Guest Speakers

Zoe A. Adler, M.D.

Zoe A. Adler, M.D., earned her medical degree from the University of Utah. She completed a transitional internship in medicine and surgery at Intermountain Medical Center, and residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah. Dr. Adler provides nonsurgical joint and spine care at Hofmann Arthritis Institute, and serves as a staff physician in the musculoskeletal clinic at the George Wahlen VA Hospital.

Jennifer Burton, DPT

Jennifer Burton, DPT, is a physical therapy clinician at the George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center located in Salt Lake City, UT. Upon receiving her Doctorate from the University of Utah, Jennifer had a strong passion for vestibular/balance therapy. During her early years working as a therapist in both the outpatient and inpatient setting, she realized the significant need for such a specialty at the SLC VA, especially in light of the signature injury, mTBI, of returning OIF/OEF veterans. She quickly transitioned into primarily evaluating and treating veterans with both simple and complex balance and dizziness complaints, as well as developing a vestibular rotation (no pun intended) to broaden each student’s learning experience while completing their outpatient internship. Most of her continuing education has been geared toward treating the unbalanced or dizzy patient. She enjoys the challenge that this patient population brings. Currently, Jennifer continues to work at the VAMC and finds great satisfaction serving the veterans who sacrificed so much while proudly serving our country. In addition, she had the opportunity to present this past summer to the National Hockey League regarding treatment techniques for mTBI with Dr. David Cifu. Most of all, she cherishes time spent with her husband, Jeff, and three amazing children, Adelin (7), Jason (4), and James (2).

Anne Therese Christopher, M.D.

Anne Therese Christopher, M.D., is a native of St Louis and spent the first 22 years of her life dedicated to dance and the arts. She trained in St Louis with Stanley Herbert and Ramona Peterson and danced in St Louis Civic Ballet and then St Louis Ballet Theatre. In 1985 she moved to Louisville, KY where she trained with Helen Starr and Cher Carnell and danced in the apprentice company of Louisville Ballet. Injury forced her to retire from dance earlier thansheI wanted but also gave her first experience in the field of health care. Dr. Christopher moved back to St Louis in 1987 and enrolled in Physical Therapy school at St Louis University briefly before changing her field of study to medicine. She graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1994 and completed her residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1998. After residency Dr. Christopher joined the medical school faculty at the University of Michigan where she trained students and also sub specialized in the new field of Pain Management. In 2000 she started a private practice in Oklahoma where she stayed until moving to St Louis in 2006. Dr. Christopher is on staff at St. Luke’s Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center and is the founding partner of St. Louis Pain Consultants in Chesterfield. She am married to Paul Gill and the mother of Samantha, Lauren, Joseph, and Luke who range in age from 18 to 8 years old.

Dayna W Geiger, DPT

Dayna W Geiger, DPT, is a Physical Therapist in Salt Lake City, Utah. A graduate of the Physical Therapy programs at Marquette University and the University of Utah. Dayna has always had a special interest in working with persons who have neurological deficits from either trauma or disease and persons with balance disorders. She prefers to work in a team environment, communicating with multiple disciplines to enhance the functional outcomes of her clients. Dayna also uses the latest technology to assist her clients in their confident return to activity.

Dayna has 24 years of experience as both a clinician and a clinical educator working in inpatient and outpatient settings including level 1 trauma centers. Her goal is always to exceed her client’s expectations, return them to meaningful movement and gain new knowledge along the way. To that end she has placed emphasis in her career in specializing in traumatic brain injury, post concussion syndrome ,balance rehabilitation and sports medicine.

Dayna has always been passionate about participating in, teaching and watching sports. She holds her level 4 USA Hockey Coach certification, coaches’ middle school and high school hockey and plays women’s hockey. Combining these passions, she is co- founder of Concussion Educators, LLC providing education and baseline assessments for local athletes and organizations.

Dayna is also a volunteer with Wasatch Adaptive Sports assisting persons with physical or mental disabilities to experience and enjoy movement and activity.

In her spare time, Dayna likes to be with her family by hanging out at home, boating, skiing and playing golf to name a few. Vacations are always enjoyed, especially if a beach is involved! Additionally she makes time to ride a road bike with the Bonneville Cycling Cub, do some household chores and walk the dog.

