15047 Los Gatos Blvd. Ste. 200
Los Gatos, CA 95032

700 Frederick St. Ste. 301
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

One Daniel Burnham Court Ste. 335
San Francisco, CA 94109

To view pictures of our facility please click here.

Watch the video of Dr. Abaci’s approach to fighting chronic pain visit:
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PAIN VIDEO

To get your own copy of "Take Charge of Your Chronic Pain" book visit:
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PAIN BOOK

Peter Abaci, MD, is certified in anesthesia and pain management by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Abaci received his undergraduate education at UC San Diego, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and attended medical school at the University of Southern California. During his last year of residency, he served as Chief Resident and participated in a senior elective in pain management. That experience sparked an interest that led him to UC San Francisco, where he completed his fellowship training in Pain Management. In private practice since 1996, he serves as the Medical Director of the nationally recognized Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center , located in Los Gatos, California, which he cofounded with Dr. John Massey. A widely respected expert on chronic pain management and a highly successful chronic pain sufferer, he is the author of Take Charge of Your Chronic Pain: The Latest Research, Cutting-Edge Tools, and Alternative Treatments for Feeling Better.

Dr. Abaci began his quest to radically change conventional chronic pain thinking and treatment after dealing with the agony of his second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. There is help for conquering chronic pain, without a life addicted to drugs, and hope for healing and long-term health. Commonly prescribed pain-killing medications—Vicodin, Demerol, Oxycontin, and other narcotics—can result in a heightened sensitivity to pain, along with addiction. This has lead Dr. Abaci to focus on developing alternative solutions to treating chronic pain. Drawing on neuroscience research, evidence-based medicine, ancient Eastern spiritual traditions, stress management techniques, nutrition principles, exercise programs, art therapy, and real-life lessons, Dr. Abaci focuses on creating an integrative pain-fighting regimen for his patients.

Charisse Balance P.T., D.P.T. obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Psychology from the University of California , Davis . She received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2009 from Azusa Pacific University.

From a young age, Dr. Balance has always been committed to a healthy and active lifestyle. She participated in martial arts for a number of years and danced throughout high school. When it came time to choosing a career path, physical therapy was a natural choice because it provided the opportunity to combine her passion for fostering physical health with her strong desire to help others. Working in a multidisciplinary chronic pain setting has been an ideal fit for Dr. Balance because she is not limited by traditional approaches. Instead, she has adopted a more holistic outlook on treatment that has helped individuals regain a sense of control over their bodies after living with chronic pain. She enjoys working with each patient and creating a specialized plan to aid them in returning to a more normalized lifestyle.

In her personal time, she enjoys staying physically active and attending spin, kickboxing, Pilates and Birkam Yoga classes. She is a huge dog lover as well. When not walking her own two dogs, one will find her at the local animal shelter as a volunteer dog walker.

Risa Bernasconi, M.S.N., F.N.P. was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from U.C. Berkeley, and studied for a year in Barcelona, Spain while a student at Berkeley. She is fluent in Spanish and has traveled extensively in Central and South America.

Ms. Bernasconi also received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Samuel Merritt College in Oakland. She spent her first year as a nurse at Highland Hospital (now Alameda County Medical Center). In 1999 she received a Master's of Science Degree in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

Before joining the Bay Area Pain & Wellness Center in September 2003, her area of practice was primary care, with a specialization in HIV and AIDS care.

Fred Brumand, M.D. is a double board-certified Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation subspecialist. He has completed his subspecialty training in Pain Medicine at the University of Washington (Seattle) which is the birthplace of modern Pain Medicine in 1961 and home to the world's first multidisciplinary pain clinic. During his training, Dr. Brumand served as the Chief Fellow overseeing 5 other specialists and also received the "Fellow of the Year" award for his clinical competence and professionalism.

Prior to subspecialty training in Pain Medicine, Dr. Brumand received subspecialty training in Spinal Interventions. Earlier and during his specialty training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Wisconsin he received intensive EMG training by the current and former presidents of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine; Drs. Dillingham and Wertsch.

Pain and other pathologies related to the spine, nervous system and musculoskeletal system are among Dr. Brumand clinical interests. He is licensed to practice medicine in the 4 states of California, Washington, Georgia and Wisconsin. He is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and an active member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, American Academy of Pain Management, Pain Special Interest Group of AAPMR and the American Medical Association. He has received several awards for clinical excellence and has recently been included in the list of "America's Top Physicians" by the Consumer Research Council of America.

Jamie Canaday, NP is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner at Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Toxicology from U.C. Davis. While at Davis, Jamie worked for five years as a home health care provider for an inspiring woman living an independent life as a quadriplegic. Ultimately, it was this experience that led Ms. Canaday towards a career in nursing.

