Explain Pain, Portland

Ben works as a Physical Therapist at Stanford ValleyCare in Livermore, California where he specializes in persistent pain conditions, working with both individual clients and group classes.  He has worked as an outpatient Physical Therapist in multiple practice settings within the San Francisco Bay Area, seeing patients with a variety of neuromusculoskeletal complaints.  He received certification as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association in 2008.

In addition, Ben was an Associate Professor at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California for 12 years, where he taught in their entry-level Physical Therapy Program.   He continues to work as an Adjunct Associate Professor for this program, teaching on a part-time basis.  Ben has been teaching courses on peripheral nervous system anatomy, biomechanics, clinical evaluation, and intervention since 2004 and he joined the NOI US teaching faculty in 2013.

Ben originally graduated from the joint program at the University of California, San Francisco and San Francisco State University (UCSF/SFSU) with a Masters of Science in Physical Therapy in 2002, returning in 2008 to earn his Doctor of Physical Therapy Science degree.

Ben has been involved in research examining neuropathic pain conditions, including the mechanosensitivity of the nervous system in people with Diabetes Mellitus and in women post breast cancer treatment.

Ben grew up in the East Bay and continues to enjoy the rich diversity of cultures, foods, events, and outdoor recreational activities that the Bay Area has to offer.

“Great speaker, very knowledgeable about the course material and evidence-based on other areas. Was able to answer participants questions well.”

“Excellent, knowledgeable, experienced instructor who is very approachable and thoughtful when answering questions in the class. Great job!”

“Ben was a fantastic presenter. He was very personable and approachable, answering questions in a helpful and discussion based manner.”

“Ben is an excellent clinical educator. Really appreciated watching him work with the group and pitching things to various levels for the different participants. Great to see adult learning in action”