Jeffrey Wong, MD
Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Sports Medicine Surgeon, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Subspecialty Certification in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
Dr. Jeffrey Wong grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended UC Berkeley, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. He earned his medical degree at UC Irvine and graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. He completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at UCLA, and served as chief resident in his final year. After residency, he completed fellowship training in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
During his fellowship, he gained extensive experience in taking care of athletes at all levels of competition. He worked as a team physician for the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, New England Revolution, Curry College and a number of local high schools. During his training, he also presented his research work at national and international meetings. His research has been published in peer reviewed journals and reference books.
Dr. Wong has specialized training in taking care of all sports medicine related injuries. He has a special interest in minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures for the shoulder, elbow and knee as well as open reconstructive procedures of the shoulder. His practice also includes all aspects of general orthopedics. His goal is to provide each patient with the highest standard of care to return them back to the activities they enjoy by using the best treatments available. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and is also a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and the Arthroscopy Association of North America.
Kathryn Perkins-Tift, MD
Dr. Kathryn Perkins Tift is a fellowship trained and board certified pediatric orthopaedic surgeon. After earning her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, she graduated from Tulane Medical School in 2006, and was honored with the Gold Humanism in Medicine Award. Dr. Kathryn Perkins Tift completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Harbor/ UCLA Medical Center in 2010, prior to completing a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at the Shriners' Hospital for Children in Los Angeles the following year. She has presented research at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Association of Children's Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics. She approaches her work with exceptional personal attention, professional insight and compassion, partially from her own experience as a mother of three delightfully rambunctious kids.
Nimish R. Kadakia, MD
Dr. Kadakia is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and Chicago native. He obtained his BS in both Kinesiology and Psychology from UCLA. Following his time at UCLA, he completed his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Kadakia went on to complete his residency in orthopedics at the prestigious Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Throughout his training, he published numerous articles in peer reviewed Orthopedic journals and presented his findings at national Orthopedic conferences.
Dr. Kadakia furthered his training with a Fellowship in Orthopedic Sports Medicine at the Minneapolis Sports Medicine Center. During his Fellowship, he was the Associate Team Physician for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, MLB’s Minnesota Twins, NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, and NHL’s Minnesota Wild. He participated in the NFL Combines and MLB Spring Training, assisting with player examinations and evaluations. In addition, he was the Team Physician for Division II Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Kadakia has been the team physician for multiple Orange County High Schools, including Beckman and Portola High School. He is serving as the current Chief of Orthopedics at Saddleback Memorial Hospital in Laguna Hills. He has practiced in Orange County since 2001 and is currently affiliated with Saddleback and Hoag Hospital systems. In addition, Dr. Kadakia has been chosen as one of the Orange County Medical Association’s Top Doctors in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine for the last ten years.
With his fellowship training, Dr. Kadakia understands the unique needs of performance athletes. His 25 years of experience have been dedicated to the care of an array of sports medicine conditions, traumatic injuries, and fractures. His practice consists of a wide scope of orthopedic care, including knee and shoulder arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, and fracture care. Dr. Kadakia takes pride in pursuing contemporary minimally invasive and conservative techniques, including PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma).
Dr. Kadakia is an avid triathlete and runner, having completed over 35 half marathons, the Los Angeles Triathlon, Los Angeles Marathon, and the Ironman 70.3. This passion for athletics allows him to feel empathy for an athlete with an orthopedic injury, and understand the desire to return to that active lifestyle. He is happily married, with two children. Dr. Kadakia is also actively involved in charitable work. He has been instrumental in the founding of Hope Endowment, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives and education of orphan children in India. The project has built a dormitory and a school for nearly 200 children in Gujarat, India.
Dr. Kadakia’s Subspeciality Certification in Orthopedic Sports Medicine
Dr. Kadakia is a Sports Medicine and Trauma specialist with a subspecialty certification in Orthopedic Sports Medicine. The certification is given to surgeons who achieved the highest level of expertise as defined by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (ABOS). In order to receive this subspecialty certification, he passed the rigorous examination given by ABOS, provided evidence of experience in specific sports injuries, and provided multiple peer recommendations.
Payam Farjoodi, MD
Dr. Payam Farjoodi is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopaedic spine surgeon who provides consultation and treatment for patients with both common and complex spinal disorders and deformities. Dr. Farjoodi focuses on surgical and non-surgical treatment of cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (low back) conditions. He provides his patients with the latest knowledge in minimally invasive techniques to maximize patient recovery and function while reducing post-operative pain.
Dr. Farjoodi was educated at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and stayed on to complete his orthopaedic surgery residency at one of the top ranked hospitals in the country, the Johns Hopkins University Hospital. He went on to complete specialized fellowship training in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Farjoodi has cared for a variety of patients of all ages and has been a contributing team physician for the Baltimore Orioles and the U.S Naval Academy Football team. He currently teaches other spine surgeons on the newest techniques and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers.
Dr. Farjoodi has presented his research both nationally and internationally. He serves on the review board of The Spine Journal.
Ryan Fan, MD
Dr. Fan is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who is a native of Southern California. Born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, Dr. Fan attended the University of California, Berkeley and Meharry Medical College graduating with High Honors (Top 5-10%).
Following medical school, Dr. Fan completed his residency in San Diego at the Naval Medical Center. He earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander, serving over 11 years in the United States Navy as an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Battalion Surgeon for United States Marine Corps. He served with the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, deploying with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005-2006. He was actively involved in the training and care of the Marines and Sailors at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton serving as the Physician Assistant Supervisor and Graduate Medical Education Coordinator throughout his time at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.
