About us
Our Mission
At Pima Pain Center we are dedicated to the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of your pain. We are focused on listening to our patients’ concerns, understanding their needs and truly providing the best care of each individual patient. Our physicians will work with you and your primary care doctor to design a treatment plan to decrease your pain and improve your life.
Our values
We understand that living with pain can be an anxious time for you and your family. Our primary objective is to facilitate your recovery by providing nationally recognized quality care. Our staff of caring professionals is focused on meeting your needs and exceeding your expectations.
Meet The Team
EMIL H. ANNABI, M.D.
Dr. Annabi received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas at El Paso. He went on to medical school at Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He received his Certificate of Fifth Pathway Completion from New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. He then completed his internship in Internal Medicine Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and continued on to a residency in Anesthesiology at Texas Tech University in El Paso, before transferring to the University of Arizona. Dr. Annabi then went on to complete a Pain Medicine Fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital. He held the position of Assistant Professor with the Department of Anesthesiology and the Director of Chronic Pain Management at the University of Arizona for 7 years. Dr. Annabi is presently serving as the Director of Pain Management at Santa Cruz Valley Regional hospital in Green Valley, Arizona.
STEPHEN A. SHILLER, M.D.
After completing medical school at New York Medical College I moved on to a one year Surgical internship and Anesthesiology residency at the University of Arizona. Although I loved the practice of Anesthesiology, during my residency I found my true passion in the treatment of chronic pain. I completed a fellowship in Pain Medicine at Columbia University and returned to my home in Tucson having an opportunity to practice with my good friend and mentor, Dr. Emil Annabi. It is a real privilege to return to Tucson and provide pain management to my hometown community that I have been a part of for over 20 years.
JAMES CANAVAN, M.D.
As the child of a Military family, I experienced living in many parts of the Country and now enjoy calling Arizona my home for the past 25 years. My family Journeys ultimately placed me in Oklahoma where I completed my undergraduate studies with honors in Chemical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. I subsequently followed my dreams and continued my education receiving my Medical Degree at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. I arrived at the University of Arizona where I completed my residency in Anesthesia with academic honors achieving the top 2% on the National Board Exam. Neuro-anesthesia and Pain Management were my areas of focus during residency with significant time spent at Barrow’s Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Upon completion of residency, my practice was a combination of providing anesthesia and pain services to the community. Ultimately in 2004 I transitioned to what I loved most and am blessed to be focusing fulltime in Pain Management and providing these services with our great team of providers at Pima Pain Centers
GABRIELE KOSCHORKE, M.D.
Dr. Gabriele M Koschorke is an Anesthesiology Specialist in Tucson, Arizona. She graduated with honors in 1987. Having more than 33 years of diverse experiences, especially in ANESTHESIOLOGY, INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT.
Dr. Koschorke graduated from the Ruprechts-Karls-University, Medical School in Heidelberg/Germany. During her Medical school she was involved in basic science pain research and was recruited for a postdoctoral fellowship in Neurosurgery/basic science at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. After the 2 year fellowship in Neurosurgery she stayed on as a part time instructor to continue her NIH grant for which her group received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award. In the other part time she completed a fellowship in Experimental Therapeutics and Pharmacology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She missed the contact to patients and decided to go back into clinical practice. She did her surgical internship at The Union Memorial Hospital and finished her Anesthesiology Residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She went to The Virginia Mason Hospital and Washington University Medical School in Seattle (combined program) for her Pain and Regional Anesthesia fellowship. She was called to work as an Attending at the Barnes Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. She spent 2 years there and then explored private Practice in Dallas, TX. From there she was recruited to the Medical School in Tucson Arizona and became the Medical Director of the Outpatient Pain Clinic at the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System for almost 13 yrs. During her time at the VA she was the acting Pain Fellowship Director for the University for 2 years. She trained over 15 Pain fellows and a multitude of Anesthesiology Residents.
Besides treating Pain Patients in a Private Practice setting, she is also Wilderness Medicine certified and for over 10 years volunteers for Search and Rescue.
Yan yang, M.D.
Yan Yang, M.D. graduated from Shanghai medical college in 2014 and completed her anesthesia residency at the University of Arizona. She is board certified in pain medicine from the Cleveland clinic foundation.
