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San Francisco Doctors

The knowledgeable physicians in the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute can meet your musculoskeletal needs, helping keep you in the game. Sports medicine physicians provide support for professional sport tournaments and performing arts and dance companies.

San Francisco Orthopedic Doctors

Remy Ardizzone, DPM – Podiatry 
Dr. Ardizzone is a board certified podiatrist specializing in treating all aspects of sports-related foot and ankle injuries. Her practice includes recreational to professional level sports injuries and all aspects of musculoskeletal complaints of the foot and ankle.

Meredith Bean, MD - Sports Medicine 
Dr. Bean is board certified in sports medicine and family medicine. She specializes in musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, as well as helps individuals remain active and avoid injury. Having been a competitive athlete herself, she understands the unique needs of athletes. She is passionate about helping competitive and recreational athletes get back into action as well as helping others who just want to be more active.

Richard L. Blake, DPM – Podiatry 
Dr. Blake is an expert in biomechanics of the lower extremity. He invented the Inverted Orthotic Technique, which is used internationally to help many injuries, especially those related to severe pronation.

Michael Burns, MD – Medical Director
Michael Burns, MD, is the Medical Director for the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Center for Sports Medicine, in Walnut Creek. He is a physiatrist with board certification in physical medicine & rehabilitation and sports medicine. He completed his physical medicine & rehabilitation residency at Stanford University and his sports medicine fellowship at the Dartmouth University/Evergreen Sports Medicine fellowship program. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of muscle, nerve, and joint injuries and the use of ultrasound for diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. As a sports medicine and rehabilitation physician, his treatment approach focuses on understanding the impact an injury has had, knowing the patient’s goals, and helping them to restore or optimize performance and to prevent future injury. Dr. Burns is passionate about providing high quality care to competitive and recreational athletes of all types and ages. His professional interests include rugby medicine and adaptive sports medicine. Dr. Burns has served as the team physician for men’s and women’s rugby at Colby College and for the NAEHL Fighting Spirit hockey team. He is a classifier and member of the Safety Committee for the United States Wheelchair Rugby Association. He has provided medical coverage for a wide variety of other sporting events including Iron Man triathlons, biking, running, and swimming events, wrestling, dance, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and football at both the high school and collegiate levels. Dr. Burns currently serves as a team physician for the Northgate High School football team.

Stephen Chen, MD – Pediatrician and Sports Medicine 
Stephen Chen, MD is a board certified Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Doctor . He specializes in the non-operative medical treatment of a wide variety of various musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Chen graduated from St. George's University School of Medicine and went on to complete Pediatric residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey (Rutgers). He then went on to fellowship training in Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the perennially top ranked children's hospitals in the nation. There he provided sideline coverage for NCAA Division I athletics at the University of Cincinnati and Miami University (OH). Since graduating, Dr. Chen has continued his love of sports coverage by volunteering for the San Francisco Marathon, the San Francisco Giant Race, and other local sporting events. He is a team physician for Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. He currently practices at the Saint Francis Center for Sports Medicine in Walnut Creek and treats both acute and chronic sports injuries as well as concussions. His sports medicine training included the comprehensive care of adults and children and he currently specializes in both. Dr. Chen grew up in Southern California but has happily settled in the Bay Area with his wife and two children. He personally enjoys the outdoors including running and hiking. He is an avid fan of football, basketball and golf.

Alicia Knee, DPM – Podiatry 
Dr. Knee is a board certified podiatrist who sees patients at the Saint Francis Center for Sports Medicine clinic in Walnut Creek. Her background as an award-winning dancer gives Dr. Knee special insight into the special health and medical needs of athletes. Passionate about education, Dr. Knee has lectured on a variety of topics including foot and ankle fractures, flatfoot reconstructions, surgical reconstruction and more.

Walter Lin, MD, FACS – Plastic Surgery
Dr. Lin is an ABPS board-certified plastic surgeon with an additional subspecialty certification for Surgery of the Hand who specializes in reconstructive microsurgery, lymphedema surgery, hand and extremity surgery, burn surgery, and transgender reconstructive services. Dr. Lin completed his undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in and completed medical school at the Health Sciences & Technology program from Harvard Medical School. He then attended UCSF for his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery, followed by a fellowship in hand, microvascular, and transgender surgery at The Buncke Clinic in San Francisco.  He takes particular interest in combining his specialized training and expertise across multiple fields and disciplines to strive for the best possible reconstructive outcomes.

Brian Pridgen, MD – Plastic Surgery
Dr. Pridgen is a plastic surgeon who specializes in hand and wrist surgery, reconstructive microsurgery, and burn surgery. He completed medical school and plastic surgery residency at Stanford University. He then completed a combined orthopedic and plastic surgery fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is now a hand and microsurgeon with The Buncke Clinic and a burn surgeon at the Bothin Burn Center.

Victor A. Prieto, MD - Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Prieto is an orthopedic surgeon who has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is the medical director for the Center for Sports Medicine and specializes in hip replacements, knee replacements, and shoulder surgery.

Robert Purchase, MD –  Orthopedic Surgery 
Dr. Purchase is a board-certified, fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon as well as the Medical Director of shoulder surgery at SFMH Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute. Widely recognized as an expert in complex and revision shoulder arthroplasty, patients travel from all over California to have their shoulder replacement surgery performed by him. He treats all manner of shoulder disease from arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears, to revision reverse total shoulder replacements.

Joshua Sampson, MD –  Sports Medicine
Dr. Sampson specializes in non-surgical treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and pain throughout the body. His goal is to avoid surgery and get patients back to activity as soon as possible. During an appointment he will discuss the cause of a patient’s pain or injury, along with all treatment options available. Dr. Sampson has extensive training in the use of ultrasound for in-office diagnosis as well as for guided injections. He has training in the use of ortho biologics as an option for treatment. He performs ultrasound guided micro-invasive tendon/fascia debridement (Tenex). He also performs injections of the lumbar spine under fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance.