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Dr. Patrick Polsunas took a nontraditional path to his career in medicine. Looking to ease aches and pains accumulated over years of participating in a variety of adventure sports, he discovered the practice of yoga, and became a yoga teacher. He was privileged to watch people work through a variety of musculoskeletal and psychosocial ailments. He wished to be more fully able to help people achieve their goals and a better quality of life as a physician. While attending medical school, Dr. Polsunas worked to deepen his understanding of the musculoskeletal system, receiving an NIH T35 grant to study complementary and alternative medicine. Authoring a publication on sacroiliac joint studying range of motion in the cervical spine during yoga postures using positional sensors. He prioritizes an evidence-based approach to care, recognizing that the most effective way to help patients with their pain is often multifaceted. Dr. Polsunas enjoys traveling, bicycling, hiking and foods.

Moshe is an Ivy League-trained doctor who is board-certified in physical medicine and rehab. He is also an experienced medical expert witness and independent medical evaluations professional with extensive medical case file review experience. He is a former VP of Operations at NASA and a former Director at Kaiser Permanente. Currently he is the Chief of PM&R at California Pacific Medical Center.

Moshe is an Ivy League-trained doctor who is board-certified in physical medicine and rehab. He is also an experienced medical expert witness and independent medical evaluations professional with extensive medical case file review experience. He is a former VP of Operations at NASA and a former Director at Kaiser Permanente. Currently he is the Chief of PM&R at California Pacific Medical Center.

Certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine and the American Board of Emergency Medicine, Daniel Smeester, MD, is a drug and alcohol addiction treatment specialist in California’s San Francisco East Bay. His state-of-the-art Inpatient Medical Detox program allows people to safely stop their use of alcohol and other substances, even fentanyl, in the comfort of our luxury inpatient program. We still have our complete outpatient program. All treatment is confidential, comfortable, and successful with an MD always! This, combined with our residential program lasting as long as 30 days, followed by intensive counseling (IOP and PHP), leads to significant success in the treatment of addiction.

He helps run a practice specializing in Addiction-free Pain Management with interventional pain management services in the same office. Offered are much safer and more effective medication management options for chronic pain than the typical prescribed opiates. With more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Smeester is the Clinical and Medical Director of Diablo Valley Drug and Alcohol Services in San Ramon, aka Diablo Valley Treatment Center, and the Center for Pain and Rehabilitation (CPR).

Dr. Smeester graduated from Ponce School of Medicine, a U.S. medical school in beautiful Puerto Rico. He then completed an emergency medicine internship and residency at New York Medical College in New York City. Not only was Dr. Smeester Chief Resident during his final resident year, but he also earned an “Excellence in Emergency Medicine” award and plaque from Academic Emergency Medicine and the “Best Intern” award from New York Medical College.

Passionate about addiction treatment, Dr. Smeester was board-certified as an addiction medicine physician in 2014. He has since dedicated his life to fighting drug and alcohol dependence and addiction at Diablo Valley Drug and Alcohol Services, which has earned its Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation since 2016.

Dr. Smeester has seen how inpatient treatment may be unobtainable due to disruptions. Thus, we developed a treatment program in a luxurious setting, so the investment of time and finances will be well worth it.

As a compassionate addiction specialist, Dr. Smeester understands that those struggling with addiction and substance abuse aren’t always treated with the dignity they deserve. That’s why he’s carefully built an environment where his patients can feel comfortable, respected, and valued. Magnolia Recovery is an inpatient facility in a luxury setting specializing in medical detox and residential care.

Promoting health and recovery, he and his team offer a number of outpatient services and evidence-based treatments, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT), group therapy (IOP and PHP), family counseling, individual counseling, detox services ( the only certified and accredited outpatient detox center in or near the San Francisco Bay area), and more. If you believe hospitalized treatment is necessary or desired, please look at Dr. Smeester‘s inpatient detox program in Walnut Creek.

Cert# A070046AP

Exp date: 6/30/2025

Joel S. Saal, MD, is a board-certified physiatrist at SOAR Spine and Orthopedics in Santa Clara and Redwood City, California. 

Dr. Saal received his Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Before attending Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, he pursued his graduate studies at Columbia University in New York City. Here, he graduated with his doctorate in medicine in 1980. 

Dr. Saal completed his training in Internal Medicine at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center of San Francisco, a UCSF affiliate, for his internship and residency programs. He continued to Stanford University to complete his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency. Dr. Saal is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Physical Medicine, and Rehabilitation. He is certified by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and joined the SOAR Spine and Orthopedics group in 1986.

