MEET DR. Z AND THE TEAM

Dr. Jeff graduated Magna Cum Laude with his Doctorate in Chiropractic from Life University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was the recipient of the prestigious Contemporary Scientific Paradigms Award.

He received his neurology training with the Carrick Institute. After completing his internship at the Carrick Brain Center in Atlanta, he pursued a residency in neurology at Cerebrum Health Centers. He has also received advanced certification in Applied Kinesiology.

He moved to Portland in 2016 to work with Dr. Zielinski and join the Northwest Functional Neurology team. His work on treating frozen shoulder a balance disorder with Functional Neurological methodologies was published in the prominent journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. He has a passion for the treatment of traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, dizziness and balance disorders, and post-traumatic headaches. He also focuses on using Functional Neurology for the optimization of athletic performance. He hails from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, and completed his Bachelors of Natural Science degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

He is a former athlete, and competed in baseball, football, and karate. He still enjoys working out, hiking, snowboarding, and yelling at his TV while watching sports.

Dr. Mehul received his Doctorate in Chiropractic in 2015 from Life University in Atlanta, Georgia. While at Life University, he completed an internship at the Georgia Chiropractic Neurology Center.

He received his postgraduate neurology training through the Carrick Institute for Clinical Neuroscience, and earned diplomate certification from the American Chiropractic Neurology Board in 2016. After working in several integrated practices and chiropractic neurology clinics in New York and Portland, he joined the Northwest Functional Neurology team in 2020. His work on post-stroke rehabilitation using functional neurology protocols was highlighted in a case study in the Interdisciplinary Association of Functional Neurosciences and Rehabilitation journal in 2015. 

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Mehul earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Rochester and the State University of New York: College at Brockport, where he graduated summa cum laude in exercise physiology. He has been recognized as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and as a Certified Exercise Physiologist by the American College of Sports Medicine. He enjoys helping people struggling with movement disorders and neuroimmunological challenges. 

In his spare time, he enjoys composing short stories, developing his piano and guitar skills, and extolling the virtues of Bruce Springsteen to anyone who will listen.

Dr. Nick graduated Magna Cum Laude with his Doctorate in Chiropractic from Life University in Atlanta, Georgia. During his time at Life university he worked as a graduate assistant in the sports chiropractic program athletic care center. He earned a Master’s of Science degree in Sports Medicine in 2020. 

He began his neuroscience studies as an undergraduate, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience from Michigan State University. He completed his neurology training through the Carrick Institute for Clinical Neuroscience, and became a Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist in 2020. 

Dr. Nick has advanced certification in applied kinesiology, as well as extensive training in sports chiropractic methods and extremity adjusting. He has authored two articles published in the prominent journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

He has a passion for treating people who suffer from traumatic brain injuries, chronic migraines, post-concussion syndrome and dysautonomia. He looks to use his functional neurology and sports background to help improve athletic performance and optimize health for all of his patients. 

He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is very much still a “Yooper” at heart. You can find him hiking in the backwoods, at drop in hockey games or rooting proudly for the Detroit Red Wings.

Dr. Russ graduated Cum Laude with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the University of Western States. He has practiced in Portland, Oregon for approximately 25 years. His opportunity to pursue post-doctoral Chiropractic Functional Neurology training from Dr. Zielinski through the Carrick Institute came in 2010.

Following this, Dr. Russ pursued additional sub-specialty neurology training in Childhood Developmental Disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis and Rehabilitation.

He is currently a Board Eligible Functional Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board and is eligible for Fellowship status with the American College of Functional Neurology, the American Board of Brain Injury Rehabilitation, and the American Board of Childhood Developmental Disorders. He has served as a review consultant with the Australasian Academy of Functional Neurology.

He is the principal author of the state of Oregon’s Board of Chiropractic Examiner’s white paper establishing functional neurology standards in Oregon. He was the requested author of “Chiropractic Functional Neurology: An Introduction” by the journal Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal for an issue featuring functional neurology case studies.

He is also a research peer-reviewer for the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, and for the Journal of Clinical Biomechanics. He completed a 6-month internship at Northwest Functional Neurology in 2015 and was invited to join as a Staff Clinician in 2016.

Shauna hails from Saskatchewan, Canada. She is a Plains Cree Indian and a member of the George Gordon First Nation. She graduated from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada in 1996. She was admitted to the prestigious Direct Entry Nurse Practitioner program at Oregon Health and Science University in 2003.

She graduated as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and was awarded the Dorothy L Johnson Award for Creativity, Innovation, and Insight in Nursing. In 2011, Shauna became a member of the National Health Service Corps for her work as a lead clinician at Central City Concern, a busy downtown Portland community mental health practice.

She has extensive experience in treating patients with the highest psychiatric complexity. Her patients often suffered from quad-morbidity: severe mental illness, serious medical co-morbidities, trauma and substance use, and houselessness. Her work at the Federally Qualified Health Center meant that she was always busy, and she provided over 24,000 individual patient encounters in her 13 years at CCC.

