About Kristi Hughes, ND, IFMCP, FMCHC
Kristi J. Hughes, ND, IFMCP, FMCHC has dedicated her life and professional path to the study and practice of root-cause medicine. Her interest in nutrition and wellness medicine started at a young age, sparked while growing up in a home that encouraged healthy food and lifestyle choices. After attending the University of Minnesota – Duluth, spending a few years at the University of Western States, and then graduating from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Hughes returned home to launch the Center of Natural Healing Arts in 1997.
She attended her first training programs in Functional Medicine in 1999, becoming Certified in Functional Medicine in 2015, which further reinforced her appreciation for the effectiveness and safety of applying root-cause medicine. She became a Functional Medicine Health Coach after years on the Advisory Board and serving as Faculty to further her skills in the coach approach to transforming lifestyle behaviors with impactful change strategies.
Dr. Hughes owns and operated DocereVita, the private practice where she offers personalized Naturopathic and Functional Medicine health care consultations in Mound, Minnesota, along with offering telemedicine coaching services along with her clinical team. Kristi also provides group-based, self-awareness, guided lifestyle experiences through facilitated Self-care/Professional Development Workshops for patients and health care professionals.
Over the past twenty years, her consulting business and participation in medical education events have taken Dr. Hughes around the world, where she is recognized for her passion in teaching the art and science of Root-cause Medicine. Kristi’s ability to share her clinical and practice experiences, while engaging practitioners at their level of readiness, allows for her educational programs to accelerate providers on their journey to implementing nutrition and functional medicine. One of her areas of personal interest is preventing practitioner burn out. Through self-awareness, mindfulness, and exploring one’s Ikigai (purpose for living), Dr. Hughes is committed to guiding health care practitioners, nutrition professionals, health coaches along the trajectory towards effective self-care and creating the life they have imagined.
Dr. Hughes served as a Director of Medical Education at the Institute for Functional Medicine for a decade, where she was responsible for the development and upkeep of medical education clinical tools and patient education resources, supported the growth of IFM Strategic and Educational Collaboration partners, cultivated the practice implementation and business success assets, and participated in IFM Educational Events as an educator and facilitator. As a foundational developer, faculty member, student, and original Advisory Board Member, Dr. Hughes remains engaged in the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy to this day.
In 2019, Dr. Kristi Hughes committed to new areas of professional growth and business development. She embraced her role with NutriDyn on the Science Advisory Board and then became Chief Medical Education Officer in where she provides guidance of subject matter experts, educational strategy, and helps to curate the Advisory team of Nutrigenomic and Clinical Nutrition experts. Dr. Hughes looks forward to supporting ongoing and emerging educational international opportunities, while enhancing collaborating relationships between industry leaders, all of whom are striving to change the face of medicine for the better.
Subjects Covered