Michael K. Gannon, MD, is a board-certified and very experienced orthopedic surgeon. His practice over the last thirty years has emphasized hip and knee replacement and care of sports injuries including meniscal, ACL and rotator cuff tears. As he has treated emergency cases for decades and has repaired countless extremity injuries great and small.Dr. Gannon began his life in medicine at age sixteen as a hospital orderly and ambulance attendant. He was the second youngest in his state to pass the national EMT-A certification exam. During college he worked summers as an operating room technician plus a second job detasseling corn. He went to medical school in his home state at the University of Iowa. He received his specialty training in the highly regarded orthopedic surgery residency program at the University of Washington. After completing his orthopedic training, he had the honor to serve five years as “co-team physician” for multiple military units from smaller Special Forces and Ranger groups to infantry divisions with 12,000+ athletic members (of note such “teams” never have an off-season and are active on rough terrain day and night). Duties included work in Europe, Africa, and the Persian Gulf. Stateside, as a faculty member, he oversaw sports medicine and trauma training for orthopedic residents at Madigan Army Medical Center. He later served as civilian consultant for sports medicine for Madigan.Since 1993 he has been serving residents of Whatcom County as a member of a topflight orthopedic surgery group. Over the course of his career, he has had the privilege to treat patients and their families from amazingly diverse backgrounds, from remote Saharan herdsmen and villagers to national leaders and Rhodes scholars….  from angry enemy combatants and fierce criminals to Medal of Honor recipients and heroic first responders…. from the youngest backyard acrobats and trampolinists to past Olympians and hobbled NFL veterans. He has worked in world class medical centers to makeshift hospitals with no windows or beds but goats in the halls. Dr. Gannon has cared for patients of the innumerable combinations of races, countries of origin, life circumstances, faiths, orientations, and political beliefs. His lifelong approach has been to provide care for each person with the respect, compassion, and diligence he would wish for his own family members.Hobbies and adventures over the years have included climbing, backpacking, flying, scuba, skiing, and more recently snowshoeing and photography. His very favorite pastime is hanging out with his family. Dr. Gannon is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Contracture Deformity, Frozen Shoulder, Bursitis, and Hip Replacement.

Paul Haeder (“Hay-der”), MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with fellowship training in sports medicine. He joins Proliance Pacific Rim Orthopaedic Surgeons after practicing in North Lake Tahoe, California, where he gained extensive experience treating professional, Olympic, elite, and recreational athletes in a wide range of outdoor sports.Dr. Haeder specializes in advanced arthroscopic techniques of the knee, hip, and shoulder aimed at getting athletes back to their pre-injured level of sports participation. He believes getting back to full activity is important for not only the elite, professional, and Olympic athletes, but also for the recreational athletes and weekend warriors.In addition to his sports medicine surgery, Dr. Haeder also performs shoulder, knee, and anterior hip replacements to help the aging athlete after a lifetime of activity has taken its toll. He is also one of a few surgeons north of Seattle who treat hip labrum tears and who perform PRP injections.Dr. Haeder moved to Whatcom County with his wife Amanda, who grew up in Ferndale, and his 3 children. When not at work, he enjoys exploring the outdoors with his family, playing soccer, skiing, CrossFit, hiking, and biking. Dr. Haeder is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Frozen Shoulder, Tendinitis, and Bursitis.

Brittini is a board-certified and licensed acupuncturist, clinical nutritionist, herbalist, and functional medicine practitioner with 17 years of experience in the health and wellness field. She specializes in gastrointestinal disorders, traumatic brain injuries and neurological disorders, mental-emotional health, sports medicine, and pain management.Graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor’s in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Brittini went on to earn a Master’s in Oriental Medicine from the Florida College of Integrative Medicine. Over the years, she has trained with renowned physicians and master acupuncturists across the U.S. and East Asia and has continued her herbal medicine studies with traditional herbalists in Central and South America. Brittini is licensed to practice in Washington and Colorado. . Her top areas of expertise are Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Post Polio Syndrome, and Gas Bloat Syndrome.

Thiran Udawatta, MD, is fellowship trained in foot and ankle surgery at the world-renowned Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. He joins Proliance Pacific Rim Orthopaedic Surgeons after his fellowship at Harborview and residency training in St. Louis. Dr. Udawatta has gained extensive training in simple and complex foot and ankle disorders. He specializes in advanced techniques for treating foot and ankle problems including arthroscopy, arthroplasty (total ankle replacement), deformity correction (flat feet and high arch feet), and fracture care among others. He also performs hip and knee replacements. Dr. Udawatta moves to Bellingham after growing up in the midwest. He comes to Bellingham with his wife, Janie, who grew up in the Seattle area and their rescue dog, Rose. In his free time, Dr. Udawatta enjoys road cycling, hiking, the outdoors, spending time with his family, making pizzas, and solving Rubik’s Cubes. Dr. Udawatta looks forward to helping Bellingham patients return to the activities they love. Dr. Udawatta is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Achilles Tendon Rupture, Osgood-Schlatter Disease, Osteochondritis Dissecans, and Osteoarthritis.

Christopher Van Hofwegen (“Van-Hof-Wagon” or “Dr. Van”), MD, joined our office in August of 2010. He graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and continued his residency as a Hawkeye. He finished his Sports Medicine Fellowship at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Van Hofwegen moved to Whatcom County with his wife, who is originally from Nooksack and is a practicing Family Physician. They are the parents of three children. Dr. Van Hofwegen is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Frozen Shoulder, Tendinitis, Bursitis, and Hip Replacement.

Leonard Kolodychuk is an Orthopedics provider in Bellingham, Washington. Dr. Kolodychuk is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Tendinitis, Calcium Pyrophosphate Arthritis, Tenosynovitis, and Hip Replacement. Dr. Kolodychuk is currently accepting new patients.

Jeffrey Krusniak is an Orthopedics provider in Bellingham, Washington. Dr. Krusniak is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Calcium Pyrophosphate Arthritis, Tendinitis, Tenosynovitis, and Hip Replacement. Dr. Krusniak is currently accepting new patients.

David Rust is an Orthopedics specialist and a Sports Medicine provider in Bellingham, Washington. Dr. Rust is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendinitis, Bursitis, and Hip Replacement. Dr. Rust is currently accepting new patients.

James Holstine is an Orthopedics specialist and a Holistic Medicine provider in Bellingham, Washington. Mr. Holstine is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. His top areas of expertise are Osteoarthritis, Tendinitis, Tenosynovitis, Bursitis, and Hip Replacement. Mr. Holstine is currently accepting new patients.

Rachel Gerson is a Radiologist in Bellingham, Washington. Dr. Gerson is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Baker Cyst. Her top areas of expertise are Retroversion of the Uterus, Visceromegaly, Gallbladder Disease, and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.