She specializes in the treatment of psychiatric conditions secondary to traumatic brain injuries, is a Certified Brain Injury specialist. She regularly lectures on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries at professional conferences. She trained with renowned local community psychiatrist Dr. Phil Shapiro and is well versed in his Healing Power model, which emphasizes spiritual solutions to life’s painful problems. She bases her Traumatic Brain Injury support group work on this model.

Shauna offers a functional psychiatry perspective, assessing all of the underlying neurological, metabolic, immune, and nutritional factors that underly psychiatric conditions. She seeks to uncover the root of mental health problems and strives to treat the cause of the problem rather than simply masking symptoms. Her goal is to treat your condition by taking the most scientific and holistic approach possible. Shauna is excited to bring her expertise in NeuroStar Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Northwest Functional Neurology.

Neuromodulation is the new frontier in psychiatry and offers exciting and proven results for people with post-concussion syndrome, vertigo, migraines, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, OCD and other disorders. She is an avid dog lover, winemaker, and enjoys stand up paddleboarding, reading, live music, and meditation.

Samantha obtained her eduction through Columbia Southern University in Business administration and Sports Management. Prior to joining our team, Samantha had over 8 years experience in the medical field, including work as a chiropractic assistant.

She is a certified personal trainer, and has a passion for nutrition, sports performance and rehabilitative therapy, which led her to our team today. In her free time, she enjoys bouldering, spending time with her kittens, and cooking for family and friends.

Iris graduated from Montana State University-Billings with a Bachelor of Science, with an emphasis in Human Health and Performance and Psychology. Prior to joining NWFN, she worked as an assisted living caregiver where she cultivated her strong compassion for helping others.

She is passionate about sports performance, holistic health, and helping people achieve their optimal wellness. She is very enthusiastic about her work as a TMS technician, and enjoys helping people achieve remission from their symptoms and improve their quality of life. 

Outside of work, Iris enjoys being outdoors, exploring Portland, hiking the Northwest, and snowboarding.

Caitlyn has obtained her Certified Personal Trainer certificate from American College of Sports Medicine and completed her Certified Nursing Assistant training at Moore Nursing Consulting. She has always had a passion for learning about the human body and to help people with that knowledge.

She is excited to be combining her experiences and knowledge from both of these areas here at Northwest Functional Neurology to continue to help people in a new way. She is thrilled to be a part of a team that is so dedicated to what they do and hopes to further the progress of the field of Functional Neurology. In her time off, she enjoys hiking, snowboarding, fitness, art, and spending time with her cats.

Samantha has a background as a personal trainer and professional athlete. She holds what is regarded as the highest certification for personal training through NASM according to the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. Additionally, Samantha holds multiple certifications for stand-up paddleboarding instruction through Salty Dog Paddle, which is accredited by the International Canoe Federation and American Canoe Association. Samantha is also CPR certified by the American Heart Association.

Prior to joining Northwest Functional Neurology, Samantha was a professional paddler, personal trainer, nutrition consultant and National Development Director for Salty Dog Paddle. She placed 4th for the female division race and 10th overall at the 2019 Palm Beach Paddlefest and placed 3rd overall at the 2018 Palm Beach Paddlefest. In 2019 she made Thumbtack's Top 10 In-Home Personal Trainer list.

Leo is a graduate of Fort Lewis College with a degree in Exercise Physiology. During his time in school, Leo spent his summers completing internships with Select Physical Therapy in New Mexico. It is through his schooling and internships that Leo found a passion for helping others, leading him to seek to further himself in the field of health and wellness.

This passion is what led him to join our team at Northwest Functional Neurology as a Rehab Technician. When Leo isn’t working, he enjoys participating in athletics playing basketball, weight lifting, and performing speed and agility training.

Rick graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a focus on corrective exercise.

He spent three years as a personal trainer, trying to help those suffering from Major Depressive Disorder find relief from their symptoms through exercise. He is very passionate about helping individuals trying to achieve remission from their depression and is excited to be a part of something so revolutionary in TMS.

In the role of TMS Coordinator, he will be able to offer his support and knowledge to our patients as they begin their journey towards a better life.

In his free time, he loves to write fiction, stay healthy through exercise and enjoy the wondrous beauty that his home state of Oregon has to offer.

Lexi got her start in administration and marketing in college working as the assistant to the Dean’s office of Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School in Boston, MA. While in attendance, Lexi organized small- and large-scale campus events and took charge of several of their social media platforms.

Prior to joining the Northwest Functional Neurology team in 2021, Lexi worked as a sales manager in the fitness industry. In her free time, Lexi is passionate about learning new skills, traveling and spending time with her friends & family.

Alex graduated from Oregon State University’s Public Health program with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and Policy. 

Before joining our team, Alex worked as an intern at Integrity Billing and Consulting where he gained experience in the billing and provider credentialing side of healthcare. He now works as the Office Manager here at Northwest Functional Neurology where he provides administrative support for our fantastic team. 

Alex hopes to continue growing as a manager by bringing structure and smoother workflow to the clinic. During his free time, he enjoys surfing, staying active, and expressing his creativity.