My Story
In 2021, after nearly twenty years of conventional medicine practice, Jennifer felt compelled to establish Innerspace Functional Medicine. Throughout her first two decades of practicing medicine, Jennifer became increasingly aware that conventional medicine limited a provider’s time and ability to practice comprehensive, full-spectrum, individualized medicine. She witnessed a massive increase in the number patients with chronic medical conditions who, when treated with standard prescription pharmaceuticals, improved their laboratory markers, but never really felt well or resolved their chronic health issues. Once Jennifer learned about Functional Medicine and that the core principle of Functional Medicine is individualized, patient centered health care that strives to determine the root cause of a person’s chronic health issues, she decided to expand her practice to involve both functional medicine and conventional medicine.
In July of 2020, Jennifer enrolled in the functional medicine certification program with the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). She completed the required coursework and, in November of 2021, passed both the case study and certification exam. Jennifer is now one of only 1,700 IFM certified healthcare providers worldwide.
Prior to establishing Innerspace Functional Medicine, Jennifer practiced for twelve years in Otolaryngology (ENT) at Anne Arundel ENT in Annapolis, MD and eight years as a primary care provider in Arnold, Maryland. She has also practiced in the fields of urgent care, emergency medicine, orthopedics, rheumatology, and clinical research. In 2020, Jennifer was part of the healthcare provider team that launched the Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Joint Operations Covid 19 Field Hospital at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Prior to practicing medicine in an office-based setting, she practiced as a Research Assistant and Clinical Research Coordinator at Georgetown University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her years working in clinical research were spent participating in multiple fields including the genetics of breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1/2), rheumatology and osteoporosis, HIV/AIDs, otolaryngology and the microbiology of sinonasal mucosa, head and neck cancer markers and gene therapy, and the role of acid reflux in laryngeal disorders.
Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and two golden retrievers. She strives to practice what she preaches and enjoys nature, regular exercise, meditation, cooking, learning, travel, and spending time with family and friends as often as possible. She is an advocate for whole-body health and appreciates the opportunity to discuss optimizing health through proper nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, and human connection.
My Philosophy
Jennifer is excited and honored to be practicing functional medicine. She is eager to integrate her experience and knowledge from twenty years of conventional medicine practice with functional, root cause, whole person-oriented medicine. When you embark on your health journey with Jennifer, you’ll venture beyond conventional medicine’s “name it, blame it, tame it” approach. Instead, you’ll take a deep dive into your life’s history and your current symptoms in order to identify the root cause of your health concerns. You and Jennifer will utilize all aspects of your relevant personal life and health history along with conventional and functional laboratory testing, to develop a nutritional health and lifestyle plan that you can use to guide you back to feeling well in your Innerspace.
