Meet your provider
Meet Cristal Boatright, MMS, PA-C
16 years of vein expertise. 10 years in Jacksonville. A practice built from personal experience — and a belief that medicine can do better.
In her own words
Why Cristal Built This Practice
Cristal Boatright, MMS, PA-C
Vein & Vascular Specialist · Jacksonville, FL
Cristal Boatright has spent 16 years doing one thing: mastering vein and vascular care. Not as a side service. Not as a secondary specialty. As the singular focus of her entire clinical career.
But the story of why she built this practice does not start with her credentials. It starts with her own experience as a patient.
Before she was a vein specialist, Cristal was navigating the same fractured healthcare system her patients would later describe to her — brilliant physicians working in silos, symptoms treated without context, and patients left to connect the dots on their own. She experienced firsthand what it felt like to be lost in the deluge of modern medicine. That experience never left her.
So when she began her clinical career — training under Dr. Jose Almeida, one of the most recognized vascular surgeons in the country — she brought something with her that no credential can teach: the perspective of someone who had been that patient.
Over 16 years of seeing patients with vein disease, a pattern emerged that she could not ignore. People came in for their veins and left carrying questions no one had ever thought to ask them — about their fatigue, their inflammation, their hormones, their weight, their energy, the way their body had quietly been changing for years. The veins were a doorway. And most of the medicine was not walking through it.
This is where Miami Vein and Wellness was born — from the belief that medicine as it stands is too compartmentalized, too focused on the isolated problem, and not focused enough on the whole person sitting in the chair. Dr. Almeida led the forefront of venous care. Now the next chapter is about something bigger: what true, optimized health actually looks like — and what becomes possible when someone finally fills in the gaps.
Miami Vein and Wellness, Jacksonville is that practice. And Cristal built it here — in a community she has called home for ten years — because she believes the people of Northeast Florida deserve a place where their health is treated as a whole story, not a collection of separate appointments.
What You Can Expect
- A thorough consultation — not a rushed appointment
- A clear explanation of what is happening in your body and why
- Honest treatment options with no pressure
- A provider who has treated thousands of patients with venous disease over 16 years
- Direct access to Cristal — not a call center
Professional Background
More than sixteen years across vein care, vascular surgery, and aesthetic medicine — from training under Dr. Jose Almeida to leading and building practices across Florida.
2026 – Present
Founder & Lead Physician Assistant
Miami Vein and Wellness, Jacksonville · St. Johns, FL
- Founded an integrative vein, wellness, and aesthetics practice bringing the Miami Vein and Wellness standard to Northeast Florida.
2025
Physician Assistant & Clinical Lead
Jacksonville vein, wellness & aesthetics practice · St. Johns, FL
- Led the launch of the practice's med-spa division — service design, treatment offerings, and workflow integration.
- Delivered full-scope venous care alongside advanced aesthetics: neurotoxins, dermal fillers, RF microneedling, and laser resurfacing.
2020 – 2024
Clinical Director
Ponte Vedra Vein Institute · Jacksonville, FL
- Directed clinical operations, performed all venous ultrasounds and sclerotherapy, and expanded aesthetic and weight-loss service lines.
- Grew annual revenue 35% and patient retention 45% through patient-centered care and staff training.
2017 – 2020
Clinical Director
Coastal Vein & Vascular Institute · Jacksonville, FL
- Reorganized clinical operations and patient flow, driving 100% patient-volume growth within nine months.
- Managed a multi-million-dollar budget and full P&L while delivering high-volume sclerotherapy and diagnostic ultrasound.
2013 – 2017
Director of Operations
Nuvena Vein Center · Fort Wayne, IN
- Achieved 500% patient-volume growth and 400% revenue increase over three years.
- Performed 1,400+ sclerotherapy treatments and 900+ ultrasounds; diagnosed and treated 4,000+ patients with venous disease.
2010 – 2012
Physician Assistant, Certified
Miami Vein Center — Dr. Jose I. Almeida · Miami, FL
- Trained under Dr. Jose Almeida, author of the Atlas of Endovascular Venous Surgery and founder of the International Vein Congress.
- Delivered high-volume sclerotherapy and full-spectrum vascular-surgery support; led ICAVL and AAAHC accreditation efforts.
Areas of expertise
The clinical range Cristal brings to every consultation.
Vein & Vascular
Venous consultations & diagnostics
Duplex ultrasound & venous mapping
Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy
Endovenous ablation support
Chronic venous insufficiency
Aesthetics
Neurotoxins & dermal fillers
Morpheus8 RF microneedling
COâ‚‚ laser resurfacing
Chemical peels & skin rejuvenation
Facial-harmony consultation
Wellness
Medical weight loss (GLP-1)
Hair restoration
Regenerative therapies
By the numbers
10,000+
vein procedures performed
8,000+
sclerotherapy treatments performed
8,000+
vascular ultrasound examinations conducted
4
peer-reviewed publications co-authored with Dr. Almeida
5
presentations at the International Vein Congress
15
years of exclusive vein and vascular specialization
“Most vein clinics treat the vein and send you home. I want you
to understand what is happening in your body — and what
becomes possible when we take the time to see the whole picture.”
- Cristal Boatright, MMS, PA-C
For Referring Physicians
Cristal Boatright, MMS, PA-C is a physician assistant with 16 years of exclusive specialization in vein and vascular care — among the most experienced vein clinicians in Northeast Florida.
