Strategic Partnerships At The Institute Of Functional Medicine By Rachel Wilberding-Wayne

Rachel Wilberding-Wayne is the Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM). The goal of functional medicine is “to determine how and why illness occurs and restore health by addressing the root cause of disease for each individual,” according to IFM.org. Rachel went to undergrad for geology and environmental studies, but later became interested in medicine and began pursuing a pre-med track in hopes of attending chiropractic school. She later decided that becoming a doctor was not exactly what she was looking for. Rachel was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2010 which caused her to reassess her life and her educational pursuits. She decided to attend The University of Western States and pursue

Rachel told me that she currently operates more like an executive than a healthcare provider. She leads meetings, figures out how to get jobs accomplished, and she works with the broader healthcare system to deliver IFM education and materials. The Institute of Functional Medicine takes a holistic approach to care and focuses on preventive medicine. Rachel works fully remotely in her current position and she was not required to have a healthcare degree, but her masters degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine has been a huge benefit to her. She is automatically enrolled into programs that the institute offers and she is continually learning about the field through those opportunities and the people that she works closely with. In order to become an IFM Certified Practitioner you must be a licensed/ certified healthcare professional, since Rachel is not a healthcare provider she does not carry the Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner title, but works closely with those who do. Because of this she does not need to renew any licenses or certificates in her current

She feels really grateful to be in a position where the work that she is doing is directly helping her industry gain more traction in the medical field. She is super passionate about the work she does and has a great team to collaborate with. As with every job there are negative aspects, like stress, feelings of overwhelm and lack of time to get all things accomplished, but Rachel said that the good far outweighs the bad. Since Rachel is so passionate about her career, and it took her a while to land on what she is doing now, she told me that she would absolutely choose this career again. Her mother’s situation, Rachel’s celiac disease diagnoses, and the feeling of being let down by the current healthcare system has led her to this job and it seems like a great fit for her. When I asked Rachel if she had any advice for individuals interested in her field she said, “You don’t need to choose between a stable job that pays you well and practicing the kind of hea;thcare that you believe in