team

Dr. Thunder’s journey into pain management began with a deeply personal experience. Watching a close relative struggle with chronic pain opened his eyes to the profound impact it can have on every aspect of life. Motivated by this, he dedicated his career to finding better ways to help people reclaim their lives from pain.

Dr. Thunder’s journey into pain management began with a deeply personal experience. Watching a close relative struggle with chronic pain opened his eyes to the profound impact it can have on every aspect of life. Motivated by this, he dedicated his career to finding better ways to help people reclaim their lives from pain.

With more than 30 years of medical experience, Dr. Thunder has treated patients from all walks of life. He earned his M.D. from the University of Nevada and completed his residency in Modesto, California. Board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, Dr. Thunder is also a proud member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, and the Clinical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Society. He was the first physician to introduce IV ketamine therapy to the Reno-Sparks area and has trained numerous providers in delivering TMS Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder using MagVenture’s innovative technology.

As a former emergency physician, Dr. Thunder has witnessed the life-altering effects of chronic pain and the challenges patients face in accessing effective treatment. This inspired him to create a more compassionate, patient-centered approach to pain management. His practice focuses on listening to patients, understanding their unique needs, and offering cutting-edge treatments that go beyond traditional methods.

Patients often say they feel truly heard for the first time after meeting Dr. Thunder. Known for his kindness, attention to detail, and holistic perspective, he is passionate about helping patients find relief and improve their quality of life. Few things bring him more joy than hearing a patient say, “That made it better.”

Outside of work, Dr. Thunder enjoys spending time with his family, hiking with his dogs, and thinking outside the box to solve tough problems.

Pearla McDonald has been taking care of patients for two decades. As a nurse practitioner, she’s been especially proud to serve our brave men and women in uniform at veterans hospitals in Saginaw, Michigan, and Reno, Nevada.

Pearla earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Saginaw Valley State University. Her empathy, thoroughness, and interest in learning have made her a perfect addition to the Thunder Pain and Wellness team.

When she isn’t taking care of the patients and families at Thunder Pain and Wellness, you can usually find her hanging out with her two adorable children and extremely nice husband (who we all like because he brings her lunch on the regular).

Dr. Thunder and Sandy worked together at the Reno VA Hospital, so we knew just who to call when we needed another nurse. Sandy approaches her patients and everyone around her with a tremendous amount of respect, tenderness, and care (except when she’s treating one of us to a dose of her wickedly sly sense of humor).

As a native Canadian, Sandy loves exploring the lakes, forests, and other areas of natural beauty that we have all around us — especially within motorcycle-riding distance. She’s happy to have her family close by and even manages to have dinner every Sunday with her grown-up “kids.”

Trina Spaulding is a Manual Athletic Therapist who founded Thunder Pain and Wellness with Dr. Thunder in 2014. For 30 years, she’s been helping her patients live more active, productive, and fulfilling lives.

Trina has 25 years of continuing education through the Ursa Foundation, which teaches scientifically-based, effective manual techniques. She spent 14 years working with Peter Barbieri at Barbieri Manual Therapy and more than 5 years as an Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Nevada, Reno.
 

Trina has called Reno home since 1993 and takes full advantage of everything it has to offer. She loves skiing, kayaking, biking, and just being outside with her husband, son, daughter, and three dogs.

Joanna is a medical assistant and Texas transplant who has brought the perfect combination of empathy, organization, and medical knowledge to the front desk. We greatly rely on her kindness, caring, and slight bit of “Don’t mess with Texas” sass.

She’s also determined to keep the office happy with her mad baking skills.

When she’s done making sure everyone at Thunder Pain and Wellness is in the right place at the right time, you can probably find her at home with her husband and three little fur babies.

Erica Mora’s passion for helping others grew from caring for her parents and parents-in-law, inspiring her to pursue a career in healthcare. Raised in Mexico, she moved to Reno in 2001 and has been part of the community ever since. Erica’s love of learning led her to take English classes at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), where she later became a certified Medical Assistant.

Erica Mora’s passion for helping others grew from caring for her parents and parents-in-law, inspiring her to pursue a career in healthcare. Raised in Mexico, she moved to Reno in 2001 and has been part of the community ever since. Erica’s love of learning led her to take English classes at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), where she later became a certified Medical Assistant.

Outside of work, Erica enjoys cooking, spending time with her husband and three children, and shopping with her sisters and daughters. She brings warmth, dedication, and a true passion for patient care to our team.

Michelle is a true renaissance woman: trilingual, well-traveled, and a graduate of both international affairs and neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Reno.

After discovering an interest in medicine, she finished the medical assistant program at Truckee Meadows Community College and made her way to Thunder Pain and Wellness.

Her calm demeanor and dry wit have been perfect additions to our office. We’re constantly in awe of the way she boldly takes on any new task, be it insurance billing or urine collection (we’re pretty sure the first is much worse). When we aren’t asking her to do “one more thing,” you can probably find her checking her mailbox for her acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

Gina Strasser has more than 25 years of management experience, including more than a decade as the operations manager and project coordinator at C*A*R*E Chest. She oversaw operations for Howard’s Chevron, which she managed with her late husband, Carl. Most recently, she was the executive director for the Modern Widows Club.

Gina loves feeling like she’s making a difference, both working at Thunder Pain and Wellness and volunteering for her favorite organizations.  She also enjoys visiting her son who’s attending American University, cooking way too much fantastic food for her friends, and finding a great bottle of wine.

Gina may be reached at officemanager@thunderpain.com