Ernest H. Sponzilli, M.D.

Dr. Ernest H. Sponzilli is a board-certified physician who joined Mt. Tam Orthopedics in 1999, where he specializes in spine care, pain management and neurodiagnosis.  Dr. Sponzilli graduated with his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and received his medical degree from Albany Medical College.  He then completed residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UCLA.  Dr. Sponzilli also earned a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from UCLA, where he completed coursework in pain physiology, brain mapping/imaging, neural rhythmicity and more.

Dr. Sponzilli's assistant is Criss Calderon.

 

 

In addition to his practice experience, Dr. Sponzilli is also involved with several professional organizations, including:

• American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Fellow
• American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, Fellow
• American Board of Anaesthesiology, Pain Management Subspecialty, Diplomate
• American Academy of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation
• American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians

Dr. Sponzilli is also an active staff member at Marin General Hospital and Marin Specialty Surgery Center.  Dr. Sponzilli’s work has appeared in many publications, and he has also offered his medical services to local organizations.

Licensure/Certification

• Fellow, American Board of PM&R, #5831. Expires Dec.31, 2018.
  Certified July 1, 1998, Re-Certified July 1, 2008.
• Fellow, American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, Certificate #370.
  Certified March 2007.
• Diplomate, American Board of Anaesthesiology, Pain Management Subspecialty, #183. Expires 2021.
  Certified Sept. 15, 2001, Re-Certified 2008.
• Member, American Academy of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation, ID# 63745.
• Member, American Academy of Pain Management, ID# 00035861
• Member, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, ID# 2006312.
• CA License G078425
• DEA BS4278049
• Fluoroscopy Supervisor License # RHC 144714
• UPIN #: G66122 NPI: 1497709984

Professional Experience

• Staff Physician, Mt. Tam Orthopedics Spine Center & MRI, Larkspur, CA., March 1999-present.
  Spine Care, Pain Management, Neurodiagnosis; Active Staff member, Marin General Hospital, Marin Specialty Surgery Center.
  John Keohane, MD, Chief Executive Officer
  Neurodiagnosis and Electrophysiology; Interventional Pain Management including SpinalDiagnostics, epidural, radiofrequency therapies, intradicsal therapies, spinal augmentation.
• Intervention Pain Management Clinical Instructor/Quality Assurance Supervisor.
  Instructor, International Spinal Intervention Society, January 2008.
  Marin Specialty Surgery Center: 2001 to present.
  UCSF/American Society of Anaesthesia, Oct. 2003: Intradiscal Therapies (Nucleoplasty).
  Arthrocare Cervical Nucleoplasty Discectomy: 2005.
  Pleasanton Surgery Center, Sept. 2003: Intradiscal Therapies (IDET, Nucleoplasty).
  Kaiser Permanente-Richmond, Oct. 2002: Radiofrequency Lesioning.
  
• Associate Physician, Kaiser Permanente, Richmond Campus, 1997-1999
  Director, Division of Spine Medicine.
  901 Nevin Ave., Richmond 94801
  Timothy Batchelder, MD, Physician in Chief
• Urgent Care/Occupation Medicine Physician
  Advantage Care Health Care Network, Los Angeles CA 1994-1997
• Artificial Intelligence Software Engineer
  Department of Risk Management, Kaiser of Walnut Creek, CA 1987

Education

• UCLA Multicampus PM&R Residency Program; 1993-1997
  Director: A.M. Erika Scremin, MD
  Dept PMR, West Los Angeles VAMC W117 Wilshire and Sawtelle Blvds., Los Angeles CA 90073
  (310) 268-3342
• UCLA Dept of Neuroscience Master’s Program 1995-1997
  Director: Igor Spigelman, MD
  Dept, Physiological Sciences, 405 Hildard Ave., Los Angeles CA 90024-1568
  (310) 825-3891
  Thesis: Calcium Chelators in Brain Resuscitation
  Additional Coursework in Pain Physiology, Neurodevelopment/Regeneration, Myology,
  Brain Mapping/Imaging, Neural Rhythmicity, Learning & Memory
• Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, 1992-1993
  Internship, Department of Internal Medicine
  2425 Geary Blvd., San Francisco CA 94115
  (415) 202-4983
  Director: Aileen Dillon, MD
• Albany Medical College Albany, NY Medical Doctorate, 1992
  Albany NY 12208
• University of California, Berkeley: B.A. Applied Mathematics/Computer Science, 1985
  Berkeley CA 94720

