Our Providers & Staff
Dr. Paul McKinley, DO
BOARD-CERTIFIED PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
Dr. Paul, a native of Southern California, has been in practice since 2002 and joined Elevated Health in 2018. Prior to joining Elevated Health, he spent 14 years in private practice in Orange County caring for patients in both the office and hospital settings. He then spent 2 years as Medical Director in a direct primary care medical group in Chicago before returning to California.
Dr. Paul practices the full spectrum of primary care medicine managing all health conditions and is skilled in outpatient medical procedures. He emphasizes a preventive approach to health with all his patients and has an interest in the science of longevity medicine which aims to prevent the chronic diseases of aging and improve healthspan. He has an additional Board Certification from the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine and achieves results using modern medical treatments, integrative medicine, hormone replacement therapy, nutrition, and exercise. As a former college basketball player, he also enjoys sports medicine and is skilled in treating orthopedic injuries.
Dr. Paul loves practicing in the direct primary care model where he can spend time with patients and develop long-term relationships with them. This allows him to deliver a personalized approach to each individual patient and help them live healthier and more vibrant lives. In his spare time Dr. Paul loves being in the outdoors with his wife Kate, and son. He especially enjoys the mountains, where he is hiking and biking in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter.
Dr. Lucy Pun, DO
BOARD-CERTIFIED FAMILY PHYSICIAN
Dr. Lucy Pun has always loved being the medical caretaker of her family. Eventually, that passion motivated her to pursue a career in medicine and take care of many other families. She enjoys taking care of people of all ages and considers her patients as part of her family. Dr. Pun chose Direct Primary Care because it allows her to spend quality time with her patients, provide education, and empower her patients to be in charge of their health.
Dr. Pun received her Bachelor of science at UC Irvine. Prior to starting medical school, she trained in child development and was a Montessori preschool teacher. She then received her medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences, and completed residency at PIH Health Hospital in Downey. She is board certified in Family Medicine.
Dr. Pun has a special interest in Women’s health and Pediatrics, in addition to the variety of chronic conditions she sees in Family Medicine.
In her spare time, Dr. Pun enjoys traveling, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and two children.
She speaks fluent English and Armenian.
Charlotte Nicolas, MSN, FNP-C
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER
Charlotte was born in France and moved to Southern California when she was four years old. She is bilingual in French and English, and currently speaks it at home to her husband, three year old daughter and newborn son.
An undergraduate of UC Irvine with a Bachelor’s in Nursing Science, she worked in the OR for 5 years (at AHMC and then Hoag Newport Beach). She then pursued and received her Master’s degree in Nursing Science from California State University Long Beach in 2017 and has worked in private family practice and internal medicine. She recently moved to Huntington Beach with her family from the Long Beach area and enjoys being outdoors. She has completed two Sprint triathlons and enjoys riding her bike, hiking, cooking (homage to her heritage), and loves to read in her spare time- if there is any with a newborn at home!
Charlotte strives to focus on patient education and disease prevention. She provides evidence based care to all patients, and is always keeping up to date on the newest treatments and and care modalities. Open, honest, and caring…Patient-Provider relationships are her priority. She enjoys attending medical conferences and takes care of patients through all stages of life, from childhood to adulthood.
Eric Burk, LMFT
THERAPIST
Eric has over 30 years of experience in mental health, working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. He recently served as Clinical Director of an intensive outpatient program in Santa Ana, that provided treatment to persons with both mental health and substance abuse challenges. Prior to that, he was Director of Quality Assurance and Training for one of the County’s largest mental healthcare programs where he mentored other therapists in addition to seeing clients himself.
He earned his BA in Psychology from CSU Long Beach in 1990 and his MA in psychology from California Southern University in 2010. Eric has been a licensed psychotherapist for over a decade, and has experience in treating anxiety, depression, relationship issues, life stages, PTSD, gender dysphoria, grief and loss, the effects of long Covid, substance use disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. He employs a range of therapeutic methods but believes that empathetic listening and unconditional positive regard are the most essential elements for healing and emotional growth.
Married for 30 years to his wife Lynn, who is also a licensed therapist, they reside in Cypress with their four sons. They enjoy traveling as a family, having explored Egypt, India, Russia, China, France, Italy, Spain, and hope to visit Africa soon.
Dr. Ben Pun, D.C.
CHIROPRACTOR
Dr. Benjamin Pun completed his Bachelors of Science degree at University of California, Irvine and his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at the Southern California University of Health Sciences where he graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors.
Dr. Ben uses a variety of gentle and effective hands-on chiropractic techniques including Diversified, Activator, Webster, and Cox-Flexion Distraction Technique. In addition to treating acute and chronic conditions, he also has experience treating an abundance of sports related injuries. He was a member of the Sports Injury Council and has volunteered his chiropractic services in various sporting events such as the Wildflower Triathlon and Surf City Marathon.
Dr. Ben is so passionate about improving the health of entire families that he extended his education to include pregnancy and pediatric chiropractic treatment which has become his specialty.
Daniel Zike
REGIONAL MANAGER
Daniel has worked at Elevated Health for nearly 5 years. He has over 10 years of experience in a health care setting, including rural health centers, psychiatry, urgent care and now direct primary care!
Daniel received his Bachelor Degree in Healthcare Administration and graduated from California State University Long Beach in 2019. He has always had a passion for healthcare, and loves supporting the providers that he works with, the staff, and patients.