Ms. Canaday moved to New York City to attend Columbia University for nursing school. She earned both a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing and a Master’s of Science degree in Family Practice Nursing from Columbia University. Ms. Canaday is Board Certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Prior to joining the team at Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center, Ms. Canaday worked with heroin addicts at a methadone clinic in the South Bronx of New York City.

Now back in California, Ms. Canaday is excited to be where she can spend her free time collecting sea glass and exploring tide pools, taking day trips to wine country, and learning to golf.

Shaylin Ebert, MFT-I is a behavior specialist, therapist, and wellness teacher for the Bay Area Pain & Wellness Center. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies from North Central College in 2005, and subsequently her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University in 2008. Deeply moved both personally and professionally by mind-body practices and their potential to spur profound healing, Shaylin makes it a point to integrate these practices into all that she does.

Along with her ongoing personal practice of meditation and yoga, Shaylin has done extensive professional trainings in mindfulness meditation. She has trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD in his program on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and done many residential meditation retreats. She has also done academic research with Dr. Shauna Shapiro, a leading researcher and teacher of minfulness meditation at Santa Clara University. Shaylin hopes to mindfully engage with clients and empower them to improve their own health and well-being.

Stephen Eggleston received his Master's degree in Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, California. His education included extensive training in acupuncture techniques, herbal medicine formulation, Chinese medical theory and western medical theory. Following his training in Chinese Medicine he completed a year long training in western internal medicine for acupuncturists. This training has proved extremely valuable in identifying and understanding conditions requiring western medical care. Stephen has practiced as a Licensed Acupuncturist since 2003.  He holds a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine from the NCCAOM.

Stephen's background includes intensive training in various hands-on therapies including acupressure and western massage styles. He has practiced massage therapy since 1996. He has also extensively studied whole foods nutrition, medicinal cooking and herbal preparation. He is a practitioner of Qi Gong, Tai Chi and meditation and continues to learn through regular classes, retreats and workshops. He believes optimal healing occurs when appropriate treatment is combined with a positive lifestyle and personal development.

Stephen has held a teaching position at Five Branches University in San Jose, CA in the Herbology and Complimentary Studies Departments. He also teaches qi gong and wellness classes in the community.

Sandy Frandson CPT is a Certified Personal Trainer at the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center. Sandy was injured at her previous job in 1999. She underwent a L5-S1 level fusion in 2000. In 2001 Sandy was referred to Dr. John Massey, he suggested the Functional Restoration program. Sandy attended the program in 2002, and was taught to cope and manage her pain successfully. Sandy joined the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center in 2004. Sandy started her career as Program Administrative Assistant and advocate to new patients. In 2006 Sandy became a Physical Therapy Aide. While serving as a Physical Therapy Aide, Sandy studied to become a Certified Personal Trainer. She received her Certification in early 2008. Sandy’s passion is helping others learn to manage their pain and get back to a good quality of life.

Gregory Garavanian Psy.D. graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in 1991, and he earned a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Alameda in 2000. He completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael, where he was first introduced to the field of chronic pain and facilitated a group for chronic pain management. Dr. Garavanian’s career has largely been focused on integrating psychological services with medical care.

Prior to his work at BAPWC he worked in medical clinics under a grant to bridge mental health services with primary medical care. In addition to his clinical work he was a supervising psychologist to other mental health professionals. In 2004 he joined the BAPWC team where he was trained as a health psychologist under Kimeron Hardin, Ph.D. The bulk of his work has been in the Functional Restoration Programs where he teaches classes and conducts evaluations. Dr. Garavanian has a particular interest in how pain affects the whole family, which led him to create an ongoing family education meeting for family members of patients in the functional restoration programs.

Dr. Garavanian's personal interests don’t stray far from his professional life.He stays active with regular work outs and does his best to eat well. His other interests include traveling, languages, and music.

Christine Hirabayashi, MFT-I, ATR-BC is a behavioral specialist and art therapist at the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from California State University Long Beach in 1998, and subsequently her Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy from Notre Damede Namur University in 2004.

Christine started her career serving as an art instructor to children and teens at The Marvegos Fine Art School for five years. This is where she came to realize the therapeutic value of art and how creative expression can greatly impact a child’s self confidence and well being. As a MFT trainee, Christine served as a counselor at Hospice of the Valley in San Jose, where she worked with terminally ill patients and helped bereaved family members work through grief using talk and art therapy.

Christine joined the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center in 2004. Her passion for helping others express their emotions through art inspired her to develop the Expressive Arts for Health program. She facilitates art therapy groups for the Functional Restoration Program, conducts workshops, art therapy support groups, and works with patients individually. Her vision is to continue to find innovative ways to use expressive art as a way to strengthen and heal the mind, body, and spirit.