Supplemental Training

• Sonosite Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Sept 2009, San Francisco, CA
  Director: Don Buford, MD
• American Society Interventional Board Review, March 2007. Memphis TN.
  Director: Prithvi Raj, MD
• American Society Interventional Pain Physicians Certification: Memphis TN, March 2007
  Directors: Prithvi Raj, MD, and Gabor Racz, MD
• Advanced Bionics: Spinal Cord Stimulation. Henderson, NC. April 2006
  Director: Dr. Joseph Dunn
• Stryker Intervention Pain: Vertebroplasty. Palo Alto, CA Oct. 09, 2004
  Director: John Mathis, MD
• International Spinal Injection Society: Discography. Memphis, TN, Oct. 2003
  Director; Charles Aprill, MD, Program Director
• International Spinal Injection Society: Radiofrequency Lesioning. Memphis, TN, Oct. 2002
  Director; Charles Aprill, MD, Program Director
• Arthrocare Spine: Cervical Nucleoplasty. UCSF, Oct. 2003
  Director: Richard Derby, MD
  Lumbar Nucleoplasty. San Diego, CA July 2002
  Director Sam Maywood, MD
• Clinical Education Services: Radiofrequency Lesioning/Interdiscal Therapies, Chicago, IL, Nov. 2001
  Director: Bhupinder Saini, MD
• International Spinal Injection Society: Advanced Cervical Injections, New Orleans, LA, Oct. 2000
  Directors: Robert Wright, MD and Ray Baker, MD, Program Directors.
• World Institute of Pain: Advanced Pain Management Technique, Hungary, Sept. 1999
  Directors: Gabor Racz, MD and Prithvi Raj, MD
• IDET/Lumbar Disc Puncture Workshop: Stanford University, March/July 1999
  Director: Joel Saal, MD
• Dept Anaesthesiology, West Los Angeles VAMC, 1995-1997
  Director: Kevin Win, MD
• Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center, 1993-1997
  Director Jacqueline Perry, MD
• 10th International Clinical Neurophysiology/EMG Symposium, October 1995
  Director: Jim Kimura, MD
• Stanford University Musculoskeletal Pain Update, March 1995
  Director: Elaine Date, MD

Research

• 1994-1997: UCLA Dept. of Neuroscience/Physiology Science
  Neurophysiology: Conduction Master’s/PhD level basic science study on brain resuscitation
  in ischemia and anoxia.
• 1991: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
  Bioengineering: Examined principles of prosthetic design
• 1991-1991: Radiation Oncology Center, Walnut Creek, CA
  Epidemiology: Retrospective case analysis on 208 prostate cancer patients

Publications

• SCS and Gangliolytic Therapies in Chronic Pelvic Pain, presented at the Marin Pelvic Pain Society, 2008.
• Radiofrequency Neurolysis, presented at the UCSF Spinal State of the Art Series, 2007
  Drs. David Bradford, Philip Weinstein Moderators
• Nonoperative Spinal Interventional Care, presented at Marin General Hospital’s AB487 Pain Lecture Series March 2004.
• Spine Care Update,presented at Marin General Hospital’s Grand Rounds, February 2000.
• Spine Care Update, presented at Novato Community Hospital Grand Rounds, July 1999.
• ‘POEMS Syndrome: Electrophysiologic and Neuropathologic Correlates,’ presented at the 43rd American Association of EMG Symposium.  October 1996, Minneapolis, MN.
  ‘Phreno-Musculocutaneous Synkinesis,’ presented at the 10th International Congress of Electromyography October 1995, Kyoto, Japan.
• ‘Hypometabolism of the Caudate in Post Stroke Depression,’ present at the Association of Academic Physiatrist Annual Congress, March 1995, Scottsdale, AZ.
• ‘Fuzzy Sets and Their Application to Rheumatologic Diagnosis,’ Student Paper Competition, 15th Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, sponsored by the NLM/NIH, Washington DC, Nov., 1991
• ‘Methods for Modeling Soft Tissue Histeresis,’ Rensselaer Polytechnic, NY, 1992
• ‘Acute Onset Dementia in a Bipolar Patient,’ presented at Albany Medical College Psychiatry Annual Retrospective in 1991

Community Experience

• 1997: Public Health: “Wellness at the Workplace,” “Reducing Job Injuries”
  Richmond Chamber of Commerce
• 1995-present: Sculptor/Art Auction-Fund Raiser Donator
  Taylor Foundation for Pediatric HIV, Lafayette, CA
• 1986-1987: English Teacher
  Xi’an Foreign Language Institute, Xi’an, China
• 1980-present: Youth Soccer Coach
  Orinda Youth Association, Orinda, CA. Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA. Lafayette Moraga Soccer Club, Lafayette, CA. Bethlehem Youth Soccer Club, Bethlehem, NY.  Real Madrid Soccer Club, Los Angeles, CA
• 1983-1985: Summer Camp Director/Administrative Board Member
  Lafayette Moraga Soccer Club, Lafayette, CA
  1985-1988: Coaching Instructor
  California Youth Soccer Association, Northern California Region
  • Junior Olympic Soccer Player
• U.S. Junior Olympic Team, USA

Honors

• 1996: Best Research in Progress, UCLA PM&R Program
• 1991: Reader’s Digest International Medical Assistance Program
• 1985: US Olympic Committee National Coaching Award

Special Skills

• Spanish
• French
• Mandarin Chinese proficiency
• Computer Engineering

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