowboards. Kim thinks Alaska is by far the best place the Army has stationed them and loves calling this beautiful state home! |
 |
Stephanie Cravens, Front Desk Receptionist was born and raised in Palmer and graduated from Palmer High. She started schooling through Avtec in the nursing field and hopes to further her education that way. She loves to be outdoors in both the summer and winter and enjoys all that Mother Nature has to offer. Stephanie's favorite things to do include snow-machining, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. |
 |
Alisha Owens, NCMA is a born and raised Alaskan who has lived all around the state, from the interior, Aleutian Chain, Southeast Alaska, and now the Mat-Su Valley. She loves all the outdoors have to offer both in winter and summer; she will never pass up camping, fishing, or a swampy four-wheeler ride. Alisha hopes to further her education by going back to college and becoming a RN and looks forward to what the future has to bring both in her professional career and in her personal life. |
