Our Surgeons

Meet Our Surgeons



Dr. Pradhen

www.laspinesurgeon.com

Dr. Pradhan, MD, MSE

Board Certified And Fellowhip Diplomate Spine Surgeon

Dr. Ben B. Pradhan is a Board Certified, and Fellowship Trained, Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, whose practice focuses solely on spine problems. He treats cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal disorders. As the former Director of Clinical Research, and Spine Surgery Fellowship Coordinator at THE SPINE INSTITUTE of Santa Monica, CA / CEDARS-SINAI Medical Center, he has been very involved in research and teaching within the ever changing field of spine surgery. He presently heads the spine surgery department of the RISSER ORTHOPAEDIC GROUP in Pasadena, CA. RISSER is one of the most established orthopaedic groups in southern California, established in 1937, and one with a long tradition of spinal care.

Dr. Pradhan is a Princeton graduate. He started out his education and career as an aerospace engineer, but was drawn toward the engineering and technological advances being made in the field of spine surgery. After completing high school as the valedictorian, he graduated from Princeton with academic honors, was recruited to UCLA for a PhD in aerospace engineering with a UC Chancellor's fellowship where he was nominated for outstanding graduate engineering student, and completed his MD training at UCLA with a Dean's scholar recognition. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at UCLA and his spine surgery fellowship with Dr. Rick Delamarter, whom he subsequently joined as a partner in THE SPINE INSTITUTE (Santa Monica, CA - now at CEDARS-SINAI) for the next four years. Dr. Pradhan joined the RISSER Orthopaedic Group on a part time basis for two years following the untimely passing of his predecessor there, Dr. Charles Prickett. Dr. Pradhan fully moved his practice to RISSER in Pasadena in August 2008.

During the course of his extensive education and training, and subsequently his practice and teaching, Dr. Pradhan has compiled over 300 peer reviewed scientific publications, presentations, abstracts, and posters. He has presented his experience on topics of modern spine surgery in major spine surgery research and medical society meetings internationally as well as nationally. He has also been awarded various honors from the major spine surgery societies, which have been chronicled on this website.






Dr. Laster


Dr. Laster, MD

Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Dr. Laster attended college at Pomona College in Claremont, California where he starred as an all-conference linebacker for four years. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology. After his undergraduate studies, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to enroll in medical school at Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, Dr. Laster was admitted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. He received his Medical Doctorate in 1995 and started his training in orthopaedic surgery at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. While at Tulane, Dr. Laster received intensive training in all disciplines of orthopaedic surgery. He is extremely well versed in the speciality of trauma, having served several years of his residency at Charity Hospital New Orleans, a level one trauma center. He graduated from Tulane in 2000.

Dr. Laster joined the Risser Orthopaedic Group in the year 2000 and has practiced as a board certified orthopaedic surgeon since that time. His interests include trauma and the disorders of the hip and knee. He specializes in total joint replacement including computer navigated surgery as well as total hip arthroplasty through the anterior approach. He has staff privileges at the Huntington Outpatient Surgery Center, Huntington Memorial Hospital and Arcadia Methodist Hospital. He is a member of the California Orthopaedic Association, the Western Orthopaedic Assoiation, Los Angeles County Medical Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

On a personal note, Dr. Laster grew up in Palo Alto, California as the youngest of eight children. He was active in the Boy Scouts and attained his Eagle Scout badge at age 15. More recently, he has been involved in the Pasadena region of AYSO and is currently in his fourth year as a head coach. Dr. Laster and his wife, Alison (a clinical psychologist) live with their two children in Pasadena and enjoy being involved in the Pasadena and Altadena communities.



Dr. Northrop


Dr. Northrop, MD

Board Certified Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgeon

Dr. Northrop is a board-certified, sports medicine fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in economics. After working in healthcare consulting for 5 years, Dr. Northrop returned to medical school, obtaining his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He then completed a surgical internship at UC San Francisco Medical Center and subsequently went on to complete his orthopaedic residency at Stanford University. After finishing his residency Dr. Northrop then obtained addition training in sports medicine and arthroscopy at the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation.

Dr. Northrop's specialty areas of interest include operative and non-operative management of sports injuries, arthroscopy, joint replacement and fracture care. His philosophy is that people of all ages should remain as active as possible and as such, his goal is to restore injured and hurting patients to their previous level of function. Whenever possible, conservative, non-operative approaches are tried first. When surgery is required Dr. Northrop employs a variety of approaches, including the latest minimally invasive, arthroscopic techniques.

