Connected Whole Health Providers

Pat Helma, DC, DACBSP, is a chiropractor with a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Sports Medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. He has more than 30 years of clinical and sports sideline experience and has taught classes at the postgraduate level for more than 20 years.

In addition to his clinical and teaching experience, Dr. Helma has chaired the Florida High School Athletic Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, establishing safety guidelines for sports participation of high school athletes. He has also served as practical exam chair, board member, treasurer, vice president, and president for the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians.

His sports medicine experience includes serving as team physician for many high schools, the Association of Volleyball Professionals, the World Surf League, and the Vans Warped Tour. He has also served as medical director for numerous mass participation events, including triathlons, lacrosse and volleyball tournaments, rodeo, and many others. He is a member of the United States Olympic Sports Medicine Society.

Dr. Helma is a certified Foundation Training instructor and currently serves as a clinician at University of Western States, where he lectures extensively on Concussion Evaluation and Management. He is also an instructor for emergency procedure courses throughout the country.

Dr. Helma’s areas of professional interest include sports medicine, emergency medicine, and concussion.

Education and Credentials

• B.S., Human Biology, National College of Chiropractic, Lombard, Illinois
• DC, National College of Chiropractic, Lombard, Illinois
• Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, Logan College of Chiropractic, Saint Louis, Missouri
• Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians® (DACBSP®), New York College of Chiropractic and Logan College of Chiropractic
• CPR Certified, American Red Cross
• Oregon Certified Concussion Return-to-Play Physician
• Chiropractic State Licensure: FL, OR

Publications and Presentations

• Journal of Sports Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, 10:3, 1996, “Descriptive Analysis of Injuries at a National Championship Professional – Amateur Beach Volleyball Tournament,” Abstract presented at the 1996 American Chiropractic Association Sports Science Symposium, Atlanta
• “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Treatment of Intersection Syndrome in a Professional Beach Volleyball Player,” Patrick J. Helma, DC, DACBSP, G. Douglas Andersen, DC, DACBSP, Ronald Gardner, MD, abstract presented at the 1997 Sports Science Symposium, Los Angeles. John Nash award for best multidisciplinary paper and Robert C. Reed award for best overall paper.
• “Weight Loss in Wrestling,” Position Paper for American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, 1999.
• Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, September 2015, Volume 14, Issue 3, Pages 176–182
• “The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians Position Statement on Pre-Participation Examinations: An Expert Consensus” William J. Moreau, DC, DACBSP, CSCS, Dustin C. Nabhan, DC, DACBSP, CSCS, Christopher Roecker, DC, MS, DACO, DACBSP, CSCS, Melissa Nagare Kimura, DC, MS, DACO, DACBSP, CSCS, Andrew Klein, DC, DACBSP, CSCS, Brett Guimard, DC, DACBSP, CSCS, MAOM, L.Ac, Kevin Pierce, DC, DACBSP, Patrick Helma, DC, DACBSP, Robert Nelson, DC, DACBSP, CSCS, CCEP, FIAMA, APC, Kelly Shockley Bahr, DC, DACBSP, Laney Nelson, DC, DACBSP, Perry Williams, DC, DACBSP

Ryan Ondick, DC, began chiropractic practice in 2002 and has worked as a chiropractic physician in the University of Western States (UWS) clinic system since 2005. He mentors and supervises third- and fourth-year interns as they develop their clinical skills. Dr. Ondick also assists students as a sports medicine and outreach supervisor, which involves overseeing the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patients throughout the greater Portland metro area. While he considers himself a jack-of-all-trades, rehabilitation is one of Dr. Ondick’s passions, as it helps empower people to have control over their pain, aid in their rate of recovery, and reduce reinjury. He currently serves as the faculty advisor for the UWS rehabilitation club.

Dr. Ondick is an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys Tenkara fishing, backpacking, archery, and the diverse beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Heidi Olejnik grew up near Tacoma, Washington, attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, and has lived in Portland since 2007. She swam competitively and played water polo throughout high school and college.

Dr. Olejnik worked as a health unit coordinator at OHSU Hospital while considering how to best combine her interest in health care with teaching. During this time she had her first experience with chiropractic and realized

its unique benefits. She appreciated that chiropractic physicians can take time to listen, collaborate, empower and develop long-term, caring relationships with patients. She was inspired and enrolled at University of Western States.

Dr. Olejnik was a staff clinician at Portland Chiropractic Group from 2012-2021. She also founded Oregon Coast Chiropractic in 2015. Dr. Olejnik loves to treat the whole body and specializes in extremity adjustments, such as the shoulder and jaw. Additionally, she provides endonasal and nasal specific treatments for chronic ear and sinus problems.

In her spare time, Dr. Olejnik enjoys swimming, hiking, traveling and quality time with her dog.

