TCC Advisory Board
Mel Pohl, MD
Dr. Pohl is the Chief Medical Officer of Las Vegas Recovery Center (LVRC). Certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM), a distinguished fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, he was a major force in developing LVRC’s Chronic Pain Recovery Program.
Dr. Pohl is the author of A Day without Pain, revised edition; Central Recovery Press, 2011; Pain Recovery (How to Find Balance and Reduce Suffering from Chronic Pain); Central Recovery Press, 2009; Pain Recovery For Families (How to Find Balance When Someone Else’s Chronic Pain Becomes Your Problem Too); Central Recovery Press, 2010; and The Pain Antidote—Stop Suffering from Chronic Pain, Avoid Addiction to Painkillers, and Reclaim Your Life; DaCapo, 2015. Dr. Pohl is a nationally known public speaker and filmed a show for PBS on chronic pain which aired around the country in 2016.
Several years ago Dr. Pohl met Becky at Pain Week, and has since provided education for TCCU students. After 40 years treating addictive disorders—the past 12 years treating patients with co-occurring pain and addiction—he splits his time between LVRC and San Diego. His favorite pain strategies are mindfulness meditation, stretching and yoga—tools that help settle his mind and stretch tight muscles. Beyond educating folks about addiction and chronic pain, he enjoys hanging out with friends, walks on the beach and reading, plus all those activities with new puppy, Lucy.
Irvin Bishop, Jr.
Irvin Bishop is a thought leader with a unique blend of technology and marketing expertise. Effective as an entrepreneur in both start-up and corporate environments, he is equally comfortable with technology and data, marketing strategy and consumer insights, and believes the most effective leaders must be bilingual across marketing and technology.
He has expertise in CPG Digital Marketing, Loyalty Marketing and delivering Omni channel platforms and solutions, and has been featured as a national speaker on Loyalty and Loyalty best practices. He has delivered award-winning solutions for The Coca-Cola Company—FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Super bowl, and MyCokeRewards. He is passionate about creating great teams through a focus on individual development and growth, open communication, leading by example, sharing a common vision and having fun. One of his strongest passions is volunteerism; he has participated in over 8 Habitat for Humanity home builds and volunteers as a Board Member of Arthur M. Blank YMCA.
Mr. Bishop holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Alabama A&M University, a Master’s Certification in Project Management from George Washington University, a Master’s in Marketing and Certification in Brand and Consumer Management from Georgia State University, 2017. He provides guidance for many technical and philanthropic organizations, is a member of the IT Senior Manager’s Forum and serves as a Client Advisory Board member of “The History Project.”
Irvin Bishop lives in Utah with his beautiful wife of 20 years and high school-age son. He is attracted to both the mission and vision of Take Courage Coaching.
David A. Hanscom, MD
Dr. David Hanscom is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in the surgical correction of complex spine problems in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. With expertise in adult and pediatric spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis, he’s spent a significant part of his practice performing surgeries on patients who had undergone multiple prior spine surgeries. Having spent much of his career learning non-operative care with rehabilitation physicians, he began to share his own stress management tools with his patients that were in pain but had no indications for surgery.
He quit his surgical practice in 2019 to bring effective medical treatments for chronic mental and physical pain into mainstream medicine and known solutions for chronic pain into public awareness. 6He has published several books and is developing resources for patients and providers to make the best decisions about their care with regards to chronic disease. His books are: Do You Really Need Spine Surgery? Take Control with a Surgeon’s Advice (2019), Back in Control: A Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain, 2nd edition (2016), Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain (2012). His website, www.backincontrol.com is the action plan for DOC project (Direct your Own Care).
Dr. Hanscom received his medical degree from Loma Linda University, Internal Medicine residency in Spokane and Orthopedic surgery training at the University of Hawaii. His orthopedic trauma fellowship was done at UC Davis, Sacramento. He has co-directed clinical programs and the spine fellowship at Swedish Neuroscience Specialists, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle. He is the founder of the Puget Sound Spine Society, a non-profit educational group which provided a regional forum for physicians from multiple specialties to share ideas regarding optimum spine care.
He has two more books in progress with the working titles of: Chronic Pain and Your Family: Getting Back in Control and Awake at the Wound: Athletic Performance Principles in the Operating Room. Awake at the Wound is a program that applies athletic performance principles to the surgeon and OR staff with a focus on consistency of performance. He co-founded the program with his golf-instructor, David Elaimy, in 2006. The concepts are applicable to preventing and addressing professional burnout. Optimizing Physician Performance has been incorporated into the core training for fellows and residents.