Cheryl Mejia, D.O. F.A.W.M. M.Sci,
JEFFREY D. BOLTON, D.C.
Jeff D. Bolton and his wife, Kathy, moved to Tucson in January 2019 from Niles, Michigan. There, they operated a successful chiropractic practice for 30 years. Dr. Bolton attended Eastern Michigan University where he studied pre-medical, and then Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia for his doctorate in chiropractic degree. Advanced training also includes Level 1 certification by the American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board, and certification in Chiropractic Biophysics Technique. Dr. Bolton and his wife Kathy have been married for 10 years. They each have two sons, and one granddaughter. They are both active and volunteer with their local church. Dr. Bolton lives what he teaches by remaining physically fit and active. He is a two-time Olympic distance triathlon finisher.
JACQUELINE GOMEZ – F.N.P.- P.C.
A native Arizonan, Jacquelien Gomez is proud to be part of the team at Pima Pain Center. As a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, she realizes the importance of providing pain management to her patients in a safe, quality and compassionate approach. Originally from Safford, Arizona, Jacqueline began her career in patient care in 2002 as a registered nurse working in the Mount Graham Hospital, located in rural Safford, Arizona. Subsequently, after relocating from Safford to Sahuarita, Arizona in 2006, Jacqueline’s nursing experience comprised of working in various capacities at St. Mary’s Hospital, including Cardiology, Wound Care, Diabetic Education and working at the Carondelet Green Valley Nursing services until receiving her Family Nurse Practitioner Degree. Upon receiving her Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2013 from Northern Arizona University, Jacqueline worked as Primary Care Provider in Green Valley for United Community Health Centers (UCHC) for over 3 years and enjoyed serving her patients and the community of Green Valley. Jacqueline also worked in other Nurse Practitioner positions in Occupational Health and Urgent Care until December 2019. Jacqueline is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as a Family Nurse Practitioner (AANP) and is a member of the AANP. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Southern Arizona Advanced Practice Nurse-Nurse Practitioner Society and Nurse Practitioner Associates for Continuing Education (NPACE). Jacqueline is a proponent of life-long learning and strives to provide the best care possible. It is her belief that pain management is very important for a patient’s quality of life. Hobbies include spending time with family and friends, music, learning and exercise. Jacqueline is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as a Family Nurse Practitioner (AANP) and is a member of the AANP. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Southern Arizona Advanced Practice Nurse-Nurse Practitioner Society and Nurse Practitioner Associates for Continuing Education (NPACE). Jacqueline is a proponent of life-long learning and strives to provide the best care possible. It is her belief that pain management is very important for a patient’s quality of life. Hobbies include spending time with family and friends, music, learning and exercise.
CARLA A. MUNDT – MSN, APRN, PMHCNS- BC
Carla graduated from Clarkson College where she received her BSN, she also attended the University of Nebraska College of Medicine where she received her MSN in 2000. Her experience is with General psychiatry with emphasis on trauma disorders, geropsychiatry, and dual diagnosis. Carla is certified in Adult Mental Health Psychiatry.
Yvonne Mclemore, MSN, NP-C
Lisa Laginess, FNP-BC
Lisa Laginess, FNP-BC is a board certified nurse practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She attended the University of Central Florida where she earned recognition as a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. Her clinical experience includes: primary care, interventional pain management, palliative care, and hospice. She enjoys partnering with patients to develop individualized treatment plans. She provides compassionate, holistic health care with a focus on optimizing quality of life. Lisa aims to create a comfortable environment where strong and trusting patient-provider relationships can be built. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, especially with her labrador retriever, King.
Okey Iloegbunam FNP-C
Okey (pronounced okay) emigrated from Nigeria to Queens, New York in 1989. Moved to Georgia in 2004. Family Nurse Practitioner, board-certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Earned MSN from Brenau University, Georgia (2017), marking the fifth University degree. Began pain management in 2017 at Tri-State Pain Institute, Fort Mohave Arizona. Passionate about pain management, currently in a Ph.D. program with research focus on opioids for pain management in the elderly. Loves cooking, especially African Continental dishes, going on cruises, dancing, and fishing. Lives in Georgia with a wife who is an OR Registered Nurse at Emory University Hospital.
