Stable Foundations,
Lasting Growth
Balance Health is the nation’s premier comprehensive lower-extremity focused Physician Practice.
Balance Health Joins Forces with Weil Foot & Ankle Institute
Balance Health and Weil Foot & Ankle Institute (WFAI) have merged to form the largest majority physician-owned podiatric medical organization in the United States.
Why Join Balance Health?
Dedicated Experts
We provide relief from the burdens and headaches of private practice with dedicated subject-matter experts committed to your growth and success in recruiting, HR billing and collections, accounting, technology, marketing, regulatory compliance and more.
Strength in Numbers
Our partners enjoy the advantages of a large organization while preserving the autonomy of private practice. We leverage our size to improve contracts which increases revenue, decreases purchasing costs and allows us to compete in the world of value-based care.
Clinical Differentiation
Our physicians represent many specialties and subspecialties which allows us to serve everyone from routine to highly complex patients. Additionally, our doctors are thought leaders in their disciplines and constantly putting research into action in pursuit of superior clinical outcomes.
Ancillary Services
Partner practices have access to pathology labs, MRIs, physical therapy services, orthotic labs, vascular testing services and more, which enables convenient and comprehensive patient care and creates additional revenue opportunities.
Your Career Awaits
We are looking for board certified podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons and vascular surgeons, physical therapists and other medical professionals interested in joining a dynamic group practice.
Our partner physicians enjoy clinical autonomy and freedom from administrative tasks while being part of a rapidly growing network.
Strength Through Stability
Hear From Our Partners
Our Team
Stephen Pohlmeyer
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Before joining Balance Health, Steve led growth efforts at Dermatology Medical Partners, a leading dermatology support organization based in Tampa, FL, where he remains actively involved at the board level.
Earlier in his career, Steve worked as a private equity investor at Westwind Investors, Crane Street Capital and Warburg Pincus and as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.
Steve graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, where he ran cross country and track and met his wife, Susan. He and his family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dr. Alex Reyzelman
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Chief Medical Officer
As Chief Medical Officer of Balance Health, Alex’s goal is to bring together like-minded physicians and other healthcare professionals who deliver clinical excellence while creating the scale necessary to win in an ever-changing healthcare environment.
Alex graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1991 with a B.S. in Biology and attended California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland. After earning his DPM, he completed a surgical residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio where he developed interest in treating complex wounds and amputation prevention.
In 2011, he co-founded the UCSF Center for Limb Preservation and Diabetic Foot. He is a Professor at California School of Podiatric Medicine and a Director of the Limb Preservation Fellowship at UCSF. He maintains memberships in the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the American Podiatric Medical Association, and the California Podiatric Medical Association.
Dr. Lowell Weil, Jr.
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EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
A passion for podiatry runs deep in the Weil family. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, Dr. Lowell Weil Jr. grew up watching his father, Lowell Sr., work as a podiatrist in local hospitals and as the Team Podiatrist for the Chicago Bears. So, it was no surprise that he attended the William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago for his Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine after graduating from Vanderbilt University. He completed his residency at The University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate Hospital in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery before attending a traveling European Fellowship spending time with 26 of the most acclaimed foot and ankle surgeons on the continent.
Armed with an additional Masters in Business Administration, he moved into the CEO role of Weil Foot & Ankle Institute in 2015, where he makes use of both his podiatric expertise and his business training to provide the best environment for patients, team members, and physicians for the highest level of care. In addition to being trained in the latest surgical techniques, Dr. Weil Jr. embodies the ethic of care that makes WFAI special. He believes that every patient’s story deserves to be heard. In his role as Executive Chairman of Balance Health, his focus will be on physician education to improve patient care and building relationships in podiatric and medical communities.
He enjoys forming relationships with his patients and working together to make them well. Outside of work, Dr. Weil Jr. enjoys spending time with his wife Wendy, who is also a podiatrist in the organization, and their three children. They especially love cooking together and traveling the world. He also continues to spend plenty of time with his mother and father.
Dr. Gavin Ripp
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CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Dr. Gavin Ripp received his bachelor’s degree in Economics at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. While at BYU, he had additional studies in Spanish and Portuguese. After college, Dr. Gavin Ripp obtained his doctorate of Podiatric Medicine from Des Moines University, where he graduated in the top 10 of his class and was president of the local chapter of the Pi Delta National Honor Society.
He completed a three-year surgical residency program at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. It has long been considered one of the elite foot and ankle training programs in the U.S. During this time, he worked with some of the top foot and ankle surgeons in the country, including both the orthopedic and podiatric communities.
In addition to routine foot and ankle training, he has received advanced training in:
- Microneurovascular Surgical Training in San Francisco, CA, at the M.O.E.T Institute
- Arthroscopy of the Foot and Ankle at the Orthopedic Learning Center in Chicago, IL
- External Fixation of the Lower Extremity at the Orthofix Institute in Dallas, TX
- Foot and Ankle Reconstruction and Traumatology at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, CA
- Total Ankle Replacements in Seattle, WA, and in San Francisco, CA
Dr. Gavin Ripp enjoys treating all aspects of the foot and ankle. Special interests include reconstructive lower extremity surgery, sports medicine, and pediatrics. He is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association and the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
He is married with three children, and is an avid sports fan who loves the outdoors. Born in Texas, he has a passion for BBQ and football.
Tamara Porfirio
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CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
As CAO of Balance Health, Tamara leads MSO administrative operations and the integration of new providers and practices to the growing national organization. Prior to joining Balance Health, Tamara served as COO for Weil Foot & Ankle, expanding and leading operations across five states and more than doubling the size of the organization over a three-year period.
Tamara previously served in a variety of MSO and medical group executive leadership roles at the University of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine and the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. She started her career in healthcare as a research scientist before turning her attention to patient care.
Tamara earned a Masters degree in pharmacology from the University of Iowa and a BS in biology and chemistry in undergrad. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.
Johnny Kamon
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Director of Business Development
As Business Development Director, Johnny is responsible for identifying growth opportunities for Balance Health. He specializes in partnering with physicians to grow private practices by integrating complementary providers and services, improving outcomes, patient convenience, and profitability.
He most recently led the development and expansion of a large non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) group which focused on serving underprivileged and underserved communities throughout California.
Johnny was literally ‘launched’ into healthcare as a patient, after being involved in a motorcycle accident. During his rehabilitation, he experienced the deficiencies in healthcare, which continues to motivate him to help doctors find ways to spend more time on patient care and less on administrative tasks.
Johnny lives in Pasadena, CA where he serves on multiple non-profit governing boards, including the Pasadena Sister Cities where he is Chairperson to Japan. Johnny studied Business Administration at Portland State University and is fluent in Japanese.
