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

Kunal Kalra, MD, of the Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon whose areas of expertise include sports medicine and shoulder surgery. Dr. Kalra treats shoulder, hip, ankle, knee, and elbow injuries and disorders, seeing patients at the in Victorville, Pomona, Banning, Loma Linda and Chino, California, offices.

Dr. Kalra attended the University of Mumbai's Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ (Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy) Group of Hospitals in Mumbai, India, where he earned his medical degree. He stayed in Mumbai to complete his orthopaedic surgery residency at TN Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, then moved to the United States.

He studied for his orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital in Manhattan's Upper East Side and then traveled to the West Coast to attend the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) for fellowship training in adult joint reconstruction. Dr. Kalra also received specialist training in pediatric orthopaedics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and is an AFTS Fellow (Paris) in shoulder surgery.

Dr. Kalra speaks fluent Hindi, English, and Marathi, so he can cater to patients from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. For most patients, he considers comprehensive non-surgical management first, offering advanced evidence-based treatments where necessary.

He aims to help people enjoy a healthier life, and he firmly believes that patients play a vital role in their therapy. He works with each person to help them make better choices that promote good health. Dr. Kalra says his goal is to keep patients out of his office because he'd much rather they are well and doing the activities they love.

Roy Akrakian, MD, is an outstanding orthopaedic specialist passionate about serving his community. An integral part of the team at Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute, Dr. Akarakian helps residents of Victorville, Pomona, and Barstow, California, find relief from various conditions affecting their bone, joint, and muscle health.

Dr. Akarakian began his studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, and remained in the area for his residency and fellowship training. 

Professional roles as an emergency medicine attending physician and a physician for soccer, baseball, and hockey teams provided different learning environments, expanding Dr. Akarakian’s understanding of sports medicine and orthopedics. 

The author of multiple scholarly papers and a forthcoming book, Dr. Akarakian believes in remaining connected to the academic medical community. He also enjoys participating in conferences and workshops as a presenter or attendee.    

When not in the office, Dr. Akarakian enjoys playing beach volleyball and soccer and learning new cooking skills and stock trading. 

Dr. Jason Tani, MD, cares for patients at Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute, with three locations in Loma Linda, San Bernardino, and Pomona, California.

Dr. Tani was born and raised in the Aloha State of Hawaii. He attended a school for ethnic Hawaiians and then traveled to Missouri, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Education. He then worked as a flight attendant before being accepted into medical school in Hawaii.

Dr. Tani graduated in the top quarter of his class. He completed a surgical internship at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, where he met a famous orthopedic trauma surgeon, Michael Chapman, MD, who encouraged him to pursue orthopedic training.

He trained in the West Virginia University (WVU) Orthopedic Program in Morgantown, West Virginia, providing level 1 trauma experience. After completing the program, he accepted a position in Mesa, Arizona, where he practiced for over 20 years.

Following a brief hiatus in Hawaii, Dr. Tani returned to Arizona and practiced in the small rural town of Payson. He now looks forward to living the California life.

His areas of expertise and interest include fracture care, total and partial knee replacement, carpal tunnel, trigger fingers, knee arthroscopy, hip replacement, pediatric fracture care, and amputations.

In his spare time, Dr. Tani loves to golf and traveling to wine country.

Dr. Kristofer J. Jones is a board certified, fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related musculoskeletal injuries of the knee, shoulder and elbow. As a former intercollegiate athlete, Dr. Jones understands the unique demands and concerns faced by athletes at all levels of participation (from professional to recreational) and his goal is to return patients back to their regular activities using evidence-based medicine to guide his treatment plan. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, where he was a four-year letter winner and All-Conference tailback for the varsity football team. He was awarded the Howell-Murray Alumni Medal upon graduation. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania where he received the Jonathan Rhoads Prize for Surgical Scholarship. Dr. Jones completed his orthopaedic residency training at the prestigious Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, frequently recognized as the #1 Hospital for Orthopaedic Surgery by US News & World Report. He subsequently completed a traveling fellowship and acquired further expertise in shoulder and cartilage surgery at specialized centers across Europe, including Lyon & Paris France. Dr. Jones returned to HSS to complete another fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery. During this time, he served as assistant team physician for the Brooklyn Nets (NBA), New York Red Bulls (MLS), and Iona College Athletics as well as an orthopaedic consultant to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and US Open Tennis Tournament. He is currently the Head Team Physician and Director of Orthopaedic Surgery for the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and a Team Physician for the UCLA Bruins athletic teams.

