Professional Bio
Professional Bio
Deanna Minich, MS, PhD, CNS, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (IFMCP), is a nutrition scientist, international lecturer, teacher, and author, with over twenty years of experience in academia and in the food and dietary supplement industries.
Throughout the years, she has been active as a functional medicine clinician in clinical trials and in her own practice (Food & Spirit™), which has now become oriented towards groups, workshops, and retreats. She is the author of six consumer books on wellness topics, four book chapters, and over fifty scientific publications. Her academic background is in nutrition science, including a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (1995) and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences (nutrition focus) from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands (1999). For a decade, she was part of the research team led by the “father of Functional Medicine,” Dr. Jeffrey Bland, and has served on the Nutrition Advisory Board for The Institute of Functional Medicine, as well as on the Board of Directors for the American Nutrition Association. Since 2013, she has been part of the faculty for the Advanced Practice Module in Environmental Health offered by the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been teaching a graduate level course in metabolic detoxification at the University of Western States. Over the decades, she has taught thousands of nutrition classes for health coaches, fitness trainers, and healthcare professionals, including for programs offered by the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. In conjunction with her academic degrees and extensive teaching experience at the university level, she is both a Fellow (FACN) and a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) through the American College of Nutrition. She is Chief Science Officer at Symphony Natural Health, where she leads the medical advisory team, oversees scientific communication, and provide educational leadership for the company’s plant-derived nutraceuticals. She is passionate about helping others to live well using therapeutic lifestyle changes that impact their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D., 1999) in Medical Sciences (Human Nutrition and Metabolism); University of Groningen, The Netherlands (Read dissertation here)
Master of Science (M.S., 1995) in Human Nutrition and Dietetics; University of Illinois of Chicago
Bachelor of Arts (B.A., 1992) Biology Major, English Minor; Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
Professional Experience
Dr. Minich has experience as a clinical educator within both the university and corporate sectors.
Teaching Clinician, Certified Food & Spirit Practitioner Program and Food & Spirit, LLC, 2002–present
Chief Science Officer and Consultant, Symphony Natural Health, 2022 – present
Vice President and Consultant, Scientific Affairs, Organic India USA and the Clean Program, 2021-May 2022
Advisor and Visiting Faculty, Institute for Integrative Nutrition, 2021-present
President, American College of Nutrition, 2020-2021
Board of Directors, American Nutrition Association, 2014-2022
Faculty, Institute of Functional Medicine, 2013–present
Faculty, University of Western States, 2013–present
Adjunct Faculty, Maryland University of Integrative Health, 2013–2015
Adjunct Faculty, Bastyr University, 2013
Vice President, Education, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute 2012–2014
Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Metagenics, Inc. 2009–2012
Certifications
Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (IFM), 2015–present
Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), 2004–present
Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), 2004–present
Certified Nutritionist by the Washington State Department of Health, 2004–present
Registered Yoga Teacher by Yoga Alliance, 2009–present
Skillset Summary
20+ years in the nutrition and health fields
Leader of one of the largest online events on detoxification known as The Detox Summit™
Leader of The Detox Challenge, a 3000-person online detox program, in collaboration with the Institute for Functional Medicine
Founder of the Certified Food & Spirit Practitioner Program™, providing health practitioners with learning and application of the 7 Systems of Full-Spectrum Health
Tailored expertise in nutrition, phytonutrients, detoxification, lifestyle medicine, functional medicine, brain health, whole-self nourishment, cardiovascular nutrition, personalized nutrition, cancer, mind-body medicine, and women’s health
Nutrition advocate to a large spectrum of the market, from the patient to the practitioner
Author of six books on health and over forty scientific publications
Visionary for an integrated approach to nutrition, spanning the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of one’s being
Experience in nutritional global product technology integration, technology transfer, preclinical and clinical research, product development, management, marketing, writing, clinical duties and education