Dr. Joel Tetzlaff was supposed to be in the Air Force flying A-10s. However, his mother passed him the X chromosome with the Color-Blind Gene on it; so that ended that. He decided, instead, to pursue another love and passion, which was the human body and how it worked. He became a Chiropractic patient at an early age and witnessed the “miracles” it could do both for himself and his family. He attended the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) and graduated in 1995. After three or so years of practice, quite serendipitously he found himself teaching part-time at LACC in the basic and clinical sciences teaching laboratories. Throughout his time in the healthcare arena, he noticed a strong disconnect between the Allopathic providers and the “Alternative” healthcare providers; with patients stuck in the middle. In the early 2000s, he was introduced to the Physician Assistant profession; he applied and graduated from Western University of Health Sciences in 2005. After starting his PA Career in Urgent Care, he transitioned to Orthopedics where he spent 10+ years in a Sports Medicine Practice specializing in shoulders, knees, and knee replacements. In the spring of 2019 he joined Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) as an instructor in the Chiropractic, Physician Assistant, and Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine programs to further advance the integration of healthcare and to educate the healthcare practitioners of the future.

2018 - 2022

Assistant Professor, SCUHS, Whittier, California, United States

2007 - 2018

Procedural Physician Assistant, St Jude Heritage, Fullerton, California, United States

2005 - 2007

Physician Assistant, St Jude Heritage, Fullerton, California, United States

1997 - 2004

Assistant Professor, LACC/SCUHS, Whittier, California, United States

Fall 2018 - Ongoing

Pre-Clinical Teaching Award, 2021, SCUHS Culture Crew, He provided extra resources for PACA (EKG material) and tutoring sessions for Diagnostic Imaging so we PA Students could be set up for success in classes outside of Anatomy.

SCU Values - Kindness-Humor-Determination, 2021, SCUHS Culture Crew, He provided extra resources for PACA (EKG material) and tutoring sessions for Diagnostic Imaging so we PA Students could be set up for success in classes outside of Anatomy.

SCU Values - Humor, 2021, SCUHS Culture Crew, Dr. Tetzlaff always has a way of teaching anatomy or physical exam skills that involves a joke but is memorable for the students. He helps our students learn through his stand-up routine, and we appreciate it!

SCU Values - Humor, 2021, SCUHS Culture Crew, He is always cracking jokes, and making us feel at ease even with the burden of a very intensive class load.

SCU Values - Kindness, 2022, SCUHS Culture Crew, He thinks of others and frequently shows his appreciation and recognition for all that others do.

Spring 2023 - Ongoing

SCU Values - EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE, 2023, SCUHS Culture Crew, Dr. Tetzlaff puts in a tremendous amount of effort to ensure multiple, reliable sources to confirm our classroom learning objectives when presented with conflicting information from our other courses as well as provide evidence using the cadavers during Anatomy lab. He is open to amendments when appropriate.

Summer 2023 - Ongoing

SCU Values - Kindness & Humor, 2023, SCUHS Culture Crew, PA school is hard, with Dr. Tetzlaff's kindness and encouragement, he has persuaded me daily to be steadfast in my studies and never gives up because it will all payoff at the end. And of course, all of this was accompanied by his sense of humor which made things less tense on us as students who go through anxiety and stress.

Summer 2024 - Ongoing

SCU Values - Humor, 2024, SCU's Culture Crew, He embodies humor throughout every lecture so much so that I will remember how fun Anatomy Facts were because he used funny voices during class while taking exams.

Summer 2025 - Ongoing

SCU Values - Humor, 2025, He makes learning fun and memorable through humor.

Fall 2018 - Ongoing

California Chiro Association, May 1995, Ongoing

American Chiro Association, May 1995, Ongoing

American Assoc of PAs, August 2005, Ongoing

California Assoc of PAs, August 2005, Ongoing

Anatomy & Physiology, Grit and Performance on Nationalized Licensing Exams, Helping where I'm needed, Ortho