Find a Doctor

Shibi Abhilash-Kunjumon works in UTMB as a Family nurse practitioner in Orthopedics Surgery. Shibi completed her bachelor of science in Nursing from India in 2000 and served in the Indian army for five years. She has been working with UTMB since 2009. She was Nurse Clinician V when she stepped out of the ICU to work as a Nurse Practitioner in the orthopedic clinic. She completed her master's in nursing in 2015 from UTMB. She treats patients of all ages for musculoskeletal issues and helped thousands of patients to find meaningful relief from chronic pain and return to their active lifestyle. She is very passionate about Bone Health and serves as a fracture Liaison practitioner in UTMB to prevent and to reduce fragility fractures in our society.

Dr. Alijanipour specializes in Spine Surgery. He has extensive subspecialty training in the surgical treatment of adult and pediatric spine conditions. His clinical interest encompasses a wide spectrum of spinal diseases such as degenerative disorders of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis, as well as spinal trauma, infection and tumors.

After earning his Medical Degree from University of Tehran Iran, Dr. Alijanipour completed a 5-year residency program in Orthopedic Surgery at Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella, Spain. He received board certification from the Spanish Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology in 2013. Subsequently, Dr. Alijanipour worked as a senior research fellow at Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia for 2 years where he designed, conducted and published multiple clinical and basic science research projects. He also received several awards and scholarships for his scientific contribution. Eventually, Dr. Alijanipour completed three consecutive years of accredited clinical fellowship training in Orthopedic Spine Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery (Weill Cornell University, New York), Children’s Hospital of New Orleans (Louisiana State University, New Orleans) and Jackson Memorial Hospital (University of Miami).

Before joining the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Medical Branch as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Alijanipour worked as a Clinical Instructor of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at University of Miami and as an Adult and Pediatric Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Methodist Hospitals in Merrillville, Indiana. Dr. Alijanipour has had several national and international presentations. He has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters.

Dr. Alijanipour has practiced Orthopedic Surgery in 3 different countries and fluently speaks English, Spanish and Persian. His primary goal is to provide outstanding evidence-based patient care using the most innovative techniques and technologies via both minimally invasive and open surgical procedures. He also aims to educate and inspire the next generation of Orthopedic surgeons and to perform cutting-edge research in Spine Surgery.

Dr. Alijanipour enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons as well as reading, swimming, tennis and travelling. He looks forward to contributing to the happiness of his patients and the community.

Brett Baker is a certified physician assistant with extensive experience with orthopedics surgery. He is a graduate of the Physicians Assistant Studies Program here at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and enjoys seeing a wide range of orthopedic patients, from hand and wrist, to shoulder and elbows to hips and joints. He enjoys spending time with his family and is a father of two fine young men.

Dr. Bhardwaj joined UTMB's Department of Family Medicine in 2018. She is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine.

Dr. Bhardwaj earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Doctor of Medicine from Ross University in Dominica, West Indies. She completed family medicine residency training at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she also served as Chief Resident in her final year of training. Dr. Bhardwaj also completed fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at Texas Tech University Health Science Center at El Paso.

Dr. Bhardwaj is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine, and is licensed to practice medicine in Indiana, Texas, and New Mexico.

Dr. Britt joined UTMB in 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Adult Reconstruction for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. He received a Bachelor of Science degree at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX, and was awarded his Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. His residency training took place at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX and the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Dr. Britt had fellowships in surgical infectious disease and adult reconstruction and arthritis surgery at The University of Texas Medical Branch and the Florida Orthopaedic Institute in Tampa, respectively.

He is a diplomate with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. Dr. Britt is licensed to practice medicine in Texas.

Dr. Carmichael was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. He completed his undergraduate training at Grand Valley State Colleges (now Grand Valley State University) in Allendale, MI on a wrestling and later an academic scholarship. Upon completion of his BS at Grand Valley he stayed an additional year to obtain a secondary teaching certificate.  He then moved to Raymondville, TX where he taught high school biology, chemistry and physics for 5 years. He also was the science curriculum director for the Raymondville school district and was nominated for Texas Teacher of the Year during his last year of teaching.  While teaching he attended graduate classes at Pan American University (now The University of Texas at Pan American) in Edinburg, TX. He obtained a MS degree in Botany and Marine Biology.

In 1990 Dr. Carmichael left teaching to attend medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch. Upon graduation from medical school he stayed on at UTMB to complete a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery. He finished residency in 1999 and stayed an additional year of fellowship at UTMB in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. He has remained at UTMB since then and specializes in Pediatric and General Adult Orthopaedics. He is and has been active in several committees including graduate medical education and operative and other invasive procedures committees where he was the chair and subcommittee chair.

