SPECIALIZED CARE WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

As the regional authority in surgical and conservative care, the Spine Center in Glenwood Springs is a comprehensive provider of spine care with the most advanced technologies available. Our philosophy is that surgery should always be the last resort as a treatment option, but if non-surgical treatments are not successful, we can work with the patient to determine the appropriate surgical options and discuss them with our patients before undergoing surgery. We take pride in being available for our patients when they need us most and providers who are always on-call and available in emergency situations.

Our Providers

Felipe Ituarte, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Felipe Ituarte, MD is an orthopedic spine surgeon at Valley View’s Spine Center. He completed his medical training at UCLA after finishing undergraduate work at the University of California, Riverside. In addition, he completed an orthopedic residency at the University of Missouri and a fellowship in spine surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago. Before joining the Valley View team, Dr. Ituarte practiced spine surgery at OrthoMontana, a top-quality care provider in Billings, Montana.

Dr. Ituarte spent four years in the United States Navy before moving on to college, where he served as an aviation structural mechanic, working on F-14s, F-18s and other naval air power. This background helps him navigate the ins and outs of his professional life today. “I identify problems in the body—that’s my mechanical background at work,” he says. “My goal is to treat my patients with a comprehensive approach, and use my technical mindset to support surgical decision making. I start with the most conservative treatment and move toward more aggressive strategies in order to solve the problem for the long term.”

These days, Dr. Ituarte spends lots of time with his wife and small children, but adventure is a big part of his life too. He enjoys mountain biking and hiking in the mountains, and has travelled to New Zealand, Turkey and Costa Rica in pursuit of great whitewater rafting.

Giora Hahn, MD
Anesthesiologist and Pain Management & Regenerative Medicine Specialist

Giora Hahn, MD has been a fixture in the Roaring Fork Valley medical community since 1996. He has practiced for 25 years as an interventional pain management specialist and is currently the Medical Director at the Pain Center of the Roaring Fork Valley. In addition, Dr. Hahn is on staff at all three of the Roaring Fork Valley’s hospitals as a pain intervention specialist, with additional interest in treating addiction across our community. Dr. Hahn attended medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, after which he completed his residency in anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland.

Although Dr. Hahn has been treating pain his whole career, he hopes that his new collaboration with the Spine Center at Valley View will allow him to expand on his goals of improving spinal health and well-being in the Roaring Fork community.  “My goals are to work together with the team at The Spine Center to get our active community back to enjoying the outdoors,“ he says. “I enjoy getting my patients back to the things they love to do, and often spinal health is directly related to pain management—the healthier you are in that area the better off you are from a pain perspective.”

“And in a community like ours, where outdoor pursuits are so popular, spinal health drives our enjoyment of where we live.”

Dr Hahn lives in Carbondale with his wife and two sons. “I love the small-town feel of our community and raising my sons here has been amazing for all of us,” he says. “I myself enjoy snowboarding, telemarking and biking, and engaging in those sports lets me see how important it is to have a healthy, pain-free body, and helping my patients get back to that state when they’ve been injured is the best part of my job.”

Dr. Hahn also enjoys reading books and listening to music—particularly live music. He has recently started dabbling in playing some new musical instruments as well.

 

Caleb Seale, MD
Physical Medicine and Interventional Pain Management

Caleb Seale, MD is a physical medicine and interventional pain management physician with Valley View’s Spine Center. He focuses on axial and peripheral musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain conditions, utilizing minimally invasive procedures to manage acute and chronic, persistent pain issues. Dr. Seale earned his medical degree from the Texas A&M College of Medicine, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences. He completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at UT Health San Antonio and his fellowship in pain management at Texas Tech University. He has contributed to a number of peer-reviewed studies and journal articles and, in 2021, he won Best Paper honors at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s annual meeting for his work on reducing pain through radiofrequency.

Dr. Seale grew up in Texas and only recently moved to the Roaring Fork Valley with his family. “I love the friendly people I’ve met since coming here,” he says. “Serving such an active, engaged community is a real pleasure and makes my job even more rewarding.”

Dr. Seale’s philosophy of care is simple—keep moving. “For many chronic painful conditions, movement is medicine,” he says. “Continued movement is key to getting back to the patient’s desired level of function, so my goal is to meet patients where they are and encourage activities they love. That’s what keeps them improving.”

Dr. Seale and his wife have a young daughter, and he is excited to introduce her to the outdoor activities Colorado has to offer. He is also an avid softball player and played in multiple leagues during college and medical school. Dr. Seale is in the process of searching for another long-term hobby, too—he is interested in pursuing golfing, gardening, mountain biking and fly fishing.