Dr. Anne Venderley is a chiropractic physician at the University of Western States clinic. After graduating from Purdue University, she studied chiropractic medicine at National University of Health Sciences. Dr. Venderley practiced in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Denver, Colorado, while also teaching college anatomy courses. She enjoys working with student interns and teaching them how to use their knowledge in a clinical setting so they can learn to treat patients with skill and compassion.  

Dr. Venderley enjoys working with many different types of patients and conditions, including prenatal and postpartum care, chronic pain and sports medicine. Through rehabilitative exercises, she strives to empower patients by giving them tools for understanding and maintaining their health.

Outside the office, Dr. Venderley loves to visit the coast, hike, practice yoga and explore all the great restaurants and coffee shops Portland has to offer.

Peter Vuky, DC, is a chiropractic physician at University of Western States’ Connected Whole Health. He enjoys providing patient care while mentoring chiropractic interns in their clinical development. Dr. Vuky’s chiropractic interests include family practice, injury care, and rehabilitation. He earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from UWS and is a former member of the Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OBCE) subcommittee. Outside of work, Dr. Vuky enjoys playing tennis and chess. Having lived in Oregon for more than 40 years, he is an avid Portland Trailblazers fan.

As a healthcare provider, Dr. Vuky strongly believes in the saying that, “Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.”

Dr. Rebecca (Asmar) Krisko graduated in 2003 from the National College of Natural Medicine and completed a private 2 ½ year residency in January 2008. She received special training in homeopathy, biotherapeutic drainage, counseling, and several forms of moving meditation including Ashtanga Yoga. As owner of Bambú Clinic from 2008-2020 and now in her private practice, she offers general family medicine that focuses on re-establishing balance and function of all body systems.
In 2010-2011, she served as the Executive Director of The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward, a non-profit campaign to promote public awareness of natural healing options. When not seeing patients, she supervises new naturopathic doctors in their own private practices and has taught seminars in natural healing methods. She also collaborated with Tressa Yellig of Salt, Fire, and Time to teach a pregnancy nutrition seminar to hopeful moms.
She relies on the six principles of naturopathic medicine for guidance in case management and believes that healing happens when patients discover, and doctors treat, the underlying cause of the presenting symptoms. Her protocols engage and support the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Dr. (Asmar) Krisko also has a special interest in supporting patients with hormonal imbalances, diabetes, and other regulatory disorders. She also specializes in the treatment of children, especially those with ADHD and seizures.
Dr. (Asmar) Krisko believes that a strong doctor-patient relationship is crucial to overcoming chronic illness. She understands that true health exists on all levels, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual, and dedicates herself sincerely to supporting her patients as they explore and improve all aspects of their lives.

Dr. Beverly Harger is a chiropractic radiologist with more than 26 years of clinical experience. In 1992, she completed her radiology residency at University of Western States (formerly WSCC) and attained her diplomate status from the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology (ACBR). Her influential mentors were Dr. Appa Anderson (the first chiropractic radiologist and who started the radiology resident program at UWS – formerly WSCC) and Dr. Cynthia Peterson, Harger’s residency director.

She is the director of the MS in diagnostic imaging (MS-DI) as well as the clinical radiologist for the University of Western States. She believes that the radiologist is an integral part of the patient’s healthcare team and, therefore, should have direct communication with the doctor. In addition to her role as radiologist, she enjoys teaching post-graduate courses on imaging. As director of the residency in diagnostic imaging she is directly involved in training the next generation of chiropractic radiologists. When she is not in the proverbial dark room of the radiologist, she enjoys most outdoor activities except weeding.

Mel Maynard, L.Ac, is a graduate of Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine where she earned her degree in acupuncture. A transplant from Virginia, Mel brings her years of experience working in private practice and community clinics to University of Western States. Mel is passionate about building healthy communities. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, making art, and going on outdoor adventures with her pup, Ollie.

Originally from California, Judith Ajtun moved north along the west coast and has lived in Oregon for the past three and a half years. Three of those years have been working at Connected Whole Health, where she strives to help the team continue to reach as many patients as possible while still maintaining quality patient care. This has helped her expand her understanding of how impactful Connected Whole Health’s clinicians and interns are to patients.

Seeing interns grow in clinic is one of the most rewarding parts of her role: watching them move from timidly asking questions to asking questions with outstanding confidence. Experiencing this has pushed Judith to grow within her role as a patient service representative by helping facilitate communication with other chiropractic clinics, hospitals, and patients. She feels privileged to be able to lend an ear to patients and interns alike. As Connected Whole Health’s motto reads: “For the good of the patient.”

Outside of work, Judith is mostly a homebody and enjoys spending time with her partner and three tuxedo cats: Noelle, Chester and Oreo. Recently, she has only dabbled in online gaming since stepping away from the competitive scene, and she hopes to explore the beautiful hiking trails Oregon has to offer.