IOF Committees

Pedro Bernáldez Domínguez MBA MD, PhD is a specialist in Sport Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, with training between Spain and several Hospitals in the USA (Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mont Sinai, Rush Orthopedic, Maimonides Medical Center, etc.) He specializes in Arthroscopic Surgery, Regenerative Medicine, and Ultrasound-Guided Interventions. - Doctor of Medicine "Cum Laudem" from the University of Seville, he has 2 Official Masters, one in Sport Trauma - by the Catholic University of Murcia-, and another a MBA in Healthcare Management awarded by the IMF Business School. - Director of SportMe Medical Center in Seville (Spain) since 2009 www.clinicabernaldez.com , where he performs all arthroscopic surgeries, he is also an expert in musculoskeletal ultrasound and ultrasound-guided therapies (awarded by the Spanish Federation of Sports Doctors) and active member of the Ultrasound Group of the musculoskeletal system within the Spanish Society of Sports Medicine and of the Spanish Society of Sport Trauma, as well as Director of the Biological Therapies Unit Orthobioseville (www.ortobiosevilla.com) - Among other merits, Dr. Bernáldez stands out for being the Director of the online medical training platform "Eco-Msk Course, Direct to the injury" www.eco-msk.es, fundator of the Andalusian Elbow and Shoulder Group (GANCHO) and the I World Congress of Orthobiology (www.ortobiologia.com) - Director of the Spanish Academy of Regenerative Medicine (AEMR) www.aemr.es and of the International OrthoBioMsk DEBA Course, this year the V edition will be in Seville in February 2026. www.ortobiomsk.com - Coordinator of the Spanish Group of Biological Therapies (GRESTBI) within SETRADE and director of the online Conference "Master Talks on SETRADE Biological Therapies" www.setrade.org - He is a member, among others, of the Spanish Association of Arthroscopy (AEA), and the Spanish Society of Sports Traumatology (SETRADE) - At the surgical level, his passion is Arthroscopic Surgery, in all joints, where he is a national reference especially in knee, shoulder, hip and elbow.

Dr Sam Botchey is a Consultant in Musculoskeletal, Sport and Exercise Medicine specialising in interventional orthobiologics, regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal ultrasound and image-guided procedures. He is the Founder of The Sports Biologics Clinic and holds consultant appointments at leading hospitals and medical institutions across London and the South East of England.

Dr Botchey completed his specialist training programme in Sport and Exercise Medicine at Oxford University Hospitals’ renowned Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. He is a Fellow of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and holds a first-class honours degree in Sport and Exercise Science, a Master’s degree in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health from University College London, and a Postgraduate Certificate with Distinction in Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography from the University of East London.

His clinical practice focuses on the non-operative management of musculoskeletal injuries, tendinopathy and osteoarthritis. His areas of expertise include diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound, ultrasound-guided injections, platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow-derived orthobiologics, intraosseous procedures, hyaluronic acid and extracorporeal shockwave therapy. He has a particular interest in integrating precise diagnosis and image-guided intervention with progressive rehabilitation and performance medicine.

Dr Botchey has extensive experience in elite and professional sport. He has worked across Premier League and international football, Premiership rugby, the NFL London Games and major sporting events at Wembley Stadium. His roles have included work with Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea Football Club, Arsenal Football Club, England Football, UK Sport and the NFL.

Alongside his clinical practice, Dr Botchey is actively involved in medical education, research and professional development within orthobiologics. His academic interests include orthobiologic dose, patient selection and phenotype, procedural precision, treatment standardisation, rehabilitation integration and real-world clinical outcomes. He lectures on musculoskeletal and orthobiologic medicine and is committed to advancing evidence-based practice, responsible clinical innovation and international collaboration across the field.

Dr. Zaid Matti MD, MBChB, PgDipMSM Otago, PgDipSurgAnat Otago, FRNZCGP, FNZCMM, FAAMM is a musculoskeletal and Regenerative Medicine Specialist practising in New Zealand and Australia. He is Medical Director of RegenCellular and Founder of the New Zealand Musculoskeletal & Regenerative Medicine Centre.

His clinical thinking is grounded in an early career in orthopaedic surgery. Those years shaped how he examines, how he reads imaging, and how he places a needle — but they also convinced him that a great deal of what arrives on an operating list need never have reached it.

Orthobiologics is the answer he has built his practice around. He regards it as a bridging technology: a genuine middle ground between conservative care that has run out of options and surgery that is premature, irreversible, or simply wrong for the patient in front of him. He works across the full range of the modality — image-guided platelet-rich plasma in its various preparations, culture-expanded adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells, and injectable adjuncts — chosen to fit the problem rather than a preferred product.

