LOS ANGELES SPINE AND ORTHOPAEDIC INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pain Management Team
- Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine Fellowship Training
- Orthopedic Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pain Management Team
- Member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Orthopedic Surgeon
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Foot & Ankle Specialist
Dr. Alexis E. Dixon is a board-eligible orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon. With the goal of launching a foot and ankle center of excellence, she joins LA Spine & Orthopedic Institute following the completion of a fellowship at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, where she worked with Dr. James W. Brodsky, one of the most prolific and highly regarded foot and ankle surgeons in the world, and a past president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
Dr. Dixon was raised on Maui, Hawaii, and received a BA in Spanish literature from Pomona College. After graduating from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine as valedictorian of her class with Highest Distinction, Dr. Dixon completed her residency at USC, with a significant portion of training at the Los Angeles County Medical Center, one of the largest and busiest trauma centers in the United States. She then went on to complete her fellowship in Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle surgery at Baylor University, home to one of the nation's oldest and foremost Foot and Ankle fellowship programs.
Tapping her extensive training, Dr. Dixon has a full understanding of the influence the feet have on function of the entire body, and is able to approach the complexity of the foot with a broad understanding of the musculoskeletal system. While at Baylor University, she worked closely with five orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons to gain a broad base of knowledge in the treatment of all conditions of the foot and ankle.
As a result, Dr. Dixon's expertise is extensive. Her specialties include the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis of the foot and ankle, tendinitis and tears of the peroneal, Achilles, and posterior tibial tendons, flatfoot deformity, osteochondral lesions, plantar fasciitis, hallux valgus/bunions, hallux rigidus/arthritis of the great toe, deformities of the lesser toes, metatarsalgia, Morton's neuroma, ankle sprains and turf toe, among all other injuries of the foot and ankle, including sports injuries and degenerative conditions.
Dr. Dixon is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. She has published and presented six peer-viewed research articles on issues in foot and ankle surgery at national and international meetings for both of these societies.
Dr. Dixon enjoys stand-up paddle boarding, opera, cooking and reading. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
Dr. Dean K. Matsuda is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of hip arthroscopy and hip preservation, having developed multiple new surgical procedures and enabling instruments.
He also serves on the editorial board of Orthopedics Today, the education committee of the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy, and is chairman of the Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy program committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
After Dr. Matsuda completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Irvine where he graduated summa cum laude, he pursued his medical degree at the University of California, Davis.
His published works comprise numerous journal and clinical research articles, book chapters and teaching videos, including the teaching video on Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement for the AAOS. Before coming toLA Spine and Ortho Institute, he spent 26 years at Kaiser West Los Angeles Medical Center, where he developed the hospital's sports medicine program. During that time, he was the chief of orthopedics, the director of sports medicine, and was honored as the very first surgeon of any field to receive the Distinction Merit Award for Surgical Excellence and Innovation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pain Management Team
Dr. George Cyril began his medical training at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. After earning his medical degree, he completed a surgical internship at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, followed by a residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Spine and Sports Medicine fellowship at the prestigious Hospital for Special Surgery, ranked the #1 hospital for orthopedics in the United States.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pain Management Team
Dr. Michael Port, a double-board certified pain management specialist with extensive trauma experience. In his more than 15 years of practice, Dr. Port has treated thousands of world-class athletes, weekend warriors and everyday people.
Dr. Rojeh Melikian is a Harvard and Emory University-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon. After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from UCLA, Dr. Melikian went on to complete medical school at the University of Southern California, where he was nominated to the membership of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and graduated as one of the top students in his class with highest distinction.
He was subsequently accepted into the prestigious Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, where he excelled and was appointed as Chief Resident at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He received extensive training in complex spinal surgery, scoliosis, as well as primary and metastatic spine tumors. While at Harvard, he received the Partners in Excellence Award, presented to him by his colleagues for exemplary performance and contributions "above and beyond the call of duty." As a resident at the Massachusetts General Hospital, he also helped care for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in the aftermath of the attacks. Upon graduation, Dr. Melikian was awarded the prestigious Harvard Orthopaedic Surgery Thesis Day Award for best clinical presentation for his work on spinal infections.
Dr. Melikian completed his Spine Surgery Fellowship at Emory University, widely regarded as one of the most prominent and respected spine surgery fellowships in the country. While at Emory, he had the privilege of training with leading experts on the full spectrum of spine surgery: from minimally-invasive procedures to complex, revision surgery.
Dr. Melikian has authored numerous presentations, posters and journal articles on spine surgery. He has been named as a Spine Surgeon Leader to Know by Becker's Spine Review and has been featured in numerous publications including Orthopedics Today, Prevention Magazine, Santa Monica Mirror, WestSideToday.Com and NextAvenue.Org. His areas of interest include minimally-invasive, microscopic decompression for cervical and lumbar stenosis, microscopic discectomy for disk herniations, anterior cervical fusion and disk replacement, lateral-access and anterior surgery (XLIF and ALIF), spine trauma, and spinal tumors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pain Management Team
- Physician
- Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Frederic Nicola is a Johns Hopkins Fellowship trained physician who is an experienced surgeon specializing in the fields of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. His expertise in disorders of the knee joint and in advanced techniques for cartilage preservation using minimally invasive and FDA approved techniques is unsurpassed.
Having served as team physician for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders since 1983, Dr. Nicola still actively maintains that role for the Raiders, performing game-day, training camp, and NFL Combine duties. As a member of the National Football League Team Physician Society, Dr. Nicola has worked as team physician during two Super Bowls and two Pro Bowls. He is also an experienced Ringside Boxing Physician for the California State Athletic Commission. With more than 20 years of treating some of the top athletes in the nation, Dr. Nicola's experience as an orthopedic surgeon and sports physician is unmatched.
Dr. Katrina Vlachos is board-certified in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and specializes in orthopedic medicine and preventative orthopedic health. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Vlachos employs a blend of alternative techniques and traditional western medicine to treat pain and restore function.
While attending the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Vlachos played four years of Division I Intercollegiate Volleyball. After graduating with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, she attended St. Louis University School of Medicine where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Dr. Vlachos was also nominated to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society. Following an internship at Harbor-UCLA, she completed her residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pain Management Team
- Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Having performed over 1700 spinal surgeries spanning the entire spinal axis, Dr. Khurana is a highly regarded spinal surgeon and has earned many national and international distinctions for spine research, including the 1999 Volvo Corporation Award for the Clinical Study of Low Back Pain and the 2000 Orthopedic Hospital Research Award from the California Orthopedic Association. Dr. Khurana was previously chief of spine surgery at Permanente Group San Diego.