Daniel currently lives in Costa Mesa with his beautiful wife Shannon and their two kids. They welcomed their second child, Hudson, in December 2021. They are also proud parents to two adorable cats: Detective Mittens and Haydes. When Daniel isn’t at Elevated Health, he is likely at home chasing his daughter around, reading a nice Harry Potter book, watching sports, or cleaning.
Fun Fact: Daniel once raised a bull-frog from a pollywog he found in a lake for 6 months. His name was Homer. Be sure to ask him about it!
Heather Baltazar, LVN
OFFICE MANAGER
Heather has been an LVN since 2005. She has worked in hospice and home health, registry positions, flu clinics and wellness centers. Prior to joining Elevated Health, Heather was a Nurse Manager at an outpatient clinic in Torrance, CA. It was in this position that she found where she wanted to be in nursing – in a healthcare model where the patient is the emphasis and the cause. She brings those years of diverse experience and passion to the Elevated Health team.
Heather lives in Long Beach, CA with her family and their dog, Mister Toast. When she’s not working, Heather likes to read, travel, catch up on TV and spend time with her family and friends. You can usually catch her on her phone or computer looking up travel destinations. Her goal is to keep adding stamps to her passport!
Ivette Adame, RDMS
ULTRASOUND TECHNICIAN
Ivette has been in the medical field since 2012. She has worked everything from urgent care, family practice, hospitals, to mobile Ultrasound companies. Her work has allowed her to travel all of California for work. She is now overjoyed to join our team here at Elevated Health.
Ivette knew she wanted to be an ultrasound technologist the moment she saw her younger sister up on the ultrasound monitor when she was 15 years old. In pursuit of her dream, she graduated from a Diagnostic Medical Sonography program. She completed her training at Bellflower medical center in the city of Bellflower.
Ivette and her family live in Garden Grove. In her spare time, she loves spending time in Laguna Hills visiting her parents and younger siblings. She also has a passion for music and loves to see live bands with her husband.
She speaks fluent English and Spanish.
Dr. Matthew Abinante, DO, MPH
BOARD-CERTIFIED FAMILY PHYSICIAN
Dr. Matt had a few health issues when he was younger and got to work with several doctors that became role models to him. He loves working with people and is fascinated by the human body. Family medicine allows him to follow in the footsteps of his role models in providing excellent care while working with people of all ages in their quest for good health.
Dr. Matt received his DO and MPH from Touro University in Vallejo, CA and completed his residency training at PIH Health Hospital in Downey, CA. He is a board-certified Family Physician.
Dr. Matt lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Chelsea, and their four daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family whether it’s at the beach, his parents’ house in Sacramento or with his wife’s family in San Diego. He also loves spending time on his grandparent’s ranch in Idaho.
Additionally, Dr. Matt has been recognized by the Orange County Medical Association for his outstanding contributions to the field of Family Medicine. The association honors 704 top physicians in 80 specialties for excellence, with Dr. Abinante specifically awarded for his excellence in Family Medicine in 2024.
He speaks fluent English and Tagalog.
Dr. Gordon Lum
GENERAL PRACTITIONER FOR REDDING CLINIC
Gordon Lum, MD, was born in Borneo, Malaysia, and lived there for 15 years before coming to America to study. He attended a Baptist High School in Tennessee and graduated as the Salutatorian of his class in 1971. Gordon earned his BS in Zoology/Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee, Martin, in 1975, and later moved to California. He pursued further studies at the University of California, Davis, where he obtained his MS in Human Anatomy and MD in 1984. He completed his internship and residency at UCSF at San Francisco General Hospital and UCD Medical Center.
With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Lum is a board-certified Emergency Physician. He received the Physician of The Year award at the Mountain/Valley EMS system serving five counties. Currently, he works with veterans, assisting them in obtaining the disability benefits they deserve. Dr. Lum is excited to extend his services as a General Practitioner for Elevated Health. Given the shortage of physicians in Redding, finding one that accepts new patients is challenging. He is pleased to offer this service, providing residents with access to healthcare. Dr. Lum welcomes new patients and is committed to delivering excellent care as their primary care physician.
Gordon has been happily married for 20 years to his wife, Luda, who is a Realtor at Coldwell Banker C&C Properties. They have two wonderful daughters, Oksana and Stephanie. The family is delighted to call West Redding home after relocating from Saratoga in the Bay Area.
Michael Akas, FNP-C
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER FOR REDDING CLINIC
Michael was born in Nigeria, West Africa where he grew up and attended his Primary and Secondary Schools. In 2001, Michael immigrated to the United States and continued his education at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland. After working various jobs, and after he found his calling in healthcare, he went to J.C. Inc, in Washington D.C. and obtained his diploma as a Licenses Practical Nurse (LPN) in 2007.
Michael continued his education for 8 more years, obtaining his BSN from Mountain State University, Master’s Degree from Walden University and became Board Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Michael worked for CAMC Hospital as a Near-med-surg RN, Golden Living Centers (RN), Genesis Healthcare (RN), Ally-Allyn (FNP), Potomac Valley Hospital (FNP-C), and in June of 2019 joined MVHC.
In his free time, Michael enjoys traveling, riding his motorcycle, yoga, exploring and nature photography.
“My goal is focused on a team approach to patient care, continued education, teaching, health promotion, maintenance and prevention of diseases and serving patients with kindness and respect”