With a passion for athletics, Dr. Saal has served as a Team Physician for both Men’s and Women’s Athletics at Santa Clara University and previously served as a consultant and team physician for the San Francisco 49ers Football Team. He has also served as a team physician for Stanford University athletics and was their Associate Clinical Professor for the Department of Functional Restoration.

Dr. Saal has participated in and led clinical research and publications in the foundational work of the nonoperative treatment of painful spinal disorders. He has been a principal author in numerous original research publications regarding the role of inflammation and pain in lumbar disc disease and the nonsurgical treatment of painful spine disorders. His work has changed the approach to treating and understanding painful lumbar spine disorders nationally and internationally.  

Dr. Joel Saal, along with his brother Dr. Jeffrey A. Saal, co-developed the IDET technology and procedure for treating painful degenerative discs. They were cofounders of Oratec, a medical device company. Their original research has been presented at spine conferences all over the world. 

Dr. Saal is a member of the North American Spine Society and has served as a member of their Board of Directors. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Saal was one of the founders of the Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports, and Occupational Rehabilitation (PASSOR), and is a cofounder of Laurimed LLC. Laurimed LLC is a medical research and development company whose mission is to improve interventional, surgical, and nonsurgical treatment methods across medical disciplines and specialties. 

Christopher Bonzon, MD, is a board-certified physiatrist at SOAR Spine and Orthopedics in Santa Clara and Redwood City, California. 

Dr. Bonzon received his undergraduate degree and master’s from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. For his medical degree, Dr. Bonzon relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana to study at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He then completed postgraduate fellowship training in both interventional sports and spine medicine and diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound before completing an additional fellowship training in spine and sports musculoskeletal medicine at SOAR. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Dr. Bonzon currently serves as a sports and spine physician for Santa Clara University athletics and is a former physician for Carolina Performing Arts.

He has presented nationally and locally regarding diagnostic and treatment strategies for neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction. Dr. Bonzon has co-authored and performed research for published book chapters on interventional ultrasound techniques for musculoskeletal injuries and disorders. He has studied the return of amputees to physically demanding jobs and continues his research alongside caring for his patients at SOAR Spine and Orthopedics.  

Moshe is an Ivy League-trained doctor who is board-certified in physical medicine and rehab. He is also an experienced medical expert witness and independent medical evaluations professional with extensive medical case file review experience. He is a former VP of Operations at NASA and a former Director at Kaiser Permanente. Currently he is the Chief of PM&R at California Pacific Medical Center.

Ravi Panjabi, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management physician at Advanced Pain Management, providing high-quality integrative pain management to teens and adults in Castro Valley, California, and throughout Alameda County. 

Dr. Panjabi was born and raised in India and studied at Grant Medical College in Mumbai, earning his orthopedic surgery degree. 

In 1989, Dr. Panjabi moved to the United States to complete his equivalency exams. He then finished an internal medicine internship at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, an anesthesiology residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, and a pain management fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago. 

Before moving to California, Dr. Panjabi served at a large pain management and anesthesiology group in Tampa, Florida. 

At Advanced Pain Management, Dr. Panjabi specializes in diagnosing and treating various musculoskeletal conditions. People from all over the Bay Area visit him for relief from arthritis, sports injuries, and neck, arm, and leg pain. 

Dr. Panjabi provides minimally invasive treatments whenever possible, like epidural injections and regenerative medicine procedures, but he also performs orthopedic surgery when necessary. His knowledge of advanced techniques allows him to complete procedures with smaller incisions, speeding up the post surgery recovery process. 

Dr. Panjabi is very active in community activities outside of work. He regularly volunteers with the Sindhi Community of Northern California (SCNC), an organization that celebrates Sindhi cultural events and charity causes. This group lets Dr. Panjabi honor his roots and spend more time with his wife, Seema Punjabi, who serves as the SCNC president.

In his free time, Dr. Panjabi enjoys mentoring up-and-coming pre-med students. He loves seeing young people achieve their dreams and often writes letters of recommendation for them.

Dr. Panjabi welcomes anyone needing compassionate treatment of musculoskeletal pain to Advanced Pain Management today. 

