Meet Our Providers
Neuro Spine Surgeons
George Counelis, MD
Dr. Counelis is a Board-Certified neurosurgeon who specializes in complex brain and spinal problems. He received his medical training at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. After a post-doctoral clinical fellowship in cerebral blood flow at UCLA, he completed his internship and six years of neurosurgical training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During his training at the University of Pennsylvania, he completed fellowships in brain tumor research and complex spinal surgery.
In 2004, Dr. Counelis joined the medical staff at John Muir Hospital, performing surgical procedures at the Walnut Creek facility. There, he was chosen as the Medical Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Program in 2008. Dedicating his career to studying the brain and spine, Dr. Counelis has taken a special clinical interest in primary and metastatic tumors of the brain and spine, pituitary tumors, and stereotactic radiosurgery. He also has a special interest in minimally invasive spinal surgery, which has allowed patients to spend less time in the hospital and heal in a timelier manner. In addition, he has joined the faculty at UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery as a Clinical Instructor, allowing him to teach future physicians and collaborate on complex brain and spinal surgery.
Aleksandyr Lavery, MD
Dr. Aleksandyr Lavery is a board-certified neurosurgeon and lifestyle medicine physician dedicated to transforming patient care through a holistic, specialized approach. Originally from Granada Hills, he earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, graduating with Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honors, before completing his neurosurgery residency at Case Western Reserve University.
Following residency, Dr. Lavery spent 16 years with Kaiser Permanente, where he built a distinguished career tackling complex cranial, neurovascular, and minimally invasive spine cases. Driven by a desire to align his practice with a healthier lifestyle—both for himself and his patients—he transitioned from institutional medicine to focus on targeted, minimally invasive spine work integrated with evidence-based lifestyle medicine. Outside the clinic, he loves skiing and mountain biking, plays pickleball, and enjoys and performs comedy. He loves spending time with his three children and his beagle, Samba.
Interventional Pain Management
Nima Hosseini, MD
Dr. Nima Hosseini is a board certified Anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain physician. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Academy of Procedural Medicine. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. He further continued his postgraduate education by obtaining his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following completion of medical school, Dr. Hosseini completed post-graduate internship and residency training at New York Presbyterian - Cornell in New York, New York and University of California - Davis in Sacramento, California.
Pain is all too often treated by an umbrella approach of prescription medications that has psychological and full-body ‘numbing’ effects rather than systematically treating and intervening to the actual source of pain generation. Dr. Hosseini’s principles to treating pain involve minimally invasive procedures to specifically target the source pain. Once identified, the most up-to-date nonsurgical, minimally invasive techniques are performed under live fluoroscopic and/or ultrasound guidance to provide relief. Additionally Regenerative Medicine modalities such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) are incorporated into the practice in order to provide the body natural healing.
Dr. Hosseini is also an active Anesthesiologist which further allows for continuity of care for patients that may progress through the spectrum of treatment, starting with conservative care to minimally-invasive procedures through irreversible surgery. Dr. Hosseini is there to see his patients throughout their medical course. He is a current shareholder and former elected board member of the second largest Anesthesiology group in California - Central Anesthesia Medical Group (CASE) located in Sacramento but covering hospitals and surgery centers in Northern California from Auburn to Fairfield.
Dr. Nima Hosseini is a member of several professional organizations and societies that include, but are not limited to American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), Pacific Spine and Pain Society (PSPS), American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), American and California Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA and CSA).
Dr. Hosseini is also a member of the United States Medical Soccer Team (USMST). By representing the United States in the annual World Medical Football Championship and meeting regularly at locations across the country, the USMST is committed to soccer excellence, continuing medical education, professional advancement, community service and charity.
Dr. Puya Hosseini is a board certified Anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain physician. He obtained his bachelor of science at the University of California Riverside and medical degree at the University of California Los Angeles before completing his internship and residency at the University of California Davis. After working in private practice in San Diego, Dr. Hosseini has returned to academics at UC Davis, passionate about shaping the future of healthcare. He actively contributes to the training of aspiring doctors, fostering a new generation of medical professionals.
Dr. Puya Hosseini's dedication extends beyond the academic realm. He is a proud member of the team at SCIP, where he collaborates with his brother to provide comprehensive care. With a focus on interventional pain management, Dr. Hosseini combines cutting-edge techniques with a compassionate approach, ensuring his patients receive the highest quality of care.
Driven by the belief that a healthy body is integral to overall well-being, Dr. Hosseini is committed to getting his patients back to an active lifestyles as quickly as possible. Leading by example, he is an avid soccer player on the United States Medical Soccer Team, surfer, snowboarder, hiker, and professional adventure and landscape photographer. Keep an eye out for his photography on display at the office!
Whether in an academic hospital, private outpatient center, medical mission in a rural community, or on a soccer field, Dr. Puya Hosseini is focused on excellence and gives everything possible to achieve the desired results.
Puya Hosseini, MD
Tracy Hoeg, MD, PhD
Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD is a physician epidemiologist board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and fellowship trained in Interventional Spine and Sports medicine. She received her MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin, completed her residency at UC Davis and fellowship at the Bodor Clinic in Napa, California. She has multiple years’ experience post-fellowship in Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine from her work at Northern California Orthopaedic Associates in Grass Valley, California. She received her PhD in 2014 in Public Health and Epidemiology from the University of Copenhagen and recently served at the FDA for 14 months both as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner and Head of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). She has done extensive research in Epidemiology and related fields at UCSF and MIT. She is a competitive runner and triathlete and has run on the US team in the trail ultramarathon running world championships in 2013 and on the Danish team in long-distance mountain running championships in 2018. In addition to English, she speaks Danish and French fluently and can converse in and understand Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian.