Dr. Northrop was raised in Los Angeles and currently lives in Pasadena with his wife and three children. In his spare time he enjoys golfing, skiing, mountain biking and spending time with his family.










Dr. Mostofi


Dr. Mostofi, MD

Board Certified Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon

Dr. Amir Mostofi attended high school in Bakersfield California and spent time in several hospitals as a volunteer where at a young age he discovered his passion to pursue a career in medicine. As a pre-medical student at UCLA he graduated Magna Cum Laude and with departmental honors in physiological sciences. Dr. Mostofi moved to Chicago Illinois to attend Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science for medical school. He was inducted in the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society and graduated at the top of his medical school class. He spent the next several years in Connecticut for his orthopaedic surgery training at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Mostofi authored several book chapters and peer reviewed publications. He dedicated his last year of training at Brown University specializing in hand, upper extremity, and microvascular surgery. Training under the direction of Dr. Edward Akelman and Arnold Peter Weiss, two world renowned leaders in hand surgery, Dr. Mostofi has gained tremendous expertise in complex hand disorders. He has finally returned home to southern California, joining the Risser Orthopaedic Group.

Dr. Mostofi devotes his practice to hand, wrist and elbow injuries. He has expertise in caring for common hand problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome as well as fractures, sports injuries, arthritis, and nerve problems of the hand, wrist and elbow. He holds staff privileges at the Huntington Outpatient Surgery Center, Huntington Memorial Hospital and Arcadia Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Mostofi is an avid Lakers fan. He enjoys running, swimming, and playing basketball. He spends much of his time with his family and friends. His favorite activity on a weekend is to barbeque at the beach and watching football. He has recently moved to Pasadena where he hopes to become an active part of the community.








Dr. Norquist

Dr. Norquist, MD

Distinguished Orthopaedic Surgeon for 38 Years

Dr. Donald M. Norquist joined Dr. Risser in 1945 after serving in the U.S. Army during WWII. He followed the tradition of Dr. Risser, teaching scoliosis at the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital. While practicing in Pasadena, Dr. Norquist was Chief of Staff at St. Luke Hospital and was president of the local chapter of the Western Orthopaedic Association.

Dr. Donald J. Norquist followed in his father's footsteps. He completed his undergraduate and medical school training at the University of Southern California. He specialized in orthopaedics at the Orthopedic hospital in Los Angeles. He has also served as the president of the executive committee and member of the board of trustees at St. Luke hospital. Dr. Norquist was a clinical instructor in Orthopaedics at USC school of medicine and was the president of the medical alumni association in 1980. For the last 38 years, he has been a dedicated member of the medical community in Pasadena.



Dr. Sheng

Dr. Sheng, MD

Physiatrist - Doctor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Dr. Alexander Sheng is a Board-certified, fellowship-trained doctor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as a Physiatrist. He has subspecialty Board-certification in Sports Medicine. His area of expertise is non-operative spine, sports, and musculoskeletal medicine. Dr. Sheng started out his education with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he was a member of the prestigious Chancellor's Scholars Program as well as the James Scholar Honors Program. He went on to complete his Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he graduated at the top of his class. He finished his MD training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he also completed his internship in Internal Medicine. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, which has been ranked the number one hospital-based rehabilitation program in the country for the past 12 years by US News & World Report. He dedicated his last year of training at Washington University in St. Louis, specializing in non-operative Spine and Sports Medicine.

Dr. Sheng's clinical practice is devoted to the compassionate and comprehensive care of back, neck, joint, and peripheral nerve disorders due to degenerative conditions, sports, work and other injuries. His focus is on optimizing non-surgical, rehabilitative, and preventative treatment. He also performs advanced, minimally-invasive spinal procedures such as epidural and facet injections under fluoroscopy. He is trained in electrodiagnosis (EMG and NCS) for the diagnosis of spine, muscle, or nerve diseases.

Dr. Sheng recently moved with his wife to Southern California. He is an avid fan of the Chicago Bulls and Bears. In his spare time, he enjoys kayaking, swimming, yoga, weight-lifting, ballroom dance, and spending time with his family.