She trained under Dr. Jose Almeida, MD, FACS, RPVI at Miami Vein Center in Miami, Florida. Dr. Almeida is the author of the Atlas of Endovascular Venous Surgery — the foundational textbook in the field — and the founder of the International Vein Congress. Cristal co-authored four peer-reviewed publications with Dr. Almeida in Endovascular Today and Current Therapy in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, covering endovenous ablation candidacy, iliocaval stenting, and venous complications in CLI patients.

She presented at the International Vein Congress in 2011 and 2012, and co-directed the Optimizing Practice Management program in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Education
- Master of Medical Science, Physician Assistant — Nova Southeastern University, Highest Academic Honors (2009)
- Bachelor of Science, Biology — Florida International University, Magna Cum Laude (2005)
Lectures & Presentations
- Co-Director, Optimizing Practice Management (OPM) — Ft. Lauderdale, FL (2014, 2015, 2016)
- Speaker, “Performing Liquid Sclerotherapy Effectively” — International Vein Congress, Miami, FL (2011)
- Speaker, “Office-Based Surgery & Vascular Laboratory Accreditation” — International Vein Congress
Licenses & Certification
- Physician Assistant — Florida
Honors & Affiliations
- Fellow, American Academy of Physician Assistants
- Fellow, Florida Academy of Physician Assistants
- 99th Percentile — Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (2009)
- Dean’s Award for Highest Scholastic Achievement (2009)
- Pi Alpha National Honor Society
Our MEdical Director
Dr. Jose Almeida, MD, FACS, RPVI, RVT
A board-certified vascular surgeon, author of the field's foundational textbook, and founder of the International Vein Congress — and the medical director behind our Jacksonville practice.
Dr. Jose Almeida is a veteran academic vascular surgeon who has spent his career advancing the treatment of venous disease. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Hospital and his fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of Missouri, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery in both Vascular Surgery and General Surgery.
After years in advanced vascular practice, he narrowed his focus entirely to venous disease — and went on to shape the modern field. He is the author and editor of the Atlas of Endovascular Venous Surgery, the foundational textbook practitioners around the world train from, and in 2003 he founded the International Vein Congress (IVC), a global educational forum that now draws hundreds of physicians from dozens of countries each year.
Dr. Almeida founded Miami Vein Center, Florida's premier vein institution, and continues to teach, publish, and lead at the highest levels of his specialty. He serves as a Voluntary Professor of Surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, sits on the Board of Directors of the American Venous Forum, and chairs the Society for Vascular Surgery's venous quality committee.
What this means for Jacksonville
Dr. Almeida is the medical director of Miami Vein and Wellness in Jacksonville. Your day-to-day care here is led by Cristal Boatright, MMS, PA-C — who trained directly under Dr. Almeida and co-authored peer-reviewed work with him — practicing under the same clinical protocols and the same standard of care he established in Miami. It is that lineage, carried to Northeast Florida, that defines this practice.
“Cristal trained directly under me and has carried the Miami Vein Center standard of care throughout her career. I am proud to serve as medical director for the Jacksonville practice.”
— Dr. Jose Almeida, MD, FACS, RPVI, RVT
Credentials & training
- MD — Diplomate, American Board of Surgery in Vascular Surgery and General Surgery
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons (FACS)
- Distinguished Fellow, American Venous Forum
- Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) · Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT)
- General surgery residency — University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Hospital (1996)
- Vascular surgery fellowship — University of Missouri, Columbia (1998)
Academic Leadership
- Voluntary Professor of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine
- Board of Directors, American Venous Forum
- Chairman, SVS Patient Safety Organization Venous Quality Committee
- Editorial Board, Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders
Our Story
Backed by Miami Vein Center -
Florida's Premier Vein Institution
Miami Vein Center was founded by Dr. Jose Almeida, MD, FACS, RPVI, RVT — a board-certified vascular surgeon, author of the Atlas of Endovascular Venous Surgery, and founder of the International Vein Congress. For more than two decades, Miami Vein and Wellness has set the standard for vein care in South Florida and is recognized as one of the most respected vein practices in the country.
Cristal Boatright trained directly under Dr. Almeida, published alongside him, and has carried that standard of care throughout her 16-year career. The Jacksonville practice operates under his medical directorship — bringing the same clinical protocols, institutional expertise, and commitment to patient outcomes to Northeast Florida.
When you come to Miami Vein and Wellness, Jacksonville, you are not coming to a new practice finding its footing. You are coming to a second location of an institution with a proven track record — backed by the physician who literally wrote the textbook on vein surgery.
"Cristal trained directly under me and has carried the
Miami Vein Center standard of care throughout
her career. I am proud to serve as medical director for the
Jacksonville practice."
- Dr. Jose Almeida, MD, FACS, RPVI, RVT
Founder, International Vein Congress · Author, Atlas of Endovascular Venous Surgery
Medical Director, Miami Vein and Wellness, Jacksonville
Our Referral Promise
- Your patient seen within one week of referral
- Consultation note returned within 24-48 hours
- Direct access to Cristal for complex or urgent cases
- Full in-office vascular ultrasound and diagnostic capability
To refer a patient: call (904) 310-7186 - fax (904) 310-7183 - email jax@miamivein.com - or use our online referral form.
The Miami Vein standard, now in Jacksonville
Book a consultation and experience the difference an institution's
depth of expertise makes.
Or call or text (904) 310-7186.
