About the Joint Relief Institute.

Ermin Arriola
MD, Physician

Ermin is a board-certified physiatrist, a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician, with 22 years of clinical experience. He specializes in musculoskeletal disorders and sports medicine. He received his education in biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before pursuing a medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and completing a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Rush University Medical Center.

Ermin’s experience is extensive and diverse, having practiced at Resurrection Medical Center, MacNeal Hospital, Ingalls Medical Center and Rush University Medical Center in the fields of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

After working as a solo practitioner for over 10 years, Ermin was moved by the energy, enthusiasm and dedication of the team at JRI. He planted his roots at the clinic and has never looked back. Seeing his patients go from living a life of pain to one of genuine happiness and improved quality of life is always a moment of blessing and gratitude for him.

Michael Hana
MD, Founder

Mike Hana is triple board certified in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Interventional Pain Practice. He completed his fellowship at the University of Texas, where he also served as an assistant professor training and teaching other physicians the science and the art of performing Image-guided interventions for pain management. Before moving to Texas, Dr. Hana lived in New York City where he participated in thousands of surgeries including many joint replacements at multiple hospitals including the Brookdale University Level One Trauma Center, Staten Island University Hospital, Cornell University, and Columbia University Hospitals.

During his time as a pain management specialist, Dr. Hana was at the bedside of patients struggling to recover from knee surgery and saw firsthand the pain and suffering that follows knee replacement surgery. As he witnessed patients with increasing doses of narcotics, Dr. Hana decided he couldn’t be part of any more surgeries. Instead, Dr. Hana has dedicated his medical career to finding a better way to treat patients with knee pain. That commitment to effective, non-surgical relief for knee pain is how the Joint Relief Institute was born.

Rahul Khapekar
DO, Physician

Rahul is a double board-certified physician in both Sports Medicine and Family Medicine. As a graduate from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, he has an extensive background in Osteopathic Medicine too. After completing his family medicine training at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, he specialized in sports medicine and trained at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Rahul enjoys working at JRI because of its positive culture and is proud to be part of a team that is in complete transparency and compliance with the required medical and governmental guidelines.

As a primary care sports medicine physician, Rahul knows all too well the challenges of living with joint pain. That is why he takes the time to fully understand his patients’ conditions so that he can work on a treatment plan that has their best interests at heart.
Rahul says sharing his medical knowledge in exchange for stories, opinions and life lessons from his patients makes for a rewarding practice.

Julie Kafka
MD, Physician

Julie is triple board certified in Sports Medicine, Family Medicine and Urgent care. She completed her medical studies at the University of Tennessee in 2009, and she has been in practice ever since. She has worked in multiple medical facilites, including at the University of Tennessee, the University of Illinois and Rockford Memorial Hospital.

Julie joined JRI two years ago for its welcoming environment and commitment to excellent patient care. She thoroughly enjoys working alongside her team members and takes pleasure in providing pain relief to her patients.
Avid runner, Julie ran thirteen half Marathons including one on the Great Wall of China.

Katrina Nguyen
DO, Physician

Katrina received her Sports medicine fellowship training at Stanford University after finishing her medical education at Midwestern University and completing her residency at the University of Florida Shands Hospital. She is board certified in sports and emergency medicine and has been a practicing physician for seven years. During her time in San Fransisco, she was a team physician for the U.S. national women’s soccer team and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as working as a Stanford collegiate-level team doctor for football, wrestling, gymnastics and soccer.

Katrina was drawn to the family-like work environment at JRI, where she could get to know her patients and devise a treatment that would help them lead happier, more active lives. Her happiness lies in being able to provide her patients relief from pain and seeing them enjoy doing the things they couldn’t before.

Marianne Hana
MD, Physician

Marianne is double board-certified in Sports Medicine and Family Medicine. She mastered non-surgical treatment for joint injuries and arthritis during her residency at Mount Sinai Hospital and her fellowship at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

JRI has special significance to Marianne, as the institute has successfully treated her own parents and in-laws for knee pain. She enjoys the sense of peace and positivity she feels working at JRI.

Rajka Milanovic Galbraith
MD, Physician

With 23 years’ experience in family medicine, urgent care and sports medicine, Rajka brings a wealth of medical knowledge and expertise to JRI. She graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in zoology before receiving her medical degree from The Ohio State University’s College of Medicine. She is certified to practice medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine, the Institute of Functional Medicine and the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine.

Rajka chose to work at JRI because of the institute’s commitment to providing high-quality service to patients. She enjoys being surrounded by like-minded staff as she strives to provide the best care and improve the quality of life of her patients.

Nicholas Manolitsis
MD, Physician

Nicholas is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from Loyola University Chicago before heading to Southern Illinois University where he earned his medical degree. After completing his PM&R residency training at the University of Missouri in 2012, he worked as a travelling PM&R physician providing inpatient rehabilitation coverage in several states from far and near, such as Montana, Iowa, and New Mexico. Prior to joining the Joint Relief Institute he worked at Swedish Hospital in Chicago.