After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Navy in 2014, he transitioned to civilian medicine serving as staff physician at Whittier Hospital Medical Center and Placentia Linda Hospital. He was also a team physician for the Whittier College sports program.
Dr. Fan specializes in general Orthopaedic Surgery with an extensive background of over 10 years in Sports Medicine, Advanced Arthroscopy, Joint Reconstruction, Hand and Trauma surgery. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr. Fan is an avid golfer, who enjoys playing soccer, fishing and spending his free time with his two young boys. He is also conversationally fluent in Spanish.
Timothy Cheng, MD
Dr. Timothy Cheng was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated from UC San Diego with a BS in Computer Science and obtained his medical degree from UCLA. Dr. Cheng completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at UC San Diego and completed a fellowship in sports medicine at Harvard. Dr. Cheng believes in providing a personalized approach to each patient, using his clinical expertise and training to help patients achieve their personal, physical, and career goals. His clinical expertise includes complex shoulder and knee pathology, including arthritis, sports injuries at any level, and general trauma and fracture care.
Scott Graham, MD
Dr. Graham is a native of Santa Barbara where at Dos Pueblos High School, he competed on their waterpolo, basketball, volleyball and tennis team as a multi-team Varsity Letterman earning All CIF 4A Honors in the 1980’s.
After obtaining his BS from USC and graduating from USC School of Medicine, he completed a residency in Orthopedics at UC Irvine Medical Center; one of the premiere “Hands On” training centers for orthopedic surgeons. During his residency, Dr. Graham worked at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic as an assistant team physician with the Los Angeles Lakers and Anaheim Angels.
Dr. Graham then traveled to the prestigious Cleveland Clinic for further training with a Fellowship in Sports Medicine. During his Fellowship, he was the Team Physician and Orthopedic Consultant for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers. He worked at the NFL Combines evaluating players for the NFL Draft process along with Rookie and Veterans Camps.
During his training, Dr. Graham has published many research articles in peer reviewed journals, has presented Nationally and Internationally his work and has received notable awards for his work in Sports Medicine research.
Dr. Graham has been the team physician for Santa Margarita Catholic High School Athletics for many years and continues to care for and treat athletes as a Sports Medicine Specialist for nearly all the regional high schools and colleges in both North and South Orange County. He is the Medical Director of Athletics for Concordia University and is the Program Director for Athletic Training at the University.
Dr. Graham is our Sports Medicine specialist, providing advanced and minimally invasive care for all sports medicine injuries. He specializes in knee and shoulder arthroscopy, minimally invasive surgery, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatments and Cartilage Restoration and Reconstruction.
Dr. Graham Receives Subspecialty Certification in Orthopedic Sports Medicine
Scott Graham MD, a board certified orthopedic surgeon for South County Orthopedic Specialists, has recently added to his credentials by receiving Subspecialty Certification in Orthopedic Sports Medicine. This certification means he is one of the few Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeons who has achieved the highest level of proficiency in Sports Medicine as defined by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
The requirements to take the rigorous Orthopedic Sports Medicine Certification examination are submission of surgical and nonsurgical cases of specific sports injuries in addition to peer recommendations. The nationwide examination was given last November, and Dr. Graham was recently notified that he has successfully passed the test.
“Board certification is an important yardstick to determine the quality of a practicing physician, and I have been board certified in Orthopedic Surgery since 2003. This Subspecialty Certification denotes proficiency in the specialized area of Sports Medicine within Orthopedics. Becoming Subspecialty Boarded was a natural extension of my 10+ years of working with professional, Olympic, collegiate and high school athletes.”
Morgen Phillips, PA-C
Morgen is an NCCPA certified physician assistant. Born and raised in Oregon, she attended Oregon State University where she completed her Bachelor’s in biology. After completing her undergraduate education, she worked as a math and science tutor at her local community college. She later received her Master’s in biotechnology and health sciences from Johns Hopkins University.
Morgen’s interest in orthopedics began while working alongside physical therapists in her home town of Bend. Her passion for the field led her to attend PA school at Chapman University in Irvine California. She has been working in orthopedic surgery ever since.
In her free time, Morgen enjoys hiking, running, and reading. She has completed the San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, as well as multiple half marathons. When back home in Oregon, she can be found spending time outdoors both alpine and cross-country skiing with her family.
Shelley Howell, PA-C
Shelley Nicole Howell, PA is a physician assistant and primary care practitioner in FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA. Shelley specializes in preventing and treating human illness and injury by providing a broad range of care under the supervision of a physician. She has 9 years of experience in physician assisting and has been registered with the National Provider Identifier database since January 31, 2012.
William Canaletti, PA-C
William R Canaletti is a Physician Assistant Specialist in Fountain Valley, California. He graduated with honors in 2002. Having more than 19 years of diverse experiences.
Zachary Stone, PA-C
Zachary Stone was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated from UCLA with a BS in Biology and spent a few years working in clinical trial research. Then, he obtained his PA degree from Stanford University. He focuses on treating and preventing a variety of ailments of the spine, including the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (low back), cooperating with many other providers to meet patients' goals. He aims to have the patient's back and back to performing their activities of daily living. He approaches each patient as an individual, using his training to help patient's achieve their goals. He is credentialed with Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Orange Coast Memorial.