Find a Top Orthopedic Surgeon Near Me in Thousand Oaks, CA – Book an Appointment Instantly

Amy Wickman, MD, is an experienced spine specialist with the team at Alta Orthopaedics, with locations in Solvang, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard, California. In the midst of the complexity of spine surgery, Dr. Wickman puts patients and their families in the foreground. Having dealt with sick family members as well as with her own orthopaedic issues, she knows how important it is for patients to feel validated, to feel that they are heard, and for the doctor to be able to see the situation from the patient’s perspective.

Dr. Wickman became a doctor because she wanted to help people have better health. She completed her undergraduate degree in urban planning at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, before graduating with her medical degree from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. It was there that she developed her love of spine surgery during her five-year residency, training at a Level 1 Trauma Center, the Hines VA, and the Shriners Hospital for Children. She dealt with everything from traumatic spine and spinal cord injuries to treating children with scoliosis and adults with degenerative conditions such as herniated discs.

Her education and training in orthopaedic surgery allows her to see issues from a broader perspective, to look at the whole person and identify problems that may not be as obvious as they appear on an MRI. At the same time, she avoids surgery when there are other equally effective solutions.

When it comes to the spine, there may be more than one way to handle a problem. Options may depend on goals and lifestyles as well as medical issues. Dr. Wickman takes time to make sure her patients are aware of all those aspects so that each individual finds the best solution for the circumstances. When possible, she includes family members in decisions about surgery and hospital care. In addition to her busy practice at Alta Orthopaedics, Dr. Wickman is an on-call surgeon for the Emergency Room.

Dr. Wickman is a self-described “city girl” born and raised in Chicago. Now she loves the year-round healthy Santa Barbara lifestyle and understands how important it is for her patients to get back to the activities they enjoy. In college, she was captain of her rowing team. Today, she remains active by running and hiking. In addition to spending time outdoors, Dr. Wickman’s great joy in life is her family – her husband and two children.

Mehul Taylor, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Valley Orthopedic Institute in Palmdale and Ridgecrest, California. In addition to treating male and female patients of all ages who have general orthopedic issues, Dr. Taylor specializes in diagnosing and treating athletic injuries and arthroscopic surgeries.

Dr. Taylor has firm roots in Southern California, having grown up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County and graduated from Calabasas High School in Calabasas. Dr. Taylor earned his Bachelor of Science in physiological sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). 

Dr. Taylor then earned his medical degree at Chicago Medical School in North Chicago, where he graduated with honors in 2002. He was also elected to the noted Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

Next came an orthopedic residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, before Dr. Taylor traveled to Minnesota for the University of Minnesota’s sports medicine fellowship program. There, he received advanced training in arthroscopic surgery and served as an assistant team physician for the university’s football team.

Dr. Taylor is affiliated with two hospitals where he also treats patients: Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster and Palmdale Regional Medical Center in Palmdale.

Anand Shah, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and board-certified orthopedic hand surgeon and the owner of Valley Orthopedic Institute in Palmdale and Ridgecrest, California. In addition to treating patients of all ages with general orthopedic problems, Dr. Shah specializes in hand and upper extremity trauma and reconstruction.

Opening the doors to Valley Orthopedic Institute marked a homecoming for Dr. Shah, who went to Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, California, which is just a few minutes away from Palmdale in the Antelope Valley. 

Dr. Shah graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in physiology and neuroscience. He excelled in earning his medical degree at Chicago Medical School in North Chicago in 2002, graduating first in his class and gaining election to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

Next came an orthopedic residency at the University of Miami, Florida, and then Dr. Shah returned to UC San Diego for a fellowship program for hand, upper extremity, and microsurgery. 

During his fellowship, Dr. Shah also contributed two chapters in a medical textbook, “Master’s Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery – The Wrist,” one on hamate hook fractures and the other on radial styloidectomy.

Dr. Shah is affiliated with two hospitals where he also treats patients: Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster and Palmdale Regional Medical Center in Palmdale.