Nicholas’s primary clinical interest is in the management of chronic musculoskeletal disorders, most notably the non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis. He was drawn to the Joint Relief Institute by its collegial work environment, commitment to patient-centered care, and the opportunity to help patients stay active, maximize their function and improve their quality of life

In his free time Nicholas enjoys photography, hiking, and going on road trips and hopes to one day visit all of our nation’s majestic national parks.

Christina Chamakala
PA-C, physician assistant

Christina is a national board-certified physician assistant who received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed her physician assistant program in Philadelphia.

After two years in urgent care, Christina knew she wanted to work in a positive environment surrounded by a cohesive team. JRI exceeded her expectations in both aspects, allowing her to happily settle down in a warm, patient-focused workplace. Christina ensures that her patients always feel welcome at JRI by spending time and exchanging fun stories with them.

Clement Sinigur
PA-C, physician assistant

Clement graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University’s physician assistant program. He joined the Joint Relief Institute because he wanted to work in a medical practice where everyone shared his patient-first philosophy, a belief that caring for people is an honor not to be taken for granted. And as a physician assistant, what could be more fulfilling than helping people to walk?

Girelle Peterson
PA-C, physician assistant

Girelle is a board-certified physician assistant and a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, having completed her master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Midwestern University.

Girelle has been in practice since 2018 and has witnessed firsthand how debilitating knee pain can be, so she relishes the opportunity to help her patients receive treatment that can change their lives. Working at JRI gives Girelle the opportunity to perform those procedures.

When she is not helping her patients, she can usually be found working on house projects, playing board games or going on walks with her family in parks and forest reserves.

Lauren Clark
PA-C, physician assistant

As a recent graduate from the physician assistant program at Midwestern University, Lauren is a fresh young face at JRI. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from the University of South Florida and completed her clinical training at large healthcare institutes such as AMITA and NorthShore as well as private clinics in Chicago. Lauren enjoys working at JRI for its friendly work environment and emphasis on excellent patient care. She is always up for a friendly chat with her patients as she guides them through relieving their joint pain and improving their mobility.

Mario Misseha
PA-C, physician assistant

Mario is a recent graduate of Gardner-Webb University’s Physician Assistant Program, having previously completed his undergraduate degree in kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently working on obtaining his doctorate in medical sciences with a focus on clinical research in knee osteoarthritis while simultaneously taking his first career step as a physician assistant at JRI.

Always up for an adventure, Mario has several medical mission trips under his belt, including trips to Bolivia and Peru. He has done refugee work with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and hopes to work with the organization again in the future. When not on life-saving missions, Mario enjoys attending church, playing chess, making hip-hop music and watching anime.

Sara Hill
PA-C, physician assistant

Sara is a graduate of the University of St. Francis Joliet and the University of St. Francis Fort Wayne. She moved quickly up the ranks from working as a medical assistant to an emergency medical technician, and she is now a practicing physician assistant at JRI.

Sara’s experience includes a medical mission trip to Haiti and carrying out clinical rotations in various medical departments, including emergency medicine, urgent care, orthopedics, endocrinology, cardiology and hospitalist medicine.

Sara joined the team at JRI because of its warm work environment and work-life balance. Seeing the relief on her patients’ faces and hearing them talk about the ways JRI improved their quality of life is another reason that gets her out of bed in the morning. Her confidence in JRI led her to recommend the clinic to her father and her husband, both of whom have received treatments here.

Valerie Witt
PA-C, Physician Assistant

Valerie has been a practicing physician assistant since 2006 and has experience working in various fields, including OB/GYN, correctional medicine and pain management. She has also worked at the Children’s Medical Resource Network in Illinois, where she spent five years treating abused children. Prior to pursuing the physician assistant program at Southern Illinois University, she completed a nursing program at Rend Lake College and was a registered nurse in obstetrics in southern Illinois.

Valerie fell in love with JRI the first time she laid eyes on the institute. Her responsibilities, along with her coworkers and patients who have become a second family to her, are what motivate her to get out of bed each morning.

When not running procedures at JRI, Valerie spends her time with her husband and children, occasionally visiting her extended family in southern Illinois.

Allegra Marino
PA-C, Physician Assistant

Allegra is a board-certified physician assistant. She completed her Bachelors of Science degree in biomedical engineering at the University of South Carolina and her Masters of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Midwestern University.

Allegra joined JRI because of its amazing culture and standard of excellence for patient care. She is passionate about patient education and welcomes the opportunity to have discussions with patients and answer their questions about relieving joint pain through treatment at JRI.

Brianna Sikorski
NP-C, Nurse Practitioner

Brianna is a national board-certified Nurse Practitioner (NP), who received her undergraduate nursing degree from the University of Iowa (go Hawkeyes!), and her NP degree from Georgetown University.

Brianna worked in the Oncology field caring for patients diagnosed with cancer prior to joining the JRI team. She enjoys working at JRI as the work environment is incredibly positive and patient focused. Everyone truly cares about making each day better than the last! Furthermore, she enjoys getting to know the JRI patients while also helping to alleviate their joint pain.

In her free time, Brianna enjoys staying active – hiking, skiing, traveling (she hopes to go to Italy or Greece in the future) and spending time with her friends and family.