Cherie Pettitt, EdD, FACSM, NBC-HWC, EP-C, CSCS, PAPHS, CHWC, EIM Level II
Dr. Pettitt is an Associate Professor/Adjunct Instructor in the PhD Health Science program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, UT. She teaches courses in wellness coaching and mentors PhD students who’s dissertations are related to wellness coaching effectiveness and efficacy. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and serves on the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Credential Committee. She has served as an EIM Emerging Leader and speaks frequently on the topic of exercise and wellness coaching in healthcare. She is a contributing author in the American Council on Exercise’s The Professional’s Guide to Health & Wellness Coaching.
Dr. Pettitt has worked in various capacities in health and wellness fields including federal grants, health departments, health insurance companies, healthcare systems and education. Dr. Pettitt has several certifications: ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist, Exercise is Medicine level two credential, the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching. In addition, Dr. Pettitt is a Certified Health & Wellness Coach through Wellcoaches™ and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Dr. Pettitt’s research focus includes wellness coaching, physical inactivity (sitting) as it relates to vascular health and productivity, submaximal exercise testing for those with chronic disease, exercise in healthcare and intercultural development of allied health professionals. Dr. Pettitt writes free NBC-HWC test questions and is the moderator on her Facebook Page—Health & Wellness Coaching Exam Test Prep Group.
She lives with chronic pain and has benefited the most from stress management and mindfulness…and of course a really intense massage!
William M. Zachry
Bill Zachry holds a B.S. in Business Administration, Personnel & Industrial Relations, and Wage & Salary Administration (San Francisco State University). His experience includes senior positions in several insurance companies, chair and board positions for numerous insurance organizations. He is a fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors and a member of the National Association of Social Insurance, was appointed by two California governors to the State of California’s Fraud Assessment Commission and the Compensation Insurance Fund, and is a Senior Fellow of the Sedgwick Institute.
He has designed and/or implemented Workers’ Compensation insurance programs and claims systems, helped design and implement California’s workers’ compensation regulations (since 2004); designed/implemented California’s first Workers Compensation Pharmacy Network (2004); participated in the design and passage of Federal Legislation for Medicare Set Aside bill: HR 1485; been involved in workers’ compensation legislation and regulations in several States; founded the California Chamber of Commerce AMICUS Committee, and implemented programs for Safeway to reduce workers’ compensation costs and liabilities. Mr. Zachry has authored numerous workers’ compensation articles for Business Insurance Magazine and Risk & Insurance Magazine and blogs.
Mr. Zachry has received numerous awards, including “Workers Compensation Professional of the Year” 2016, RIMS/Business Insurance Magazine “Risk Manager of the Year” 2014, Watsonville Law Center “Fields of Justice” Community Service Award 2010, California District Attorney Association “Award for Dedication and Service in Fighting Fraud” 2010, and RIMS “Richard Bland Award” for exemplary legislative efforts 2005.
Steven D. Feinberg, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Steven Feinberg is a physiatrist and pain medicine specialist practicing in Palo Alto. He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor and teaches at the Stanford University Pain Service.
Dr. Feinberg is a past president (1996) of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). He served as a California Society of Medicine & Surgery (CSIMS) Year 2001 President. He served from 2009 to 2017 on the Board of Directors of the American Chronic Pain Association and is senior author of the 2020 ACPA-Stanford Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Management. He is on the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (WOEMA) Board of Directors. He is a member of the California DWC Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee.
Dr. Feinberg received the 1998 Professional of the Year Award from the California Governor’s Committee on Employment of the Disabled. He is the recipient of the 1999 American Academy of Pain Medicine Founders Award. In 2006, he received both the Silver Scalpel Award by CSIMS and the Stanford Pain Management Center Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2011, he received the Western Occupational and Environmental Medical Association Jean Spencer Felton Award for Excellence in Scientific Writing.
Dr. Feinberg served as Panel Chair for the ACOEM Chronic Pain Guidelines Panel Chapter 2017 Update. He served as a Medical Reviewer for the ACOEM 2014 Opioid Guidelines. He serves on the Reed Group’s Medical Advisory Board. He also serves on the ODG Editorial Advisory Board. He served as a Reviewer for the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 6th Edition. He is on the AMA Guides Newsletter Advisory Board, the AMA Guides® Editorial Panel, and he is a member of the AMA Pain Care Task Force. Dr. Feinberg is an Expert Reviewer for the Medical Board of California and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