Dr. Patrick Polsunas took a nontraditional path to his career in medicine. Looking to ease aches and pains accumulated over years of participating in a variety of adventure sports, he discovered the practice of yoga, and became a yoga teacher. He was privileged to watch people work through a variety of musculoskeletal and psychosocial ailments. He wished to be more fully able to help people achieve their goals and a better quality of life as a physician. While attending medical school, Dr. Polsunas worked to deepen his understanding of the musculoskeletal system, receiving an NIH T35 grant to study complementary and alternative medicine. Authoring a publication on sacroiliac joint studying range of motion in the cervical spine during yoga postures using positional sensors. He prioritizes an evidence-based approach to care, recognizing that the most effective way to help patients with their pain is often multifaceted. Dr. Polsunas enjoys traveling, bicycling, hiking and foods.

Dr. Crawford completed his medical training in Chicago, IL, where he attended the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University. He completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital. He then went on to complete a fellowship in Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine at OSS Health in York, PA.

He has a special interest in musculoskeletal medicine and keeping his patients out and about. He is a firm believer that movement is medicine and a key to a long healthy life. Sometimes pain can bring you down, but he strives to get his patients back out there enjoying their lives, whether through therapy, medications, or injections.

He performs a variety of injections including:

• ultrasound guided joints/tendons
• nerve blocks
• epidural steroid injections
• medial branch blocks
• radiofrequency nerve ablations
• basivertebral nerve ablations

In his leisure time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, cooking, skateboarding, and being outside whether that’s camping, hiking, cycling etc.

Education and Training:

 

Medical School:

Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University. Downers Grove, IL

Internship:

Blake Medical Center. Bradenton, FL

Residency:

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital. Wheaton, IL

Fellowship:

Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine

OSS Health. York, PA

Certifications/Memberships:

• American Osteopathic Association
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Association of Academic Physiatrists
• North American Spine Society
• International Pain and Spine Intervention Society
• Pacific Spine and Pain

Dr. Carri Jones is a board-certified specialist in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and conditions of the spine, peripheral nerves, and musculoskeletal system. At Peninsula Orthopedic Associates, she treats sports and occupational injuries, degenerative arthritic conditions, and complex regional pain syndromes for her Daly, City, California, patients.

Thanks to her in-depth research on, and experience with, stem cell therapies, Dr. Jones was named an Innovator in Orthobiologics & Advancing Regenerative Medicine by The Orthobiologics Institute.

After earning her medical degree in 1993 from New York Medical College, Dr. Jones was chief resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Upstate Medical University and the Institute For Human Performance in Syracuse, New York. She completed her fellowship training in stem cell regenerative medicine and orthobiologics with application in sport and spine medicine.

Dr. Jones is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, sports medicine, and pain medicine. Prior to joining Peninsula Orthopedic Associates, she was a partner at Orthopedic Associates of Central New York, chief of Physical Medicine at Crouse Irving Hospital in Syracuse, team physician for Syracuse University Athletics, Syracuse Sting, and USA Golden Gloves Boxing, and consultant to the Ladies Professional Golf Association and American Hockey League.

As part of her practice, Dr. Jones embraces personalized medicine, best practices, and precision point of care for rapid, optimal recovery. She is an early adopter of transformative technologies and digital health solutions, which provide positive impacts on the quality of life for the community.

Dr. Patrick Polsunas took a nontraditional path to his career in medicine. Looking to ease aches and pains accumulated over years of participating in a variety of adventure sports, he discovered the practice of yoga, and became a yoga teacher. He was privileged to watch people work through a variety of musculoskeletal and psychosocial ailments. He wished to be more fully able to help people achieve their goals and a better quality of life as a physician. While attending medical school, Dr. Polsunas worked to deepen his understanding of the musculoskeletal system, receiving an NIH T35 grant to study complementary and alternative medicine. Authoring a publication on sacroiliac joint studying range of motion in the cervical spine during yoga postures using positional sensors. He prioritizes an evidence-based approach to care, recognizing that the most effective way to help patients with their pain is often multifaceted. Dr. Polsunas enjoys traveling, bicycling, hiking and foods.

Dr. Patrick Polsunas took a nontraditional path to his career in medicine. Looking to ease aches and pains accumulated over years of participating in a variety of adventure sports, he discovered the practice of yoga, and became a yoga teacher. He was privileged to watch people work through a variety of musculoskeletal and psychosocial ailments. He wished to be more fully able to help people achieve their goals and a better quality of life as a physician. While attending medical school, Dr. Polsunas worked to deepen his understanding of the musculoskeletal system, receiving an NIH T35 grant to study complementary and alternative medicine. Authoring a publication on sacroiliac joint studying range of motion in the cervical spine during yoga postures using positional sensors. He prioritizes an evidence-based approach to care, recognizing that the most effective way to help patients with their pain is often multifaceted. Dr. Polsunas enjoys traveling, bicycling, hiking and foods.