Meet Persis Hope, family nurse practitioner with Maine Dartmouth Collaborative Care Center (MDCCC). She sees patients who are referred by their primary care providers for consults in functional and integrative medicine – “a way of addressing chronic medical issues by looking for the underlying causes of disease,” Persis explained. Treatment involves making dietary and other lifestyle changes, and sometimes supplements, herbs or medications. Some may remember Persis from the Family Medicine Institute (FMI) where she worked for 17 years. She then spent three years at Functional and Integrative Medicine of Idaho. “It was a wonderful learning experience, but I was delighted when an opportunity arose to return to MaineGeneral,” said Persis. Persis completed a fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona and is accredited in functional medicine from the Institute of Functional Medicine. Outside of work, she enjoys many activities including skiing, sailing and hiking!