Bart R. Gillespie, DPT

Bart R. Gillespie, DPT, is the Amputation Rehabilitation Coordinator (ARC) for the SLC VAMC Poly-trauma Amputee Network Site (PANS). He has served at the SLC VAMC for 12 years as a Physical Therapist with a focus on amputation care and prevention. He runs a busy and complicated foot wound clinic for the Podiatry service, and is an active researcher in diabetic foot and amputation care.

He was recently awarded “The Young Investigators Award” at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) for his pioneering use of negative pressure therapy with Total Contact Casting. On October 3, 2014 he was also awarded “The Spirit of George E. Whalen Award” for his exemplary and selfless service as a clinician for our Veterans.

He is an Adjunct Faculty member at the University Of Utah School Of Physical Therapy, and teaches the diabetic foot care and amputee curriculum. He also regularly lectures and provides clinical education for the PM&R Residency Program at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine.

He is the Physical Therapist for the Percutaneous Osseo Integration Program (POP), and has been developing the rehabilitation program for this new patient population.

Outside of his professional life he enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and three young daughters. He also continues to compete as a Professional Mountain Bike Racer, Junior Development Coach, and Skills Instructor.

Michael Gofeld, M.D., FIPP, DEAA

Michael Gofeld, M.D., FIPP, DEAA, is a Staff Physician in the Department of Anesthesia at St. Michael's and Women's College Hospitals in Toronto, Canada. He also servers as an Advisor for Chronic Pain in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto. His experience is in neuromodulation (spinal cord and peripheral stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery), musculoskeletal and neurological diagnostic and procedural ultrasonography, radiofrequency, vertebral augmentation, spinal injections, managing complex cancer and non-cancer pain, and advanced imaging (high-frequency ultrasound, CT, navigation). His clinical interests are non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, nerve injuries, sport injuries, facial pain and headaches. His research interests are mechanisms of neuromodulation, novel image-guided approaches, pain assessment, and chronic pain outcomes. Dr. Gofeld is currently the President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography. He also is the Founder and Executive Member of Interventional Pain Special Interest Group: Canadian Pain Society. Dr. Gofeld has 36 peer-review publications and 7 book chapters. He is also the Assocaite editor for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Pain Practice and Section Editor for Current Headache and Pain Reports.

Shubhra (Sue) Mukherjee, MD, FRCPC

Shubhra (Sue) Mukherjee, MD, FRCPC,is a physician with 14 years of experience in the field of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) as a clinician, teacher, and researcher. Dr. Mukherjee has been interested in improving outcomes of youth with disabilities as they move into adulthood, in the areas of health care transfer, health and community participation. Dr. Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of PM&R at Northwestern University, and is program director of the Pediatric Rehab fellowship program. Dr. Mukherjee received her medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1995 and completed residency training in PM&R at the University of Alberta in 2000. Dr. Mukherjee is dually board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (in PM&R and PRM), and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada).

Jay Pyo, M.D.

Jay Pyo, M.D., joined the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service at the San Diego VA Healthcare System in August 2013 and currently serves as the Polytrauma Amputation Network Site Medical Director. Prior to joining the VA team, he was the Chief of the Rehabilitation Clinics in the Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care (C-5) Program at Naval Medical Center San Diego between 2009 and 2013. He served as a medical officer in the United States Army between 2005 and 2013 and achieved the rank of Major. He completed his PM&R Residency training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2009 and has been awarded multiple military and academic awards. His practice interests are in the field of electrodiagnostic medicine, musculoskeletal medicine, and functional restoration through prosthetics and orthotics prescriptions.

Lisa Jo Stearns, M.D.

Lisa Jo Stearns, M.D., is the world’s foremost expert in interventional therapy for cancer pain and is internationally renowned for her research and expertise with intrathecal pumps. Dr. Stearns is committed to educating patients and healthcare professionals about the most effective pain management and supportive care techniques. Upon receiving her medical degree from the University of Nebraska in 1991 and completing her residency in anesthesiology and her fellowship in pain management, Dr. Stearns became one of only a handful of interventional pain specialists to become board certified in hospice and palliative medicine.

In 2007 when Dr. Stearns founded Center for Pain and Supportive Care (CPSC) in Phoenix, she set out to tackle what she saw as fragmented and narrow care for patients with chronic pain. Dr. Stearns has diligently worked to create a diverse team of providers, including specialists in cancer-related and chronic pain, supportive care, advanced therapies, interventional pain management, yoga rehabilitation, medication management, among others. She has sought out talented clinicians whose values naturally follow CPSC’s mission of restoring a patient’s life by providing the most advanced pain management treatments through a whole-person approach to care.