Karlee Holden is from Los Gatos, California. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1997 and studied in Paris at the University, La Sorbonne. She is based in her hometown of Los Gatos but has lived and worked in Los Angeles, New York City, and London.

She has been teaching Wellness classes (a combination of yoga, qi gong, psychology, and meditation) at BAPWC in Los Gatos, Ca. since 2006 for patients with chronic pain and other mental and physical ailments. She has her own private practice life coaching since 2000. She treats people with behavioral disorders to help them create the kind of life they want by breaking old patterns, avoiding covering the symptoms and moving toward deeper healing at the root.

Karlee has studied Vipassana meditation, which means “to see things as they really are”. It is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. Vipassana meditation was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2,500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills. Karlee taught yoga classes at Los Gatos Athletic Club and Courtside Club for years. She comes from a family heavily involved in the healing arts and grew up studying the powers of consciousness through ancient teachings, psychology, and eastern philosophies. Her well rounded background and life experience gives her the ability to help people solve their problems and expand their awareness to discover inner happiness. She is currently studying Somatic Experiencing by Dr. Peter Levine to help people with with trauma related issues.

Jeni Huggins, Psy. D. graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Health, from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in Los Angeles, where she wrote her dissertation on the influence of personality, coping styles, and meaning-making in chronic illness. During her graduate training, she worked at AIDS Project Los Angeles with HIV and AIDS patients. Upon receiving her doctorate, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where she worked primarily with cancer and heart disease patients. She has a particular interest in mind-body medicine and how integrated awareness of this connection can influence pain, illness, distress, and vitality. Personally, she enjoys practicing yoga and spending time with her dogs, Charlotte and Sadie.

Michèle Jehenson, D.D.S.is one of only 17 dentists in the entire San Francisco Bay Area who are board certified in orofacial pain www.ABOP.net.

After receiving a master's degree in linguistics from the University of Liege, Belgiumanda DDS degree from Columbia University, Dr. Jehenson trained in Orofacial Pain at UCLA under Dr. R.Merrill and Dr. S. Graff-Radford, who pioneered the field of Orofacial Pain. She joined Dr. C. McNeill at the UCSF Center for Orofacial Pain andremains on staff as an associate professor at the UCSF Dental School. She recently obtained a certification in medical acupunture from the Helms Institute and Stanford Medical School.

Dr. Jehenson’s area of expertise is temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, neuropathic pain in the head and neck as well as primary headaches. She also works with patients with mild and moderate sleep apnea who cannot tolerate C-pap or would prefer a custom intraoral appliance.

Her philosophy in treatment is an evidence based interdisciplinary approach that includes not only medical and pharmacological treatment, but also adjunct therapies such as exercise, meditation, physical therapy, acupuncture, counseling and hypnosis; as needed.

Linda Joshua, NP became a nurse practitioner in 1991, obtaining her degree from San Jose State specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, although she has worked in family practice as well. Prior to OBGYN, she worked on medical-surgical, labor and delivery, and orthopedic areas for ten years in Salinas, California, where she was a part of the team that started one of the first mother-baby units on the Central Coast.

As a nurse she also traveled with a group of MD's and ran a clinic in Huaraz, Peru for a few months bringing basic medical care to the mountainous regions of the Andes.

Linda was born in England, and raised in Calcutta, India, and is glad she immigrated to the U.S.! She really enjoys all cultures, and is interested in language, history and travel, of course. She's fluent in English, Spanish and some Portugese.

She and her husband of 20 years currently reside in their home in Santa Cruz where Linda has lived for the past 27 years.

Lucrecia Martinez CPT is a certified personal trainer. She grew up in El Paso, Texas and moved to California at the age of 12. Growing up, Lucrecia was very athletic and into many sports and fitness. In high school, she played a lead role in the varsity basketball team where she learned most about body and fitness. In 2002, she was offered a basketball scholarship to UC Davis and was to proceed at the end of high school. Toward the end of her basketball season she was injured and had to give up her scholarship due to her injury.

On a new path but still very much into health and fitness, Lucrecia became a certified personal trainer. Always wanting to help others, she switched career pathways and later came across the medical field. In 2005, Lucrecia began working for the Bay Area Pain and Wellness center where she did mainly administrative work. In 2008 she was offered the position as a certified personal trainer and has worked rehabilitating patients in chronic pain ever since. Lucrecia hopes to help give a little life back to those who have lost so much by helping to improve their overall strength, flexibility and endurance.

John E. Massey, M.D. attended Santa Clara University where he completed a bachelor's degree in biology. He received his Medical Doctorate from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1991. During his medical school training, Dr. Massey received the McGraw-Hill award as the number one ranked medical student in his class.