Dr. Jones is accomplished in both clinical and laboratory research and has authored more than 100 scientific manuscripts and textbook chapters that have received national recognition and awards within the field of sports medicine. He is frequently invited to teach and lecture on these topics both nationally and internationally. Dr. Jones is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and has been recognized as an "Emerging Leader" within the field of orthopaedic surgery/sports medicine by the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). He also holds memberships and committee positions in several professional organizations including the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), S.T.O.P (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) Sports Injuries Outreach Committee, the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS), Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), the NBA Team Physicians Society, and the NFL Musculoskeletal Injury Committee. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (Am). 

Dr. Jones currently provides care at the UCLA Orthopaedic Center in Westwood on the main hospital campus, as well as the UCLA Orthopaedic Center in Downtown Los Angeles. 

Neil Bhamb, MD, is a Fellowship-trained Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon at Neil Bhamb, MD. From two offices in Century City and Marina Del Rey, California, Dr. Bhamb provides exceptional care for all his patients and always takes a holistic approach to spine health. 

Compassion and A+ quality are Dr. Bhamb’s core values and his true north star. He strives to engage patients as a complete physician, not just spine surgeon.

Dr. Bhamb is highly skilled and practiced in endoscopic and minimally invasive spine surgery, minimally invasive TLIF, microdiscectomy and spinal decompression, and much more.

He utilizes the latest techniques, including disc replacement, endoscopic and microscopic visualization, micro-incisions, and computer-assisted navigation and image guidance. 

Dr. Bhamb has published research on image guidance, disc replacement, and on the latest orthobiologics to promote tissue healing.

He completed the Fellowship in Complex Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Spine Surgery at UC San Francisco, an AO Spine Fellowship. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthoapedic Surgery (AAOS).

Dr. Bhamb was formerly the Vice Chairman of Orthopaedics and Spine Surgery at Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, as of 2022. He has also served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. 

In addition to his current role at Neil Bhamb, MD, Dr. Bhamb works as he Medical Director at Commons Clinic.

He warmly welcomes all patients into his self-titled practice, Neil Bhamb, MD and looks forward to caring for them. Call either office in Century City or Marina Del Rey to schedule a consultation. Or request one online today.

Yasir Shareef is a physician, a community builder, and social activist.

He graduated from the University of Michigan with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees.

He then attended Michigan State University for his medical education. Dr. Shareef currently practices as a neurologist in Arizona.

He is the director of stroke and neurology at Mountain Vista Medical Center in metropolitan Phoenix area.

He is also a mentor and clinical faculty to medical students at Midwestern University.

He has been with CAIR-AZ since 2011 and has helped revamp the organization into the respected civil rights organization that it is today.

ABOUT DR. THOMAS KREMEN

Thomas J. Kremen, MD is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with additional subspecialty certification in Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery. He has served as team physician all over the country, and around the world, helping athletes across the globe stay at the top of their game. He has served as team physician for numerous organizations including Duke University Intercollegiate Athletics, US Men's National Team Soccer, LA Galaxy (MLS), USA Basketball, and the USA Olympic Swimming Team. He currently serves as a team physician for the UCLA Bruins NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams, the chair of USA Swimming's Sports Medicine and Science Committee, the head team physician for the South Bay Lakers (NBA G-League), and an associate team physician for the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA).

