VITALITY PROVIDERS
DR. Melissa McRae, DO, FOUNDER
Vitality Natural Wellness and MedSpa founder Dr. Melissa McRae is a Board Certified Family Physician specializing in Integrative Medicine, Functional Medicine, and Non-Surgical Aesthetic Medicine in and around Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from both Ohio University and Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine summa cum laude.
Upon graduation from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. McRae was presented with the highest all-around award: the Dean’s Award. During her final year of residency, she served as Chief Resident at Doctors Hospital in Stark County, Ohio. Dr. McRae also received several awards, including the Most Outstanding Family Practice Doctor in her residency program as well as the Ohio Academy of Family Medicine’s Most Outstanding Family Practice Resident in the State of Ohio. She has continued her education by participating in coursework at the American Academy of Anti Aging Medicine (A4M) and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). Dr. McRae has been a speaker at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s national conference. She continues to serve her profession by training family medicine students, Nurse Practitioner students, nursing students, and medical residents in her office.
Since beginning her private practice, Dr. McRae has had a strong focus on patient preventative health care. She had a traditional Family Practice for 12 years before committing to a Wellness-based practice in Mansfield, Ohio. The practice continues to rapidly grow and offers patients comprehensive functional medicine and integrative medicine health care. Dr. McRae has a strong focus on patient preventative care for optimal health with the use of bioidentical hormones, gut therapy, diet and lifestyle changes, and advanced testing. Vitality Natural Wellness was a finalist for the Small Business of the Year award for 2016. She has offices in Mansfield, Ohio, and Powell, Ohio.
Dr. McRae speaks locally and nationally on topics of lifestyle medicine and wellness. She was a featured speaker at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in Washington D.C. discussing a system she developed that allowed medical wellness and nutrition to get covered through insurance companies.
Dr. McRae’s areas of expertise include IV Nutritional Therapy, Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy, ArqueDerma Artistic Restoration Lift, Microtox, Advanced Dermal Fillers, and Advanced Neurotoxins, Lift-Thread techniques, hair restoration, and Peptide therapy. Dr. McRae is deemed a “Master Level Injector” by Allergan.
Dr. McRae continues to play a very active role in her community and profession. Her participation includes:
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American Academy of Family Physicians
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American Osteopathic Association
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Ohio Osteopathic Association
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American Medical Association
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International Peptide Society
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International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine
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Powell Chamber of Commerce
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Richland County Chamber of Commerce
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National Association of Women Business Owners
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Women's Small Business Association
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Crossroads Community Church
Purpose/Passion of Vitality Natural Wellness and MedSpa: Provide life-changing, patient-centered medical care using innovative medical treatments.
Corey Thomas, CNP
Corey Thomas, CNP is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a background in both emergency and aesthetic medicine. Corey received her license in 2014 and has since been working diligently to perfect her skills.
Corey’s aesthetic skills have taken her to many major US cities. As a highly skilled aesthetic injector, she has been able to improve the lives of countless clients who have found their way to her treatment room. As a Mansfield native, Corey is excited to return to her hometown and bring her love and passion for aesthetic medicine to a community for which she cares so deeply. Corey practices exclusively in our Mansfield office.
Corey’s favorite part of her job is helping her clients regain the confidence they deserve. Whether it’s a personal concern they would like to address or slowing the natural aging process, Corey loves helping women and men to look refreshed and feel their very best while maintaining the natural aesthetic and beauty of their facial features. When asked what the best part of her job is, Corey said: “There is nothing better than watching my patients walk out of here with a newfound confidence and a huge smile on their face!”
Corey is a certified yoga instructor. She received her 200-hour RYT in 2018. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at her dad’s farm. She loves riding horses and teaching her daughter to love and appreciate the beautiful gift of nature.
Martha Minnich, CNP
Martha Minnich is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner with over three decades of healthcare experience. She received advanced training in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) through WorldLink Medical. Martha is passionate about taking the functional medicine approach to the body. She specializes in gut health, male and female hormone optimization, and sexual wellness treatments including the O-Shot and P-Shot. She has an extensive background in Cardiovascular Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Corporate Wellness, and is passionate about health, fitness, and disease prevention.
Martha completed her MSN/Family Nurse Practitioner degree at Otterbein University. She serves as adjunct faculty at Columbus State Community College for the nursing students, is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and is actively involved at the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (OAAPN) statewide yearly conference. Martha taught group exercise classes for many years and is trained as a Health Coach.
