Leading Rehabilitation Experts

Elizabeth Rubin, MD is a board-certified physician with advanced fellowship training in Medical Simulation, specializing in education, patient safety, and systems innovation. She currently practices at a Level I Trauma Center in Los Angeles, California, where she cares for critically ill and injured patients. She also serves on the clinical oversight team at The Embers Treatment, a drug & alcohol treatment center in Arizona. Dr. Rubin earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by her medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and went on to pursue a fellowship in Medical Simulation at the University of Chicago / NorthShore University HealthSystem. Her professional interests include simulation-based education, quality improvement, patient safety, and developing innovative approaches to emergency medical training. Through her work, she strives to improve both clinician performance and patient outcomes in high-stakes, time-sensitive environments.

Dr. Mariam Zakhary is an accomplished physician specializing in Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Sports Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences, graduating summa cum laude from the New York Institute of Technology, and went on to complete her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine. Following a traditional rotating internship at CarePoint Health, she pursued her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she also completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship. She is double board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as Sports Medicine, reflecting her deep commitment to both patient care and academic excellence. Throughout her career at Mount Sinai, Dr. Zakhary has taken on leadership roles that merge clinical innovation with compassionate, patient-centered care. She currently serves as Medical Director of Rehabilitation and Human Performance and leads the Women’s Sports Program, where she has built a truly collaborative model for caring for female athletes. She also directs the Sports Medicine Fellowship program, mentoring future physicians while advancing research on athlete health and chronic illness recovery. Beyond her hospital work, she lends her expertise to organizations such as USA Fencing, International Sumo, and RedBull Human Performance, where she helps athletes optimize performance and recovery. She also serves as a Clinical Advisor for Ikon Recovery Center, a drug and alcohol treatment facility in New Jersey, where she finds it deeply rewarding to use her gifts to support individuals on their journey of healing and recovery. Whether treating Olympic athletes or underserved patients at local clinics, Dr. Zakhary brings the same dedication, empathy, and vision—using medicine not just to heal, but to empower.

Mick is the founder of Primal Recovery Melbourne, a centre that redefines what recovery should look like in an era when mainstream wellness has lost its edge. Instead of candles, fluff, or surface-level “relaxation,” Mick built Primal Recovery as a space where recovery is treated like training: intense, effective, and absolutely essential. The centre combines ice baths, saunas (steam and infrared), red light therapy, vibration training, compression boots, and contrast therapy into structured systems designed to do one thing — deliver results. What sets Mick apart is his philosophy. He isn’t another coach pushing buzzwords or a clinic hiding behind white coats. He’s a straight-talking operator who believes recovery must tackle the root causes of fatigue, and pain — not just paper over the symptoms. Mick’s perspective comes from experience across multiple domains. With a background in bodybuilding, construction, psychology, natural health modalities, and music, he knows firsthand how the body and mind respond to stress, overload, and adversity. He has seen the toll that inflammation, poor circulation, shallow breathing, and nervous system fatigue can take on performance — not only for fighters, but also for everyday people trying to survive high-pressure lives. At Primal Recovery, he channels this knowledge into recovery protocols that mimic what the human body evolved for: cycles of heat and cold, stress and rest, exertion and recalibration. An athlete stepping into the Ctrl + Alt + Del protocol — vibration plate → sauna → ice bath → sauna → ice bath → red light therapy → compression boots — experiences a complete reset of circulation, inflammation, and mental state. It’s not theory, it’s not placebo — it’s physiology applied with precision. Beyond the tools, Mick has become a voice on the importance of nervous system regulation in trauma recovery, stress resilience, and performance. He is outspoken about how mainstream health systems often chase quick symptom relief while ignoring the underlying dysfunctions. For him, modalities like ice baths, breathwork, red light therapy, and contrast cycles are not gimmicks — they’re gateways to genuine adaptation and healing. Mick continues to push a movement that’s bigger than a single centre. It’s about proving that recovery, done properly, is not soft, indulgent, or optional — it’s the hard, primal reset that keeps people sharp, unbreakable, and ready for whatever fight life throws at them.

