California License – G055823
Washington License – 27397
Federal DEA Number – BB0440090
Diplomate National Board of Medical Examiners
American Board of Anesthesiology Certification April 1990
American Boar of Pain Medicine Certification Feb 2000
University of California San Francisco
School of Medicine
540 Parnassus Ave
San Francisco, California 94143
Doctor of Medicine, June 1984
University of California San Diego
9500 Gilman Dr
La Jolla, California 92093
Bachelor of Arts Biology, June 1979
Fellowship Critical Care Medicine
Veterans Administration Medical Centre
Long Beach, California
April – September 1988
Director David Wong, M.D.
Fellowship Obstetric Anesthesia
University of California Irvine Medical Centre/
Women’s Hospital Long Beach Memorial
April – September 1987
Directors: H.J. Choi, M.D. / Mohan Sidhu, M.D.
Residency in Anesthesiology
University of California Irvine Medical Centre
101 City Dr South
Orange, California 92668
December 1985 – November 1988
Chairman: Kevin K Tremper, Ph.D., M.D.
Internship in General Surgery
University of California San Diego Medical Centre
200 West Arbor Dr
San Diego, California, 92103
Chairman: A.R. Moossa, M.D.
PainMD Medical Associates, Inc, President
665 Camino de los Mares, Suite 202
San Clemente, CA 92673
949-364-8959
June 03 – present
Full time solo practice specializing in interventional pain management, including epidural, transforaminal, selective nerve root, and face joint injections of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine; sympathetic block, stellate ganglion block, sacro-illiac joint, trigger point, radiofrequency lesioning/neuromodulation, chemical neuroablation, an Vertebroplasty.
Director of Pain Services, San Clemente Community Hospital
654 Camino de los Mares
San Clemente, CA 92673
Ph: 949-489-4587
Fax: 949-489-4687
9/03 – present
PainRx, Inc; P.S., President
1616 Cornwall Ave, Suite 205
Bellingham, WA
St Joseph Hospital
Interventional Pain Management, performing over 1600 procedures per year.
June 1999 – June 2004
Bellingham Anesthesia Associates, Inc.
Staff Anesthesiologist
St Joseph Hospital
Dept of Anesthesiology
2901 Squalicum Pkwy
Bellingham, WA 98225
June 1990 – April 2001
Anesthesia Medical Group, Inc
Staff Anesthesiologist
Riverside Community Hospital
4445 Magnolia Ave
Riverside, California 92501
December 1988 – May 1990
Chairman Department of Anesthesiology
St Joseph Hospital
Bellingham, Washington
1993, 1994
Vice-chairman 1995, 1996
Anesthesia for the pregnant patient presenting for non-obstetric surgery
St Joseph Hospital Medical Practice Guidelines developed and approved 1995
Pain Management Credentials Criteria: JCAHCO
Compliant – developed and approved for St Joseph Hospital Medical Staff, Bellingham, Washington, 2001 & updated 2003
Pain Management Credentials Criteria: JCAHCO
Compliant – developed and approved for San Clemente Community Hospital, San Clemente, California 3/04.
Including Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty.
Corporate Vice President
Bellingham Anesthesia Associates
1050 Larrabee Ave
Bellingham, WA 98226
1993 – 1996
Expert Witness Experience
Experienced as Expert Witness in Anesthesia and Pain Specialty related trial cases. Given depositions and testified at various trials for both defense and prosecution, in both criminal and civil cases.
Research Fellow
University of California San Diego Medical Centre
Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
San Diego, California
June 1985 – November 1985
Director: Richard M. Peters, M.D.
Medical Student Research Fellowship
University of California San Francisco Medical Centre
Department of Microbiology and Tumour Virology
San Francisco, California
June 1981 – June 1982
Director: J. Michael Bishop, M.D.
Research Associate
University of California San Francisco
Laboratory of Radiobiology
San Francisco, California
July 1979 – June 1980
Director: Harvery M. Patt, Ph.D.
Research Assistant
Salk Institute
Tumour Virology Laboratory
La Jolla, California
September 1977 – June 1980
Director: Walter Echart, Ph.D.