Dr. Stearns has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on pain management and palliative care and is actively involved in research at both the early development and late clinical trial stages. She is frequently a featured speaker at national and international conferences in her field and has an adjunct faculty appointment at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine where she trains pain management fellows. In all her work, Dr. Stearns seeks to raise awareness that pain management can “build a bridge back to life.”

After watching both of her grandmothers pass away from cancer, Dr. Stearns has experienced first-hand that many chronic pain and cancer patients do not receive the proper care they need and often feel neglected throughout the treatment process. Dr. Stearns has made it her life’s work to improve her patient’s quality of life and not just focus on healing the immediate pain, but teaching how to build healthy behaviors in all aspects of a patient’s life.

Dr. Stearns founded the Valley Cancer Pain Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to cancer pain research, to raise awareness and to educate families, patients and providers on integrating interventional pain treatments. She is also a co-founder and executive committee member of the Cancer Pain Clinical Research Consortium, a group of doctors from across the world working to find the latest and best treatments for cancer-related pain.

Jennifer Thomas, OT

Jennifer Thomas, OT, was born and raised in Utah and attended the University of Utah and graduated with a BS in Health Education in 1994. She then attended the University of North Dakota and endured the bitter cold to receive a BS in Occupational Therapy, graduating in 1996. While attending UND, she worked at the Counseling Center and was involved in campus outreach and presentations for drug and alcohol education.

She happily found her way back to a warmer climate in Utah to embark on her OT career. She has worked in a myriad of settings since graduating, including inpatient rehabilitation; skilled nursing, outpatient therapies, home health, hand therapy, private practice, and driver’s rehabilitation. Jen is also an active member of the American and Utah Occupational Therapy Associations.

Currently, Jen works at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Salt Lake as well as covers at the University of Utah in the Rehabilitation Departments, for both inpatient and outpatient therapies. Her work at the VA includes outpatient therapies including her active role on the Polytrauma and Wheelchair Clinic teams. Jen is also the OT for the Caregiver Support Clinic and assisted in developing the clinical practice for the Caregiver Program at the VA in Salt Lake City. She actively pursues a healthy balance in her life and tries to practice what she preaches to her patients. She strives for enough sleep, moderation of her trips to the VA coffee shop, regular exercise, and trying to incorporate regular leisure with her family.

Ken Yonemura, MD

Ken Yonemura, MD, was born and raised in Southern California and obtained a B.S. in psychobiology at the University of Southern California prior to attending medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. His neurosurgical residency training occurred at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center (UCIMC) and was completed in 1990. He was selected as a spinal surgery fellow at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ that was completed in 1991. He returned to UCIMC as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery but at the request of his chairman, Dr. Ronald F. Young, he joined him in private practice in Seattle in 1993. He received certification from the American Board of Neurological Surgery in May of 1995 and since that time, his practice has evolved to focus primarily on complex spine and peripheral nerve disorders. He have been a FDA investigator for both lumbar and cervical interbody fusion cages as well as motion preservation techniques that include artificial disc and facet replacement technology. He has been actively involved in the development minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of cervical and lumbar disc disease including the design of one of the first generation percutaneous pedicle screw systems. Dr. Yonemura has been an avid cyclist, USA Cycling Cat 3 masters racer, and was the medical director for the Tour of Utah stage race from 2008-2011. He has become a USAC official and especially enjoys working as a motorcycle referee. Previously while practicing in Seattle, he was the medical director for the Think First neurosurgical injury prevention program from 1997-1999 and more recently with his daughter’s involvement on the US Luge Association junior development team and as a FIL luge official, he developed a strong interest in concussions. He is especially interested in refining the diagnostic criteria for diagnosing concussions and treatment options once a concussion has occurred. He is pleased to be able to work with Melinda Roalstad, PA-C and Dr. Wain Allen as part of the Think Head First team. Dr. Yonemura had previously worked with the Heiden Davidson Orthopedics group and is now the medical director for the NeuroSpine Institute of Park City. He also sees patients in Salt Lake City and Bountiful, UT. His primary hospital is Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful and he has privileges at the Cottonwood Surgery Center in Murray and the soon to open Restitute Ambulatory Surgery Center in Park City. He can be reached at (435) 200-1196.