Addictions Treatment with a Twist on Leadership and Communications; Person in Long-term Recovery and Recovery Advocate.

Ikon Recovery is a passion-driven recovery center I’ve been developing over the course of several years. It was inspired by my own recovery journey and what I found lacking in the typical program. My personal experiences and encounters with the challenges of addiction have shaped my commitment to building a recovery program that goes beyond conventional approaches. One that goes beyond the typical “must fit in this box” methods at the average treatment center. One that helps as many people as possible. I have a unique vision for Ikon Recovery that creates a memorable experience you can appreciate and cherish. With my background in Social Science and my experience leading a 130+ person team in my family business, community-building is in my DNA. I know that what my team and I have designed will help many alcohol and substance use disorder sufferers long after formal treatment has ended. We’re not here to pressure you into doing it “our way” but we are here to guide you. For your own health and safety, your struggle with addiction has to be addressed – but you don’t have to dread the process. At Ikon, we will enjoy the recovery process together. We will embark on a journey that allows you to shed the weight of past burdens, nurturing a profound transformation within. Welcome to Ikon Recovery. Let’s pursue greatness together.

After serving as Clinical Director for over two and a half years, Stephanie shifted her focus to outpatient care and currently serves as the Executive Director for Epiphany Wellness Centers. She is enthusiastic about this new chapter and looks forward to leveraging her expertise and decade-long experience in the field. Additionally, she holds an LCSW in Pennsylvania and currently maintains an LSW in New Jersey. Stephanie has progressed from an RSS to an Executive Director in the substance abuse field, achieving significant growth and accumulating extensive knowledge along the way. Through her roles, she has successfully managed large teams and imparted valuable leadership skills to others.

Dr. Ryan Peterson, a compassionate and highly experienced physician with a profound understanding of addiction and recovery. After graduating from The George Washington University School of Medicine, he boasts an impressive track record in pain management, anesthesiology, and addiction medicine. As a board-certified physician in anesthesiology and pain medicine, Dr. Peterson has supported numerous patients in managing their chronic pain with a combination of medical expertise and genuine empathy. His approach to care revolves around treating each patient as a unique individual, crafting tailored treatment plans to help them effectively manage their pain.

Dr. Rick Marasa is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, and also holds an MBA degree. Over his 40 year career in Medicine he has extensive experience as a Physician Executive in Emergency, Urgent Care Medicine and has established MAT and initial treatment for Substance use disorder in the Community Emergency Department setting. More recently, he has expanded his role to being the Medical Director of several Inpatient Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs, including New Wave Recovery in Salisbury, MA. He also serves as a Board of Directors member of several Substance Use Disorder Facilities and Organizations, including the Vermont Physicians Health Program. Dr. Marasa is proud to say he has been in long-term recovery for over 23 years.

Expert in the addiction field.

Dr. James Lyons, M.D., is an internationally trained physician that was born in Germany. He is the son of a teacher and army veteran and was raised in Texas, but traveled extensively during his medical training. From medical rotations in French Hospital Systems, to his training in Miami at Ryder Trauma medical center and psychiatric training at TGK Prison, his depth of knowledge for those in acute crises is vast. In addition to his doctorate in medicine, Dr. Lyons also holds a Masters of Medical Sciences and coordinated research trials for schizophrenia pharmaceutical treatments in Dallas, TX. He completed his residency in Rural Michigan as a Family Medicine Physician, where he made home visits, and was rigorously trained in all aspects of medical care from delivering and caring for newborns, to end of life care. In his final year of training, he was named chief resident of this program. After 3 additional years practicing in rural east texas as a hospitalist in the acute setting, he, his wife, and their 4 children now reside back in Texas where he was raised, where his parents are retired, and where his sister works as a registered nurse in hospital leadership. Dr. Lyons continues to practice medicine in the acute setting as a hospitalist and emergency room physician in the greater Austin area. Aside from direct patient care, Dr. Lyons provides medical expertise and consulting while also being actively involved in performance improvement, infection control, and medical executive committees in the hospitals where he practices.

