Osteoarthritis of Foot near Vista, CA

Biography: Ariel Palanca, MD, received her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She finished an orthopedic surgical residency at Stanford University Medical Center and an AOTrauma Fellowship from Flinders Medical Center in Adelaide, Australia. She served as an Assistant Professor at Stanford University Medical Center in the Foot & Ankle Division, has been published in dozens of peer-reviewed publications and served in three global humanitarian aid locations. Dr. Palanca speaks English and Spanish.

Biography: Dr. Brad Cohen is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in sports related injuries and joint replacement surgery. In addition to his residency training in Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. Cohen has advanced Fellowships in both arthroscopy and sports medicine, with an emphasis on minimally invasive procedures. (His fellowship emphasized arthroscopic cases involving predominantly knees and shoulders. ) Dr. Cohen also served as a Chief Resident at the New England Baptist Hospital in Boston performing joint replacement surgery. Dr. Cohen has been practicing Orthopedic Surgery in San Diego since 1998. He serves as an active faculty member of the San Diego Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Fellowship. During his career, Dr. Cohen has been involved in the training of over 45 fellows and has extensive experience teaching post graduate surgeons to perform complex procedures including ligament reconstructions of the knees, rotator cuff surgeries, as well as hip, knee, and shoulder replacements. Dr. Cohen is proud to have received many awards over the past several years, including excellence in patient satisfaction at Palomar Pomerado Hospital and within Sharp Community Medical Group. He was recently a Nationally Rated Top Physician. Dr. Cohen is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated with top academic honors and special recognition in Orthopedic Surgery from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Dr. Cohen completed his internship and residency at New England Medical Center, Tufts University, in Boston. He moved to San Diego in 1997 for his fellowship at UCSD, following which he was invited to remain on clinical faculty. Dr. Cohen is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and is an active member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Dr. Cohen lives in Poway with his wife and four children. He is active in the local little league and tennis communities.

Care Philosophy: Dr. Berthelsen is passionate about providing excellent foot and ankle care. He is an associate of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons.

Biography: Dr. Soumya G. Rao is Board certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. She completed her Rheumatology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. Prior to that, she completed her internal medicine training from Winthrop University Hospital at Mineola, New York. Dr. Rao has been in practice in Poway and San Diego for over 4 years and is a member of American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Rao sees patients with a wide variety of rheumatologic problems such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, and other autoimmune related connective tissue diseases. During her fellowship she received training in ultrasound technique, which she incorporates into her practice. Her excellence in Rheumatology is recognized by her peers and dedication to work is appreciated by her patients. Dr. Rao is involved in basic and clinical research. She has presented her research at the American College of Rheumatology conferences and has published articles in well-known Rheumatology journals. Dr. Rao is fluent in Hindi and Kannada. On a personal note, Dr. Rao is a wife and busy mom of three. She enjoys traveling and volunteering in non-profit organizations in her spare time.