Radiculopathy near Poway, CA

Biography: Prior to joining the group, Dr. Wang was an attending physician at Cooper University Hospital and assistant professor of Cooper Medical School, Rowan University, NJ. Shortly after graduating with high honors from Harbin Medical University, China, Dr. Wang went on to pursue master's degree in Pharmacology at University of Missouri, Kansas City. Subsequently, she was conducting extensive research at Marion Merrel Dow Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis, University of Kansas Medical Center and the Department of Tumor Virology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. Dr. Wang completed her Internship and Neurology Residency training at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia where she was Chief Resident. She continued with fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at Hahnemann University Hospital, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia and Epilepsy Fellowship at University of California at San Diego. Board certified in American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology and American Board of Eletrodiagnositic Medicine, Dr. Wang was the recipient of many academic honors and awards. She has presented at national conferences and has been a contributor to medical publications. Dr. Wang has a special interest in EEG, EMG, evoked potentials and treating a variety of epilepsy patients, including pre-surgical evaluation, intracranial epilepsy monitoring, inpatient long term EEG monitoring, status epilepticus and refractory epilepsy. She also enjoys caring for a diverse group of patients. She speaks Mandarin.

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.

Biography: Dr. Richard Putnam, MD is a Family Practitioner who practices in Poway, CA. He is 74 years old. Dr. Richard Putnam, MD is affiliated with Palomar Medical Center Poway, Palomar Medical Center Downtown Escondido and Palomar Health.

Biography: Ludmilla Ionescu, M.D., is a board-certified family medicine physician. She grew up in Moscow, Russia where she attended Moscow Medical Academy. Dr. Ionescu completed her internship at the State Scientific Center of Dermatovenerology (Dermatology) in Moscow, Russia before moving to the U.S. to start her Family Practice residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Since she was a child, Dr. Ionescu wanted to become a doctor because of her idol, her father, a surgeon and Honored Physician of the Russian Federation. She grew up watching him work in the hospital and wanted to be just like him. Dr. Ionescu approaches her practice with the philosophy that you ``treat the root of the tree and not its leaves, and therefore listen to the patient so you can get to the root of the tree.`` She uses an individual approach to the diagnosis and treatment of each patient in order to get to the root of the problem. Dr. Ionescu treats her patients as if they are family and she enjoys seeing her patients go back to their normal lives, happy and healthy. In her spare time, Dr. Ionescu enjoys spending time with her daughter, traveling, sports, competitive ballroom dancing and Pilates. She is fluent in Russian and English.

Care Philosophy: ``Prevention is the most effective medicine.``

Biography: Dr. Akber Safi, MD is an Internist who practices in Poway, CA. He is 65 years old. Dr. Akber Safi, MD is affiliated with Palomar Medical Center Downtown Escondido, Palomar Medical Center Poway and Palomar Health.

Biography: Dr. Lorra Sharp is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in San Diego, CA. She received her medical degree from Keck School of Medicine of USC; finished her residency at the University Medical Group of Greenville Hospital System in Greenville, SC; and completed a fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA.

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.