Meet the Team

A board-certified orthopaedic surgeon with more than 30 years’ experience, Robert J. Zehr, MD, is the Chief of Surgery for Landmark Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Medical Director for the JCC. In addition to his private practice at Zehr Center for Orthopaedics, Dr. Zehr is CEO and Co-founder, with Dr. Kurtis Biggs, of Seaside Surgery Center. Dr. Zehr pioneered the use of the direct anterior approach to hip replacement in Southwest Florida and continues to lead Collier County in the number of hip replacements performed annually. Dr. Zehr specializes in hip and knee surgeries.

Brian Wallace, DO, is a sports medicine specialist whose interests in orthopedics include the arthroscopic treatment of the shoulder, elbow and knee. A board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Wallace has extensive training in joint reconstruction and fracture care. Dr. Wallace is the head team physician for Ava Maria University here in Southwest Florida. His past experience with athletes includes the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team.

Specializing in complex shoulder and knee problems, James J. Guerra, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. Dr. Guerra is an innovator in minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, training surgeons from around the world in these procedures as the Medical Director for Arthrex, Inc., the world’s leading medical device company. He is the head team physician for Florida Gulf Coast University and team physician for the Naples Community School and Gulf Coast High School.

H. Kurtis Biggs, DO, is a graduate of Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he remains an Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopaedics. He completed his orthopaedic surgical residency at Doctors Hospital Stark County and a Total Joint Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Biggs is the founder of The Joint Replacement Institute and Co-founder with Dr. Zehr of Seaside Surgery Center. Board-certified, Dr. Biggs specializes in hip and knee joint replacement and revision joint replacement surgery.

David E. Eichten, DO, graduated from the Kansas City (MO) College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his internship and residency at Grandview Hospital and Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Following a Joint Reconstruction Fellowship at Joint Implant Surgeons of Florida, he joined that practice where he specializes in hip and knee replacement as a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon.

Graduating from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, Rikhil Patel, DPM, completed his residency at Phoenixville Hospital, Phoenixville, PA. In 2016, he was selected for a one-year fellowship training in Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery & Limb Salvage at the Family Foot and Leg Center in Naples, where he now practices.

Educated at Baylor University and Texas A & M College of Medicine, Chirag Patel, MD, completed his residency and training in orthopedic surgery at Stanford University Medical Center and Charles Drew University Medical Center. Dr. Patel is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons and is one of only six American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) members from Marco Island to Sarasota.

Board-certified foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon Evgeny Krynetskiy, MD, completed a fellowship at renowned Duke University Medical Center following his graduate work and residency at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. His practice includes treating acutely injured patients as well as those suffering from long-term effects of prior trauma and chronic inflammatory disease.

Cliff Burmeister, DPM, is an Associate of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons specializing in foot and ankle surgical reconstruction, revision surgery and ankle arthroscopy. He also provides palliative care for common ailments of the foot and ankle and stays abreast of current trends such as stem cell therapy for sports medicine injuries and other inflammatory conditions.

Naples native Patrick Joyner, MD, is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery with a Certificate of Added Qualification in sports medicine. Following his graduation from Penn State College of Medicine as the top-ranked student of his class, Dr. Joyner completed his residency at Duke University Medical Center and a sports medicine fellowship under well-known orthopaedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Dr. Joyner served four years in the US Navy before beginning his practice at Neuroscience and Spine Associates.

Michael Havig, MD, is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery with a Certificate of Added Qualification in sports medicine. He graduated from medical school at Vanderbilt University, completed his residency at Emory University School of Medicine, and a sports medicine fellowship at The Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, Utah. He is a US Ski Team physician and provided orthopaedic care to Olympic athletes at the 1996 Summer and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Dr. Havig is the Team Physician for Naples High School.

Board-certified and fellowship-trained, Moses K. Shieh, DO, FACOS, graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Shieh completed his internship and his residency at Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, an affiliate of Michigan State University.

A graduate of the Victor Segalen University Bordeaux College of Medicine in Bordeaux, France, James A. Hadley, MD, FACS, completed his residency at the University of Rochester Medical Center where he also served as a professor of otolaryngology. Dr. Hadley has more than 34 years of experience and is nationally recognized as a specialist in the management of nasal and sinus disorders.

After graduating from Southern Connecticut State University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s in Nursing, Sara LaPorte began her nursing career as a critical care nurse working in SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit), EICU (Electronic Intensive Care Unit), ER and PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit). She then obtained a travel nurse position, primarily working in ICU.

Following a move to Florida, LaPorte began her management career, rising rapidly in surgical services. She started as a Surgical Services Coordinator, and then moved to Orthopedics Program Manager, before being named the Director of Orthopedics, Robotics, and Surgical programs at Physicians Regional Healthcare System. In this position, Sara spearheaded the development of the orthopedic program, developing strategies to increase quality and reducing length of stay for the orthopedic population of Southwest Florida.

LaPorte joined the Landmark Hospital system in 2017. She is the Vice-President of Orthopedic and Surgical Services and is developing and growing the surgical program. Download Sara’s CV.