Teaching is the other half of the work. He holds that orthobiologics earns its place only through evidence, and he teaches it that way — honestly, and including its limits — to general practitioners, specialists, and colleagues throughout Australasia. He has been a member of the Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation IOF for close to a decade and counts it among the defining landmarks of his career. Its influence is visible in how he works: his practice is built almost entirely on image-guided intervention, with ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance treated as the standard of accuracy rather than an optional refinement.

Alberto J. Panero, D.O. is a board-certified Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation physician with subspecialty certification in Sports Medicine and founder of The BIOS Orthopedic Institute in Sacramento, California. He specializes in interventional sports medicine, and advanced image-guided orthobiologic procedures. Dr. Panero serves as core faculty for the University of California, Davis PM&R Sports Medicine Fellowship, where he mentors physicians in musculoskeletal ultrasound, interventional orthopedics, and regenerative medicine. An internationally recognized educator, he has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and delivered more than 100 national and international presentations on orthobiologics, ultrasound-guided procedures, and sports medicine. His clinical experience includes caring for elite and professional athletes while maintaining a practice focused on helping patients restore function, optimize performance, and return to activity through evidence-based, minimally invasive treatments. Passionate about education, innovation, and collaboration, Dr. Panero is committed to advancing the field of interventional orthobiologics and fostering an engaged, connected community that supports the growth and success of IOF membership.

Dr. Patel is double board-certified in Sports Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, as well as fellowship trained in interventional pain management. He focuses his clinical practice on the use of exercise, nutrition, Osteopathic Manipulation, and natural therapies such as regenerative cell therapy for the treatment of orthopedic injuries and pain conditions.

Dr. Patel earned his degrees across the nation at the George Washington University in Washington DC, Drexel University in Philadelphia, and Midwestern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at the prestigious Kessler Institute in New Jersey, fellowship with the Orthopedic and Spine Specialists hospital of Pennsylvania, and advanced regenerative medicine training with Regenexx and the Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation (IOF) – a non-profit for which he is a master instructor for other physicians and on the membership and engagement committee.

Dr. Patel is an invited speaker and instructor for medical conferences and courses across the world. In addition to teaching physicians, Dr. Patel is an associate clinical professor for medical students at the Western University and Touro University Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Marc P. Pietropaoli, MD, is a board-certified, Sports Medicine Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon and Regenerative Medicine Specialist with more than 25 years of clinical experience. He is the Founder & CEO of Victory In Motion – Home of Knee Repair, NOT Knee Replacement®, in Skaneateles, New York.

After completing his orthopedic surgery residency, Dr. Pietropaoli completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute under Dr. James R. Andrews and Dr. William G. Clancy. Throughout his career, he has focused on advancing evidence-based orthopedic care through biologic therapies, rehabilitation, injury prevention, and patient-centered treatment strategies. His practice integrates orthobiologics, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), photobiomodulation with comprehensive rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and outcomes tracking.

Dr. Pietropaoli is an international speaker, educator, entrepreneur, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of Repair NOT Replace™. He has been an early adopter of emerging regenerative technologies and is committed to advancing research, education, and responsible clinical innovation within orthobiologics.

As Founder of Victory In Motion, his team is pursuing an ambitious mission: to End The Need For Knee Replacements By The Year 2043 by advancing joint preservation, regenerative medicine, patient education, and evidence-based alternatives to joint replacement whenever appropriate.

Dr. Sharmila Tulpule is an internationally recognized Orthopaedic Surgeon and American Board Certified Regenerative Medicine Specialist with over three decades of experience in musculoskeletal care. She is the Founder and Director of Orthobiologix Biotech Pvt. Ltd. and Orthobiologix Clinic, established to provide patients with unbiased orthopaedic diagnosis and a comprehensive discussion of both surgical and non-surgical treatment options, including the latest evidence-based orthobiological and regenerative therapies. She currently practices at Mubadala Health and Medcare Hospital in Dubai and Orthobiologix Clinic, Mumbai India and divides her time between the two countries. One of the few practicing female orthopaedic surgeons in the UAE, GCC, and India, Dr. Tulpule has extensive expertise in orthopaedics, arthroscopic surgery, sports injuries, ultrasound-guided orthobiologic interventions, and regenerative medicine. Her passion for orthobiologics evolved from her commitment to minimally invasive treatments that maximize healing while minimizing the need for surgery.

She completed her MBBS and MS (Orthopaedics) at Government Medical College, Nagpur University, where she was a University Topper in MS Orthopaedics and a Gold Medalist in General Surgery. Following her postgraduate training, she refined her surgical skills under some of India's most respected orthopaedic and arthroscopic surgeons before serving as lecturer, Head of Department, trauma surgeon, and consultant at leading institutions in India. She also underwent advanced arthroscopy training in France before establishing a distinguished orthopaedic career in Dubai.

