SCOP Doctors
Spine Care & Orthopedic Physicians offers access to a broad range of medical practitioners. Our doctors recognize that every person has a unique medical condition and deserves the most appropriate medical care for their individual situation. To learn more about our doctors and the specific services they provide, just click on any of the following:

Michael Schiffman, M.D., Q.M.E.
Paul Lin, M.D.
W. Seth Bolling, M.D.
George Graf, M.D.
Nicholas Fuller, M.D.
Katrina Vlachos, M.D.
Michael Merriman, PA-C.
Robert Min, D.C.
Semon Min, D.C.
Peter Dawson, D.C., Q.M.E.
Pablo Rodriguez, D.C.

Michael Schiffman, M.D., Q.M.E.
Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Fellowship Trained Spine-Surgeon
Dr. Michael Schiffman, the Medical Director of SCOP, is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spine surgery. He is one of the nation’s leading spine surgeons and has participated in the research, development and design of numerous spine surgery technologies with former partner and world-renowned inventor G. Karlin Michelson, M.D.

Dr. Schiffman’s many years of experience in developing new spine surgery technologies has allowed him to remain on the cutting edge of developing spine surgery. He is currently one of a limited number of surgeons who is qualified to perform artificial disc replacement procedures in both the cervical and lumbar spine.

During the last 10 years, he has also demonstrated great success in employing the In-Fix interbody cage, where he has performed and documented over 800 successful spinal fusions in his patients.

He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center Brooklyn. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. He is also a member of the prestigious North American Spine Society.

Paul Lin, M.D.
Board Certified, Internal Medicine Board Certified, Pulmonary Disease
Dr. Paul Lin is the Director of Internal and Pulmonary Medicine at SCOP, where in addition to treating patients with a wide variety of ailments, he also performs the majority of pre-operative evaluations for our patients who are scheduled to undergo surgery with one of our practice’s orthopedic surgeons.

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, where he graduated with Honors, he then obtained his medical degree from the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Lin performed his residency in Internal Medicine while at Wadsworth VA/UCLA Medical School, and then later completed his residency and Fellowship training in Pulmonary Medicine at the UCLA Pulmonary Medicine Division.

He is also a practicing attorney, having graduated with honors from Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, CA in 2004.
Affiliations

William Seth Bolling, M.D.
Fellowship Trained, Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Bolling provides the highest level of care to each of his patients. By utilizing minimally invasive surgical techniques, he is able to meet his goal of shortening his patient’s recovery time, as well as improving their post-surgical outcome.

A graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine, Dr. Bolling completed his General Surgery internship at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine. He then began his service in the USAF serving as a general medical officer, after which he went on to complete his orthopedic surgery training at San Francisco Orthopedic Residency Program and returned to the USAF. During his military career, he provided care for active duty soldiers, including casualties from the war. After his military service, he returned to California to train in the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques. He has also trained with Brad L. Penenberg, M.D., a leading surgeon specializing in Minimally Invasive Joint Replacement. After his fellowship, he began private practice and later joined SCOP in May 2009. He continues his research in these areas and has presented these topics to a variety of audiences throughout the country.
Affiliations

Michael Merriman, PA-C.
Physician Assistants (PAs) are licensed to practice medicine under physician supervision. They conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret diagnostic tests, assist in surgery, and write prescriptions. Within the physician-PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision-making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services.

Michael Merriman attended California State University (Northridge), and Howard University. He has served in the U.S. Navy. His organizational affiliations include the American Academy of Physician Assistants (for more than 30 years), and the North American Spine Society (for more than ten years). His hospital affiliations are with Olympia Medical Center, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, and S&B Surgery Center.

Robert Min, D.C.
Dr. Robert Min, the General Manager of Spine Care and Orthopedic Physicians, has been a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic for over 10 years. He attended undergraduate courses at Cypress College in Cypress, California, after which he transferred to Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles where he completed his chiropractic education, graduating with a D.C. degree and Cum Laude Honors in December 2000. He also received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Human Biology during the same year. Dr. Min maintained a private chiropractic office in Costa Mesa, California for several years, after which he joined the SCOP team as a treating chiropractor in August 2003.

Dr. Min served for six years in the United States Navy, where he trained as a Sonar Technician and achieved the rank of Second Class Petty Officer before being honorably discharged in 1989. Dr. Min enjoys spending his free time with his family, as well as pursuing his interests as an avid amateur photographer.

Semon Min, D.C.
Dr. Semon Min has been a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic for nearly a decade, having graduated in December 2000 from Cleveland Chiropractic College, Los Angeles, where in addition to her D.C. degree, she also received a certificate from the Chiropractic Neurology Diplomate Program. After completion of her formal education, Dr. Min built a private practice in Costa Mesa, California. Dr. Min also spent time at Modern Technology School in Santa Ana, California, where she served as a staff instructor teaching multiple subjects, ranging from general anatomy to x-ray physics. In August 2004, Dr. Min left private practice and joined the team at SCOP as one of our staff chiropractors. Dr. Min is also a certified Functional Capacity Evaluator and performs many of our functional capacity evaluations.

Dr. Min’s educational background also includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Cal State Dominguez Hills College in Carson, California. After graduation, she worked for several years as a staff chemist for Neutragena Corporation before she decided to return to school to pursue her interests in the field of Medicine.
Affiliations

Peter Dawson, D.C., Q.M.E.
Dr. Dawson has been a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic since March 2000, having graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors from the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in December of 1999. Dr. Dawson graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelors Degree in Biology in 1995. After completion of his formal chiropractic education, Dr. Dawson later continued his education and received certification as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), as well as a certificate to perform Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA), in December 2000, and later a certificate as a California State approved Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) in October 2001. Dr. Dawson has had a private practice in Upland, California, since 2002 until the present. He joined the SCOP team as a treating chiropractor in May 2008 and has been one of our primary treating chiropractors ever since.

Dr. Dawson worked as a Research Cruise Technician at U.S.C., as well as having participated as a Director of Research at U.S.C. during that time. Dr. Dawson has a long history of working in the health care industry, having previously been licensed as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-1).
Affiliations

Pablo Rodriguez, D.C.
Dr. Rodriguez has been a licensed and practicing Doctor of Chiropractic since 1999, having graduated from Life Chiropractic College West with his D.C. degree. Dr. Rodriguez graduated from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, in 1994, with an Associate of Arts Degree. He continued his undergraduate studies at Excelsior College, where he received his Bachelors Degree in 1999. Dr. Rodriguez has worked in the chiropractic healthcare field for many years in private practice. He joined the SCOP team in February 2009 and is an integral part of our chiropractic treatment program.

Dr. Rodriguez enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid soccer fan. In addition to being an AYSO soccer coach, he also serves as an AYSO Soccer Commissioner. Dr. Rodriguez also serves his community as an active member of the California Volunteer Fire Department, as well as an acting member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Irvine, California.
Affiliations

Michael Schiffman, M.D., Q.M.E. Paul Lin, M.D. W. Seth Bolling, M.D. George Graf, M.D. Nicholas Fuller, M.D. Katrina Vlachos, M.D. Michael Merriman, PA-C. Robert Min, D.C. Semon Min, D.C. Peter Dawson, D.C., Q.M.E. Pablo Rodriguez, D.C.

Michael Schiffman, M.D., Q.M.E.
Paul Lin, M.D.
W. Seth Bolling, M.D.
George Graf, M.D.
Nicholas Fuller, M.D.
Katrina Vlachos, M.D.
Michael Merriman, PA-C.
Robert Min, D.C.
Semon Min, D.C.
Peter Dawson, D.C., Q.M.E.
Pablo Rodriguez, D.C.