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Roy Kim, MD
Dr. Kim is dual board certified in anesthesiology and interventional pain management.
He completed a residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He has experience working in both academics and private practice with a very diverse group of patient populations. His goals are to tailor treatment plans for each individual by using a multimodal, team-based approach that is evidence-based and technology-driven.
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Lisa Kroopf, MD
Dr. Lisa Kroopf is double board-certified in Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and fellowship-trained in Interventional Pain Management. She specializes in the complex evaluation and treatment of spine, joint, nerve, and soft-tissue injuries, including injuries related to motor vehicle collisions and other personal injury events. Her approach is whole-person, individualized, and function-focused, combining careful clinical evaluation, imaging review, functional assessment, and targeted therapies. Her expertise includes standard and advanced interventional pain procedures, including epidural injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, treatment of headache and migraine, minimally invasive interventional spine and surgery-sparing procedures, vertebroplasty, neuromodulation, orthobiologics and regenerative medicine.
Dr. Kroopf is the Founder and Medical Director of Monterey Pain & Spine Institute and Majestic MD, a physician-led regenerative medicine, recovery, performance, and longevity practice. She is also the creator of Stay in the Game MD™ and My Golf Doctor Method™, programs focused on maintaining mobility, function, performance, and long-term health. She serves in leadership and educational roles within state and national pain medicine organizations and teaches advanced interventional procedures to other physicians. Dr. Kroopf enjoys golf, snowboarding, fitness, travel, and spending time with her family on the Monterey Peninsula.
Primary Care & Surgical Clearances
Eilya Moghaddam
Nurse Practitioner
Melanie Jinon, FNP-BC
Melanie Jinon is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner under the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She received her Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Cell Biology from University of California Berkeley and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from San Francisco State University. She obtained her nurse practitioner degree from University of California Davis.
Melanie Jinon is a member of the professional organization American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is also certified in basic life support (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).
Melanie Jinon previously worked as an inpatient cardiac nurse in Burlingame during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has experience in pediatrics with her previous role as a school nurse, in geriatrics with her previous role as a certified nursing assistant/caregiver, and in global health with her previous nursing internship in the Philippines. She is a strong advocate for her patients and hopes to not only deliver exceptional healthcare services to individuals across the lifespan, but provide comprehensive, evidenced based care that promotes optimal health outcomes.
Melanie Jinon enjoys yoga, biking, tennis, snowboarding, and photography during her freetime. Melanie also enjoys traveling back and forth from the Bay Area where the majority of her family resides.
Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies
Creed Larrucea DPT, ECS
Meet Creed Larrucea DPT, ECS
Creed Larrucea DPT, ECS received a BS in Physical Therapy from CSU Sacramento in 1999, He practiced for 10+ years in geriatrics, sports medicine, and orthopedics before going back to school to receive his doctoral degree and board certification. During his career Dr. Larrucea has studied EMG/NCS at the University of Kentucky via Rocky Mountain University of Health Care Professionals and was a professor at CSU Sacramento for five years teaching EMG/NCS to doctoral students.
Dr. Larrucea is board certified and specializes in Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS). These tests are ordered by physicians and surgeons in the case of weakness, unrelenting pain, numbness/tingling and atrophy. Studies in EMG/NCS help referring physicians make clinical decisions. Dr. Larrucea has performed over 7,000 studies and helped many patients find the appropriate treatment for their condition.
Dr. Larrucea currently maintains a sports Physical Therapy practice in Sacramento, coaches elite soccer players, loves baseball, enjoys traveling and prioritizes his family time. With his primary work passion in EMG/NCS. Dr. Larrucea works with doctors in the Sacramento area, East Bay area, and Central Valley area to help improve patient outcomes. He has been a member of the American Physical Therapy association since 2000, American Congress of Electroneuromyographers since 2007 and board certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialist in Clinical Electrophysiology since 2010.
Whether a referring physician or patient, Dr Larrucea looks forward to working with you to help solve your patient problems.
Nitin Prabhakar, MD
Nitin Prabhakar is dual board-certified Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine. Dr. Prabhakar completed a residency at Stanford Hospital and a fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He has clinical interests in chronic neck and low back pain, nerve injury related pain, and traumatic brain injuries. He has published and presented on various research topics and has expertise in interventional pain procedures. He emphasizes a patient driven and multimodal approach to help improve function in his patients.
Orthopedics Extremities
Graeme Matthewson, MD
Dr. Graeme Matthewson is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, with expertise in shoulder and knee conditions, cartilage restoration, joint preservation, and orthopedic surgery. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Manitoba and fellowship training at Southern California Orthopedic Institute. Dr. Matthewson takes an individualized approach to musculoskeletal pain and injury, incorporating both surgical and non-surgical treatment options with the goal of restoring function and helping patients remain active. His clinical interests include sports injuries, joint and soft-tissue conditions, orthobiologics, and regenerative treatment strategies.