After medical school, Dr. Massey completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. His anesthesia residency was performed at Stanford University Medical Center. During his last year, Dr. Massey was Chief Resident at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Hospital. While attending Stanford, Dr. Massey received a clinical competence award as one of the top residents in his class. Dr. Massey was asked to do a fellowship in pain management at Stanford. He completed this fellowship in 1996 and was hired as Attending Physician and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Massey taught in the medical school and pain management clinic for the next two years prior to leaving Stanford to go into private practice. Dr. John Massey is double board certified in both Anesthesia and Pain Management.

Dr. Massey continues to teach as Adjunct Clinical Faculty through the Stanford University Pain Management Center. This, in addition to his continuing daily service through the BAPWC, encompasses his primary activities. Dr. Massey actively participates in the local medical communities through the Santa Clara County Medical Association while maintaining strong ties to the pain management community through memberships in the International Association for the Study of Pain and the American Board of Anesthesia. He is also a member of the American Medical Association.

Jessica Pullins, Ph.D. graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor's degree in English literature and completed a Master's degree in counseling at Oregon State University . Dr. Pullins received her doctorate in Clinical/Medical Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham , Alabama . During her graduate training, Dr. Pullins conducted psychotherapy, provided consultation, and engaged in research within UAB's well-regarded Center for Palliative Care. Her master's thesis focused on physical and emotional symptom burden in HIV-positive patients engaged in palliative care, and her dissertation examined the pain experience of palliative care outpatients across multiple clinical appointments.

Dr. Pullins completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the VA-Northern California Healthcare System in Martinez and Oakland , California . During her internship at the VA, she engaged in an extended Behavioral Medicine rotation which included both group and individual psychotherapy for clients with chronic pain. She was also part of an interdisciplinary treatment team for the VA's most complex chronic pain clients. During internship and fellowship, Dr. Pullins developed an interest in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and completed an intensive ACT training with the model's developer, Dr. Steven Hayes. She subsequently created and facilitated several ACT groups for clients with multiple concerns, including chronic pain.

In her personal time, Dr. Pullins enjoys spending time with her husband, young daughter, and multiple pets. She is also an avid reader, knitter, and gardener.

Michael Sullivan is the Director of Physical Therapy at the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center .  He obtained his Masters of Physical Therapy degree from Duke University and pursued his interest in rehabilitation of orthopedic disorders, with a focus on helping people injured on the job return to an active lifestyle.  After eight years of working in a private practice setting he recognized that physical therapy, provided within the framework of a traditional medical model, was not sufficient to meet the health care needs of many people.  He began working in a multidisciplinary chronic pain program in 1999 and embraced a biopsychosocial approach to the treatment of chronic pain, recognizing the need for integrated care provided by a spectrum of people in the healing arts.  He believes that the team at the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center has furthered the evolution of chronic pain management and created an atmosphere "where healing becomes possible".

When he is not working, you can find Michael bicycling the hills around Los Gatos .  In his previous life, his passion for cycling, cuisine and travel carried him around the globe leading bicycling vacations for an active travel company.

Matt Tarzon CPT realized his true calling in 2005 and returned to school to earn a new bachelor’s degree in Sports and Health Sciences, with a concentration in Sports Medicine. He graduated with honors in 2007. During that time, he also earned a personal trainer certification through National Academy of Sports Medicine. The following year, Matt earned a Corrective Exercise Specialist certification, also through NASM. He has been working as a personal trainer since 2007. The majority of his clientele has been those recovering from injury.

Matt has been involved with athletics all of his life. He started swimming at an early age, played soccer from grammar school through high school, football in high school and began playing rugby his senior year of high school. Rugby became a passion through his college years and he continued to play for 17 years. He has returned to swimming and competes in open water swim races each year and is known to enter the occasional triathlon. While swimming is his new passion, Matt continues to be involved with youth rugby, coaching the Seahawk Youth Rugby team each year. He also loves to coach kids in Little League and in AYSO soccer. He finds coaching very rewarding and fun.

Matt is very happy to be with the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center and is very excited to help people get back to a more normalized quality of life.

Jamie Tsai, NP is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner at Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Exercise Biology from UC Davis. After college, she worked as a physical therapy aide for a year. Jamie also volunteered as a medical assistant providing care for uninsured patients at RotaCare clinic in Mountain View. It was her personal and volunteer experiences that inspired her to pursue a career in nursing.

In 2008, Jamie moved to New York City to attend Columbia University's School of Nursing for both her Bachelor's and Master's of Science degree in Nursing. Ms. Tsai is Board Certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. While pursuing her Master's degree, Jamie worked as a Registered Nurse on a medical/surgical unit at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell in Manhattan.

In her free time, Jamie loves to travel to new places, try different cuisines, play tennis, attend sporting events and spend time with her family, friends and puggle.