Dr. Carmichael is an avid runner and outdoor enthusiast. He is also a board member of the non-profit organization Operation Rainbow which is a non-profit organization that provides free orthopaedic care to the people of developing countries.  He has been on about 25 mission trips where he also takes residents.  He has authored or co-authored 35 peer reviewed publications and 7 reviews/book chapters.

Dr. Jie (Jay) Chen grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He went to Duke University for undergraduate studies and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his medical education. In medical school, Dr. Chen decided to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery because of the tremendous satisfaction associated with returning patients back to their baseline functionality. He also obtained a Master of Public Health degree to better understand disease at the population level and also to further develop his research abilities. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas where he fell in love with the culture and people of Texas. While in residency, he won numerous awards including the departmental nominations for intern and overall outstanding resident of the year, a resident teaching award, and several research awards.

Following residency graduation, Dr. Chen returned to Duke University where he completed a fellowship in orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgery. He trained under the guidance of Dr. Mark Easley, Dr. James Nunley II, Dr. James DeOrio, Dr. Samuel Adams, Dr. Selene Parekh, Dr. Annunziato Amendola, and Dr. Karl Schweitzer. He has advanced training in total ankle replacement, complex mid and hindfoot reconstruction, bunion correction including minimally invasive techniques, ankle arthroscopy, and ligament and tendon tears. At Duke University, he became well-versed in 3D-printed solutions for complex salvage situations and also performed around 100 total ankle replacement procedures. He also was involved in over a dozen research projects and book chapters. During fellowship training, he found himself desiring to return to Texas and so decided to join the University of Texas medical Branch as an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery specializing in Foot and Ankle Surgery.

Dr. Chen's philosophy is to develop a thorough understanding of a patient's goals and individual situation so that together, a shared treatment plan can be developed and executed. Dr. Chen believes in minimizing harm while maximizing the chances of success and thus, surgery is just one of several possible treatments that can be utilized. He is well versed in all conditions of the foot and ankle and also in the repair of broken bones throughout the body. He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Association Emerging Leaders Program, and the Texas Orthopaedic Association. He has over 50 publications, book chapters, and presentations given at local, regional, and national conferences.

John J. Faillace, MD joined the DOSR as an Assistant Professor in November, 2017. After finishing his orthopaedic residency the William Beaumont/Texas Tech Combined Program, El Paso, TX, he completed a Hand Surgery Fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and then spent 7 years in private practice at the Wrist & Hand Center of Waco, TX. Dr. Faillace's areas of expertise include, traumatic hand injuries, congenital hand abnormalities, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, rheumatoid arthritis, thumb base arthritis, Dupuytren's contracture, and minimally invasive wrist arthroscopy.

Dr. Foreman is a native of East Texas. He graduated from Splendora High school second in his class and then received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology magna cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine in the top 5% of his class at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX, where he also completed his residency training as a general orthopedic surgeon in 1998.

He then spent over 10 years in private practice in rural Southern Oregon (Grants Pass) where he served as Vice Chair and Chairman of Surgery. During this time, he served 8 years in the Army Reserves and in 2003 was deployed to Iraq in the 915 Forward Surgical Team in support of Operation Iraqi and Operation Enduring Freedom, where he earned a purple heart for wounds sustained in combat.

He moved back to his native Texas in 2010 and joined the faculty at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, where he spent 6 years teaching and practicing general orthopedic and orthopedic trauma surgery as one of four orthopedic trauma surgeons at the Level One facility university hospital.

In 2016, Dr. Foreman joined The University of Texas Medical Branch as Assistant Professor and Residency Program Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. He is a member of the Texas Orthopedic Association, American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, Alamo Orthopedic Society, Council of Orthopedic Residency Directors, and the American Orthopedic Association. His areas of expertise include general orthopaedics, orthopaedic trauma, and fracture management. Dr. Foreman has been board certified and recertified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery since entering practice in the year 2000 and is licensed to practice medicine both in Oregon and Texas.

Andrew Goldstein joined UTMB in 2015 as a Physician Assistant in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, and received his Master of Physician Assistant Studies from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

He is a member of the American Association of Physician Assistants and the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants, and is certified by the National Commission on Certified Physical Assistants and ACLS/BLS certified by the American Heart Association. He is licensed to perform medicine in Texas.