 

Ehrich Bean, PA-C
Physician Assistant

Ehrich Bean is a certified physician’s assistant at Valley View’s Spine Center. He brings 23 years of experience to VV with him, 22 of those year in spinal surgery. “I really love being in the operating room,” he says. “Even after decades seeing the same pathologies over and over, it just never gets old. There are always new things to learn and new ways to improve patient outcomes despite the similar conditions you see and treatments you use.”

Even though much of Ehrich’s experience lies in the operating room, he also values his relationships with patients. “There’s two sides to the equation, the clinical and the surgical,” he says. “The clinical side has its own set of rewards. Meeting new people and helping them understand their conditions, getting them to where they want to be, is incredibly satisfying. You get to help improve their quality of life.”

Before joining the VV team, Ehrich worked at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO as well as the Panorama Orthopedics and Spine Center in Golden. He is originally from Longmont, and served as a student athletic trainer during his time at the University of Colorado. “My desire to take care of patients developed very early in my sports medicine days, and just progressed from there,” he says with a laugh.

Ehrich is a born-again drummer, having started playing at age 11. “I played all the way through high school and into my 20s, in garage bands and such,” he says. “Then I got away from it for a while. I picked it up again in my 40s to jam with friends and remembered how much I love it. It’s the best outlet I’ve found.”

Ehrich also enjoys the outdoors, where he tends to “keep things on the mellow side.” He enjoys skiing, as well as hiking with his wife of 22 years and their dog. Their daughter is currently attending Northwestern University and applying to medical school herself, looking to carry on the family tradition of patient care and medical expertise.

 

Cameron Youngblood – PA-C
Physician Assistant

Cameron Youngblood is a certified physician assistant with the Spine Center at Valley View Hospital. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, he landed in the Roaring Fork Valley where he worked as an emergency medicine technician in the Snowmass Clinic and as a whitewater rafting guide. His next few years were spent in Denver as a paramedic. He returned to North Carolina, graduating from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Physician Assistant program with academic distinction in 2002.

Cameron began his physician assistant career in musculoskeletal care with the Department of Surgery at Duke Medical Center. An opportunity arose in Colorado, and he joyfully relocated to the Vail Valley in 2003. He has practiced in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado ever since, specializing in surgical spine care, joint replacement, and orthopedic surgery. Now part of Valley View’s Spine Center, Cameron will support the spine patients of the Roaring Fork Valley and Western Slope as they get back to the activities they love most.

Spine surgery has always been a special fascination of Cameron’s. He appreciates the intricacies of spinal biomechanics and takes pride in his ability to explain operative and non-operative spine care in a manner that makes the problems understandable and less daunting to patients. “Helping patients truly understand their diagnosis and treatment options in a relatable manner” is an important goal in his care of patients.

Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Cameron currently lives in Edwards, Colorado with his wife raising three children. In his spare time, Cameron enjoys the outdoor activities available to him in this amazing part of the world. Time spent on the river, whether floating or fly fishing, is his passion.

Jaideep Chunduri, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Jaideep Chunduri, MD is an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Spine Center at Valley View. He earned his undergraduate degree in combined sciences at Youngstown State University, before moving on to attend medical school at the Northeastern Ohio Medical University. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Henry Ford Health Sciences Center, as well as a fellowship in spine surgery at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute. He has taught dozens of courses in all areas of spinal surgery and anatomy and was also named a Top Doc by Cincinnati Magazine for ten consecutive years.

Dr. Chunduri’s interest in sports was an early influence on his career choice. “I still play tennis regularly, and do trainer-led workouts several times a week,” he says. “I try to instill this desire to stay active in my patients, as there is no better way to avoid orthopedic issues than to keep moving.”

“I’ve helped a college-level pitcher with lower back problems retain his 90 MPH fastball after surgery and therapy, among many other athletes,” he continues. “But even if the patient’s version of active is simply being able to walk through the grocery store, I want to help them improve their condition and get to that level. People who want to do more with their bodies are my favorite patients to treat, no matter what their level of doing more looks like.”

Dr. Chunduri is very active in his community, particularly in raising money for nonprofit organizations. He also enjoys cooking in his spare time. “It’s so different from my daily routine, which is so high pressure,” he says. “I find it incredibly relaxing.” He and his wife have two sons, who are both accomplished athletes in their own right.


Valley View Hospital | 1906 Blake Ave | Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 | Fax: 970.384.8120 | 970.384.8060