Dr. Meier earned his medical degree at Albany Medical College. He completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore after completing a residency in General Surgery at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Meier’s undergraduate degree is from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he graduated magna cum laude.
Dr. Meier is married and has three children. He resides in Peru.
Dr. Mitchell is an Illinois Valley native. He and his wife, Tracy, and their three children live in Peru.
|
Dr. Peter J. Meier |
|
Dr. Robert J. Mitchell |
|
Dr. Jason Bergandi Orthopedic Surgeon (Spine Specialist)
Illinois Valley Orthopedics Dr. Jason Bergandi is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the treatment of spinal problems. The Hall High School graduate earned his college degree at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and his medical degree from the SIU School of Medicine. |
He went on to complete an internship in general surgery and a residency in orthopedic surgery at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, before going on to more advanced training in orthopedic spine surgery through a fellowship at the Maryland Spine Center in Baltimore. Specific spinal procedures performed by Dr. Bergandi include:
- Cervical fusion and cervical disc replacement;
- Balloon kyphoplasty for compression fractures;
- The new x-stop procedure, a minimally-invasive method of treating spinal stenosis, a degenerative condition characterized by a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back;
- Lumbar procedures for herniated discs;
- Lumbar fusion for degenerative disc disease;
- Lumbar disc replacement;
- Epidural injections for the relief of back pain.
Dr. Bergandi also does total joint replacement surgery.
 |
Catherine Renk, P.A.-C., is a board-certified physician assistant who has been part of the Illinois Valley Orthopedics team since 1990. She is board-certified and has a master’s degree in physician assistant studies with a specialty in orthopedics from the University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha. She had earlier graduated from the physician assistant program at Wichita State University. Ms. Renk and her husband, Jim, have two children and live in Peru. |
 |
Debra Pyszka, P.A.-C., earned her bachelor’s degree in physician assistant studies from Midwestern University in Downer’s Grove. She became board-certified in 1999 and has been part of the Illinois Valley Orthopedics medical practice since 2005. She also is part of the staff at the Hygienic Institute Community Health Center. |
 |
Rachel Colby, P.A.-C., who joined Illinois Valley Orthopedics in 2009, is a board-certified physician assistant who earned her bachelor’s degree in physician assistant studies from Midwestern University in Downer’s Grove. She also has a master’s degree in athletic training from Illinois State University in Normal and a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University. Before becoming coming to IVO, she was on the staff of a a bone and joint clinic in Wausau, Wisconsin. |