Dr. Kremen has devoted his career to helping patients of all sports levels maintain active lifestyles. Using the latest orthopedic techniques and science, Dr. Kremen helps athletes in Los Angeles recover quickly from injury, getting them back into the game stronger than ever. With his eyes on the future of sports medicine, Dr. Kremen is a federally-funded clinician-scientist who is actively involved in translational research aimed at improving the treatment of soft tissue musculoskeletal injuries (tendons, ligaments, cartilage, etc.).

From shoulder problems to debilitating knee injuries, Dr. Kremen understands the added stresses that active lifestyles place on the human musculoskeletal system. His goal is to not only help his patients overcome their injuries, but also provide essential preventive care to avoid re-injury down the road.

Dr. Kremen earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998 where he was also captain of the NCAA Division I men’s swimming team. He earned his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2006 and then continued at UCLA where he completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency Training in 2012. 

Between 2008 and 2009, Dr. Kremen honed his research knowledge as a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Clinical Fellow and in 2013, he completed an Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery fellowship at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Following his fellowship at Duke, Dr. Kremen accepted a position at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and their newly formed orthopaedic program where he worked for 5 years prior to returning to UCLA in 2018.

Dr. Kremen stays up to date in his field through memberships in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Orthopaedic Research Society, the Arthroscopy Association of North America, and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, to name just a few.

In his pursuit of finding the best treatments, Dr. Kremen regularly participates in research studies, and he has published and presented dozens of research papers at both national and international meetings. His research interests include biomechanical studies of shoulder and knee reconstruction procedures as well as innovative biologic therapies to enhance tissue healing and regeneration after musculoskeletal injuries.

Dr. Kremen is currently a full-time faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles where he provides his patients with state-of-the-art care.

Kunal Kalra, MD, of the Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon whose areas of expertise include sports medicine and shoulder surgery. Dr. Kalra treats shoulder, hip, ankle, knee, and elbow injuries and disorders, seeing patients at the in Victorville, Pomona, Banning, Loma Linda and Chino, California, offices.

Dr. Kalra attended the University of Mumbai's Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ (Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy) Group of Hospitals in Mumbai, India, where he earned his medical degree. He stayed in Mumbai to complete his orthopaedic surgery residency at TN Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, then moved to the United States.

He studied for his orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital in Manhattan's Upper East Side and then traveled to the West Coast to attend the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) for fellowship training in adult joint reconstruction. Dr. Kalra also received specialist training in pediatric orthopaedics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and is an AFTS Fellow (Paris) in shoulder surgery.

Dr. Kalra speaks fluent Hindi, English, and Marathi, so he can cater to patients from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. For most patients, he considers comprehensive non-surgical management first, offering advanced evidence-based treatments where necessary.

He aims to help people enjoy a healthier life, and he firmly believes that patients play a vital role in their therapy. He works with each person to help them make better choices that promote good health. Dr. Kalra says his goal is to keep patients out of his office because he'd much rather they are well and doing the activities they love.

Neil Bhamb, MD, is a Fellowship-trained Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon at Neil Bhamb, MD. From two offices in Century City and Marina Del Rey, California, Dr. Bhamb provides exceptional care for all his patients and always takes a holistic approach to spine health. 

Compassion and A+ quality are Dr. Bhamb’s core values and his true north star. He strives to engage patients as a complete physician, not just spine surgeon.

Dr. Bhamb is highly skilled and practiced in endoscopic and minimally invasive spine surgery, minimally invasive TLIF, microdiscectomy and spinal decompression, and much more.

He utilizes the latest techniques, including disc replacement, endoscopic and microscopic visualization, micro-incisions, and computer-assisted navigation and image guidance. 

Dr. Bhamb has published research on image guidance, disc replacement, and on the latest orthobiologics to promote tissue healing.

He completed the Fellowship in Complex Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Spine Surgery at UC San Francisco, an AO Spine Fellowship. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthoapedic Surgery (AAOS).

Dr. Bhamb was formerly the Vice Chairman of Orthopaedics and Spine Surgery at Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, as of 2022. He has also served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. 