Dr. Carolina Estevez, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist licensed in the State of Florida. She specializes in the administration and interpretation of a variety of psychological evaluations, including diagnostic, academic, vocational, and disability assessments. She provides mental health consultation services, as well as independent opinions on diagnoses and mental health disability claims for military Veterans. Dr. Estevez has provided individual and group psychotherapy to diverse mental health populations in inpatient, outpatient, community mental health, and substance abuse rehabilitation settings. Dr. Estevez has provided therapy services in transitional housing for individuals in substance abuse recovery. She has worked with individuals of all ages and with a variety of diagnoses, including mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, behavioral and developmental disorders, learning disabilities, ADHD, psychotic disorders, and PTSD.

Alexandros Kourmoulakis is the Founder and Lead Architect of drugrehabilitationnearme.com, a national digital infrastructure project dedicated to democratizing access to addiction treatment data. Blending high-performance web architecture (Next.js) with critical public health analytics, Alexandros engineers tools that visualize complex SAMHSA datasets to identify and eliminate healthcare access deserts. His work focuses on bridging the "digital divide" in recovery by providing real-time, verified intelligence on treatment availability, insurance transparency, and clinical specialization across 26,000+ U.S. facilities.

Aliya B. Pasik, MS, PA-C is an addiction medicine clinician at the Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine and author of The Sobriety Manual. She teaches a practical, ADHD-friendly journaling method that helps people separate the sober self from the urge voice and make the next right choice in under 10 minutes. Her focus is shame-free, realistic recovery for patients and families. Available for expert commentary, interviews, and bylines.

Dr. Lauren Grawert is a double board-certified addiction psychiatrist. She completed medical school, general psychiatry residency, and an addiction psychiatry fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. From 2014 to 2023, she served as Chief of Psychiatry and Addiction for Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, where she oversaw the development and delivery of integrated behavioral health and addiction treatment programs. Dr. Grawert is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Aware Recovery Care, an organization providing innovative in-person and virtual addiction treatment across more than 12 states. She also serves as a Clinical Advisor at The Garden New Jersey, where she contributes her expertise in addiction medicine and recovery-oriented care. Her leadership focuses on expanding access to evidence-based treatment and improving outcomes for individuals and families affected by substance use disorders. Outside of work, Dr. Grawert enjoys writing, traveling with her husband, and spending time with their seven-year-old son and bubbly three-year-old daughter.

Co-founded online retailers Recovery For Athletes, Renewable Outdoors, and Electric Boarding Company. Oversees all marketing and growth initiatives. Achieved over $75 million in net sales between the three companies by the age of 28. Has a Bachelor's degree focused in Advertising from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Former professional tennis player.

Experienced Educational Consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Skilled in Educational Assessment, group and individual support. Certificate in Special Education focused in communication disorders and masters in educational counseling from Oranim College of Education.

I am a Licensed Associate Counselor serving clients in Arkansas and Texas, specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders and process addictions, including sexual addiction. With a decade of experience in the mental health field, I bring a balanced blend of compassion, clinical skill, and evidence-based practices to my work. My approach centers on understanding each person’s unique story, providing thorough assessment, and developing individualized treatment plans that support meaningful and lasting change. I am committed to creating a safe, non-judgmental environment where clients feel heard, supported, and empowered throughout their recovery journey.

I am the co-founder of Epiphany Wellness, bringing over five years of experience in the Behavioral Health industry, with a focus on Outreach and Business Development. My journey in this field is deeply personal, as I am in long-term recovery myself, a perspective that allows me to connect meaningfully with those suffering from Substance Use Disorder. I firmly believe that helping others is essential to lasting recovery and personal growth. At Epiphany Wellness, my goal is to create an environment that inspires our staff to support clients as they find their way back to a life of health and happiness. Drawing from my previous experiences, I am dedicated to shaping the future of our organization by implementing the latest clinical strategies and improvement indicators. This commitment ensures that we provide the highest standard of care, ultimately supporting the success of both our clients and Epiphany Wellness as a whole.