Research Assistant
Cancer Biology Research Laboratory
Stanford University
Stanford, California
June – September 1977
Director: Henry S. Kaplan, M.D.
Human Evolution
“Natural selection and the African/non-African genetic dichotomy”
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Presentation of abstract at international conference on Human origins and evolution
October 1999
Human Evolution
“Mongoloid Origins Out of Africa”
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Presentation of abstract at international conference on Human origins and evolution
April 1997
Western Anesthesia Resident Conference
“Massive hemorrhage secondary to D.I.C. following cardio-pulmonary bypass successfully treated with Desmopressin Acetate and conjugated estrogen”
Vancouver, British Columbia
Presentation of Abstract
May 1988
Western Medical Student Research Forum
“Macrophages resistant to transformation when infected with Rous Sarcoma Virus produce high level of src protein”
Carmel, California
Presentation of abstract
February 1982
“Physiology of Jurassic Giants”
St Joseph Hospital Medical Staff
Bellingham, Washington
November 1996
“Mongoloid Origins of Africa”
Western Washington University
Department of Asian Studies/Anthropology
Guest Lecture
Bellingham, Washington
March 1998
“Heterosexual Transmission of HIV”
St Joseph Hospital Medical Staff
Bellingham, Washington
Guest Lecture (CME credit)
January 2001
“Avalanche Safety and Awareness”
Otolaryngology Winter Conference
Chateau Whistler Resort, British Columbia,
Guest Lecture, Feb 2000
“Survival Skills for Skiing and Snowboarding in Avalanche Country”
Community Service Lecture
Sportsman Chalet, Bellingham, Washington
November 1999 & 2000
“What a Pain Specialist Can Offer Your Patients”
San Clemente Community Hospital
San Clemente, CA
CME Lecture for Medical Staff
10/03
Betts, A. Combined Fluoroscopic and Nerve Stimulator Technique for Injection of the Piriformis Muscle.
Pain Physician 2004, 7:279-281.
Betts A. Risk of HIV contact among males utilizing female sex workers: a quantitative model.
In review
Betts A. Role of semen in the female-to-male transmission of HIV. Annals of Epidemiology, Feb 2001; 11(2): 154-155
Betts A. Natural selection and the African/non-African Genetic Dichotomy. Abstracts: Human & Evolution, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, April 1993:13
Betts A., Eggan J.R. Unilateral pulmonary edema with interscalene block. Anesthesiology 1998; 88(4): 1113 – 1114
Betts A. Mongoloid origins out of Africa. Abstracts: Human Evolution, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories,
October 1997: 77.
Betkowsky A., Newman R., Ott R., Tremper K.K. Massive hemorrhage secondary to D.I.C. following cardio-pulmonary bypass successfully treated with Desmopressin Acetate and conjugated estrogen. Abstracts: 26th Annual Western Anesthesia Conference, May 1988
Betkowsky A., Bishop J.M., Opperman H. Macrophages resistant to transformation when infected with Rous Sarcoma Virus produce high levels of src protein. Clinical Research, Feb 1982; 30(1): 68A
Member Mt Baker Ski Patrol 1990-1996
Ski Patrol certified in avalanche rescue, mountaineering and high angle rescue.
Skied extensively throughout North America, France, Italy; Las Lenas and Bariloche Argentina; Portillo and Valle Nevado, Chile.
Experienced at Mountain and Rock Climbing Achieved level 5.11b
Also enjoy surfing, wake-boarding, mountain biking and soccer.
Guitarist – electric, acoustic and classical. Played professionally in various bands.
Paleo-anthropology and Physical Anthropology – studied independently and participated in several international conferences.
Cosmology and Astrophysics – completed one year course in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington
1999-2000.
Instructor: Richard Vawter, Ph.D.
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
Washington Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
American Academy of Pain Medicine
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Association for the Advancement of Science
U.C. San Francisco School of Medicine Alumni
U.C. San Diego Alumni
Married to Robin Betts, planning to start a family
Born September 27, 1956 in Santiago, Chile
Immigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area at age of two,
Shortened my last name from Betkowsky to Betts after going into private practice- for patient convenience.
Fluent in Spanish.