Dr. Tulpule is a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Board of Regenerative Medicine (DABRM, FABRM). She is the India Affiliate of the American Board of Regenerative Medicine (ABRM) and leads physician education and training programs for ABRM in India. She also serves on the Board of the American Society of Regenerative Medicine (ASRM), Dubai. She serves on the Orthobiologics Task Force of SICOT and on the Advisory Board of the World Institute of Regenerative Medicine. She is the Founder and Chairman of ReGen, one of India's premier international conferences on regenerative orthopaedics and orthobiologics, and Founder and Trustee of the Advanced Regenerative Medicine Foundation.

An invited international faculty member, Dr. Tulpule has spoken at prestigious meetings including TOBI (USA), SICOT (Spain) and numerous global regenerative medicine conferences. She has authored peer-reviewed research papers, contributed chapters to international textbooks on orthobiologics, and received the Gary Malanga Award for Best Educator in Regenerative Medicine.

Driven by a commitment to ethical, evidence-based regenerative medicine, Dr. Tulpule continues to advance the field through patient care, research, physician education, and international collaboration.

Dr. Nikhil Verma is a board-certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, fellowship-trained in interventional spine and musculoskeletal health. He completed his fellowship at OrthoAlabama Spine and Sports, a North American Spine Society accredited program. He is the founder of Essential Sports and Spine Solutions in Columbus, Ohio, a practice dedicated to evidence-based, image-guided, non-surgical musculoskeletal care. His clinical focus centers on autologous orthobiologic therapies including platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, micronized adipose, and prolotherapy, delivered through a protocol-driven model rather than isolated injections. Dr. Verma holds IOF certificates in Advanced Spine and in Intermediate Shoulder and Elbow Orthobiologic Injection Technique, and continues to pursue advanced orthobiologic training. He is an active contributor to physician education and the responsible advancement of the field. He chairs the Social Media Committee for the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, served as Regenerative Medicine Co-Chair for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from 2023 to 2025, and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Orthopedics This Week. In 2026 he joins the faculty of the OHSIPP annual conference, presenting on photobiomodulation for cellular stimulation and on regenerative medicine practice integration. He also reaches a broad clinical and patient audience through his educational series "Things I Didn't Learn in Med School" and his newsletter, "Essentials of Healing." As a member of IOF's Membership and Engagement Committee, Dr. Verma is committed to growing an active, multidisciplinary community of clinicians grounded in scientific evidence, ethical practice, and patient safety. He believes the future of orthobiologic medicine depends on strong physician engagement, honest communication, and a shared commitment to advancing the field responsibly.

John Knab, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician with more than 25 years of clinical experience, specializing in spine and musculoskeletal disorders and interventional orthobiologics. He is the founder and Medical Director of Elite Spine + Joint and serves as Medical Director of the Center for Pain Management in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Dr. Knab completed his anesthesiology residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center and fellowship training in Pain Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. His career has focused on developing and refining image-guided, minimally invasive approaches to spine and musculoskeletal disease, with an emphasis on evidence-based orthobiologic therapies.

Physician education is a major focus of Dr. Knab’s work. He lectures nationally on interventional orthobiologics, spine care, platelet-rich plasma and other autologous biologic therapies, and the integration of emerging technologies into musculoskeletal practice. He has helped develop and teach advanced programs on orthobiologic treatment of the lumbar functional spinal unit and other complex spine and musculoskeletal conditions.

His educational interests also include the broader field of Interventional Orthopedics. He teaches physicians musculoskeletal ultrasound, image-guided diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and the thoughtful use of complementary regenerative technologies such as extracorporeal shockwave therapy, photobiomodulation/laser therapy, and other emerging modalities to support tissue healing, rehabilitation, and patient outcomes.

Dr. Knab is active in academic medicine and clinical research. He serves on the Editorial Board of Pain Physician and has authored textbook chapters on regenerative and interventional medicine. His academic interests include platelet dosing and formulation, epidural and intradiscal biologic therapies, discogenic pain, functional spinal unit treatment, and clinically meaningful protocols that translate orthobiologic science into reproducible patient care. He has also contributed to prospective clinical research evaluating platelet-based treatments for lumbar radiculopathy.

Dr. Knab is also committed to responsible physician and patient education through social media and digital platforms. He uses these channels to discuss emerging research, challenge unsupported claims, and translate complex orthobiologic science into practical clinical concepts, helping distinguish evidence-based interventional orthobiologics from treatments lacking adequate scientific support.

Dr. Knab’s professional interests center on advancing Interventional Orthopedics and orthobiologics through rigorous clinical practice, research, physician education, mentorship, and open scientific discussion. He is committed to helping establish interventional orthobiologics as a credible, evidence-driven discipline and educating the next generation of physicians who will move the field forward.