In addition to his current role at Neil Bhamb, MD, Dr. Bhamb works as he Medical Director at Commons Clinic.

He warmly welcomes all patients into his self-titled practice, Neil Bhamb, MD and looks forward to caring for them. Call either office in Century City or Marina Del Rey to schedule a consultation. Or request one online today.

Handpicked by Dr. Robert S. Bray Jr. to join DISC Sports & Spine Center, fellowship-trained orthopedic spinal surgeon, Grant D. Shifflett, MD, takes a patient-centered approach to care at his offices in Marina del Rey and Newport Beach, California. With vast experience in minimally invasive and complex reconstructive spinal surgeries, Dr. Shifflett strives to restore each patient's functionality and quality of life.

Using cutting-edge techniques, he takes an evidence-based approach to treat patients with a variety of spinal conditions, including scoliosis, stenosis, disc herniation, and degenerative disc disease. Whether Dr. Shifflett provides non-operative care such as stem cell injections or performs innovative procedures such as artificial disc replacement, he does so with compassionate care and understanding.

Dr. Shifflett received a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Virginia before graduating with the highest distinction from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery, affiliated with New York - Presbyterian Healthcare System and Weill Cornell Medical College.

After venturing on a traveling fellowship to Japan, Dr. Shifflett returned to the United States and completed a minimally invasive and complex spinal surgery fellowship at Rush University. There, he learned microsurgical techniques, focusing on outpatient, fusion, and non-fusion procedures for the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.

Highly recognized in the field of spinal surgery, Dr. Shifflett has presented at numerous conferences, written multiple medical journal articles, and received a variety of grants and awards for cutting-edge research and clinical studies.

Board-certified orthopaedic surgeon Samir Nayyar, MD, of the Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute, specializes in joint replacement and reconstruction and loves helping people get back to an active, pain-free lifestyle. Dr. Nayyar sees patients at the practice's three locations in Victorville, Pomona, Barstow, Banning, and Loma Linda, California, office and relishes being able to make a positive impact on his patients' quality of life that's both immediate and long-lasting.

Dr. Nayyar was born in New York but relocated to Apple Valley, California, where he attended Granite Hills High School. He returned to New York to study for his medical degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo, receiving the Excellence in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Award and the SUNY Chancellor's Award.

During Dr. Nayyar's time at NYU Langone Orthopaedic Hospital in New York City, he trained under some of the most esteemed orthopedic surgeons, gaining experience in joint replacement and reconstruction and achieving a fellowship in orthopaedic surgery.

Dr. Nayyar uses innovative, minimally invasive techniques during surgery that reduce blood loss and postoperative pain, ensuring the experience is less traumatic for his patients. He sees patients of all ages, from children to seniors, and all walks of life, from athletes specializing in many different sports to older patients who just want to remain active and play with their grandchildren.

He undertakes a variety of surgical cases, performing delicate nerve repairs one day and major joint replacement surgery the next. He believes that while everyone feels fragile at times, people are extraordinarily resilient, and with the high-class treatment and ongoing support he provides, his patients can overcome their injuries.

Dr. Nayyar is proud of his ability to help patients regain mobility and find relief from pain and is excited about using his skills to assist people back home in the High Desert area of California, where he grew up.

The Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute's David Surdyka, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon offering outstanding services to patients at two of the practice's locations in Victorville and Barstow, California, office. Dr. Surdyka delivers high-quality care to patients with diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system, using his many years of experience to create individualized treatment plans for each patient.

Dr. Surdyka earned his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine in Irvine, California. He followed this with internship and residency programs at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center in Orange, California. Since then, he has expanded his knowledge and skills with ongoing professional development and seeks to provide the best possible outcomes for patients using the latest surgical techniques and technologies.

Dr. Surdyka combines outstanding patient care with rigorous standards, advocating noninvasive treatments where possible before considering more invasive procedures or surgery. He treats his patients with confidentiality, compassion, and respect. Their health and well-being are always his top priority.