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

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