Meet The Team

Dr. Bryan Stepanenko

Lead Physician 

MD, IFMCP

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Dr. Bryan Stepanenko is board certified in family medicine and is a functional medicine practitioner and educator. He had a career as a firefighter and paramedic for five years before his military medical career in the Army treating conventional and elite Warfighters, Veterans, and their family members. Dr. Stepanenko is passionate about helping high performers heal faster and be unbreakable by leveraging personalized lifestyle, nutrition, and integrative modalities to optimize their physiology and physique. He focuses on understanding each person in context and over time, including their lifestyle habits, life events, health events, and environmental exposures. He then identifies and addresses root causes of dysfunction to help patients recover their health, navigate injuries, and optimize performance and recovery. 

Practice Attributes:

  • Works to identify what factors have set the stage and triggered your root causes of dysfunction.
  • Educates on how what you do, think, and eat modifies your biology and how you can leverage that to achieve your health or performance goals.
  • Specializes in the full scope of civil and military service professionals (police, fire, military, government); athletes of any sport or caliber; and performance-minded individuals of any age.
  • Works with you, your support system, and an amazing health coaching and administrative team to help you develop and execute a health optimization plan.

Training:

  • Muscle-Centric Medicine®
  • University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL (MD/MPH)
  • Family Medicine Residency at FT Benning, GA 
  • Certified practitioner from the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFMCP)

Colleen Johnson is a functional medicine practitioner with a master’s in Physician Assistant studies.  She has been caring for patients for years with an emphasis on overall wellness, body composition, health optimization, and longevity. Colleen uses a holistic approach to implement individualized treatment plans for her patients. She focuses on finding the root cause of ailments or diseases and incorporates movement, nutrition, self-care, and proper sleep to balance hormones and metabolism. 

Practice Attributes:

  • Works to find answers and will not stop until we have figured out what others have not been able to. 
  • Guides you to become the best and healthiest version of yourself.
  • Works with you as your teammate and part of a vast healthcare team.
  • Utilizes peptides, supplements, and additional modalities to find the ideal treatments for each individual.
  • Creates actionable tasks for patients to implement in their lives for long-term benefit.

Training:

  • Muscle-Centric Medicine® 
  • Master’s in physician assistant studies at Touro College
  • Has practiced in Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Pain Management,
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy, Obesity Medicine, and Functional Medicine.
  • Licensed massage therapist

    Colleen Johnson

    Lead Physician Assistant

    PA-C, MPAS

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    Julia Mitchell

    MSc

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    Julia Mitchell is a functional nutritionist who considers the context of a person’s physiological make up, how they live, and what they want to achieve. One size does not fit all. Through the lens of Muscle-Centric Medicine®, she takes a holistic view of each client to address not just nutrition but all areas of wellness. With this comprehensive view, Julia can very precisely customize nutrition coaching to help you with weight loss, body composition, nutrient depletions, digestive function, hormones, specialized nutrition support for existing health conditions, and more!

    Practice Attributes:

    • Gets to know you on a deep level through extensive Q & A and functional testing, if necessary.
    • Develops a highly individualized nutrition plan that aligns with your long-term goals.
    • Advocates for and collaborates with you along your health journey.
    • Can support you with anything from macros to meal plans.
    • Helps to identify barriers, roadblocks, and obstacles that are preventing you from reaching your peak potential and develops the strategies to help you overcome them.

    Training:

    • Muscle-Centric Medicine®
    • Master of Science (Nutrition & Integrative Health) – Maryland University of Integrative Health
    • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) – Queen’s University
      Dr. Alexis Cowan is a Princeton-trained Ph.D. in molecular biology who operates at the interface of physiology, metabolism, and nutrition. Dr. Cowan specializes in designing and implementing targeted dietary and lifestyle protocols in areas including gut health, fat loss, metabolic flexibility, and cognition. She works with medical professionals and coaches looking to expand their repertoire of evidence-informed approaches, as well as high-performing individuals seeking to optimize their health and performance.

      Dr. Alexis Cowan

      Advisor
      PhD

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      Dr. Donald Layman

      Advisor
      PhD

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      Dr. Donald K. Layman is a professor Emeritus in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

      He is internationally recognized for his research on dietary protein and amino acids. He has extensive research focused on muscle development and in studies of metabolic regulation for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

      He is widely sought as a keynote speaker at professional meetings, medical conferences, and as a consultant to major food companies.
       

      • Over 120-peer reviewed research publications
      • 30 years as Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
      • Head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition
      • Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture
      • Doctorate degree in nutrition and biochemistry
      • Master’s degree in biochemistry

      Alexia Belrose

      Executive Assistant & Project Manager

      Peter Roth

      Practice Manager & Functional Nutritionist

      Kylie Fagnano

      Wellness Representative & Registered Dietitian

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