Martha is passionate about getting to know her patients and helping unearth the root cause of their illness. She knows she can help them become the best and healthiest version of themselves.
Christy LaRoche, MSN, FNP-BC
Christy LaRoche, FNP-BC is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with an acute ability to emapthize with and care for her patients. Christy’s love of functional medicine comes from her grandparents. Watching them practice the fundamentals of functional medicine while aging gracefully has greatly impacted her decision to be a part of healthcare that changes lives for the better.
Christy’s desire to help others feel good about themselves combined with her natural aesthetic skills, makes Christy an excellent aesthetic injector. From Botox to fillers, Christy has a unique ability to bring her patient’s dreams to life.
Christy loves to travel and explore new places abroad. Her travels have spilled into her desire to cook complex dishes from all over the world. She even has ventured into making her own wine. In her free time, Christy cares for her farm which hosts beef cows and Australian Shepherds.
Tracie Bakewell, CNP
Tracie Bakewell, CNP is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a background in Functional Medicine, Primary Care, and Urgent Care working with patients in and around Columbus, Ohio. Tracie graduated Sigma Theta Tau with her Master of Science in Nursing from Ohio University in 2013. She brings extensive knowledge in hormone health and preventative health care to Vitality Natural Wellness and Medspa.
Tracie has been performing advanced aesthetic procedures since 2017. Patients love their results with Tracie and frequently note how comfortable she makes them feel. Having a keen eye, a creative approach, and a listening intent leads to amazing results that patients are thrilled to experience. Tracie knows that when you feel confident in your skin, you take better care of yourself. True to the culture of Vitaliy, she understands that aesthetics and wellness go hand in hand.
Tracie believes optimizing hormonal health is the root of functional medicine. She discovered the importance of hormonal health when she first began working with Dr. McRae years ago. Tracie believes that truly individualized care with the goal of optimal wellness for a patient is best achieved through a whole-body, functional medicine approach that will get to the underlying cause of any symptoms.
As a certified lactation counselor, Tracie knows that lifelong wellness begins in infancy. She has overseen the Reproductive Health and Wellness Clinic in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, since 2016.
Tracie and her husband have two children. Ruby is six-years-old and Parker is nine-years-old. You’ll frequently find them outside exploring together as a family. Tracie also loves to read and create delicious, healthy meals for her family.
Kelli Cuda, FNP
Kelli is a Family Nurse Practitioner with a post-master's certificate in Functional Medicine. She received her BSN at Ohio State University and worked ten years in critical care. Ten years and two kids later, she returned to graduate school to fulfill her longtime goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.
"As much as I have gained from the immeasurable experience in health care, both
academically and at the patient’s bedside, it is my own personal health journey that defined my
path in functional medicine. During my last year of graduate school, I became ill. Suffering from
a wide array of symptoms and seeing six specialists within a year, I was eventually diagnosed
with Lyme disease. This diagnosis however was disputed between different disciplines and I was once again, left without a clear path. This led me to search for answers in an effort to regain my health. I attended a conference through the Institute of Functional Medicine at the Cleveland, Ohio, Clinic. I left feeling inspired and hopeful. This was the start of my journey in this field of medicine and I haven’t stopped learning since." Says Kelli.
Today she holds close not only the valuable professional and life experiences she has gained
over time but also her internal desire to become part of the exciting and evolutionary change in
health care. It is her desire to sculpt the paradigm of health care through education, prevention,
and wellness with functional medicine for the community in and around Columbus, Ohio. Her love for this chosen path is driven by the new-found energy and excitement patients experience when they are given the tools to heal.
Kelli has a loving husband of almost twelve years and three beautiful kiddos. She jokes that her side job is being their personal uber driver and lover of all their sports and recreation. She believes balance is key and laughter IS the best medicine.
Kylie Eulett, MA
Kylie loves that working at Vitality allows her to do so many things that she loves. With a background in permanent makeup, Kylie absolutely loves making her patients feel beautiful. Kylie holds advanced certifications in ZO's Skinhealth skincare line. Kylie is the go-to for all questions regarding building a routine and getting results with your skincare. She absolutely loves helping patients build a daily skincare routine that will create lasting change. She knows that the best results come from a combination of in-office treatments and a firm foundation of at-home care.
Kylie loves to combine treatments for maximum results. She loves chemical peel season (fall and winter) the best and thinks everyone should try the DiamondGlow facial at least once!
Natalie Hickman, Esthetician
Natalie is a graduate of the Aveda Institute in Columbus, Ohio where she received her license in Esthetics. She has worked with clients in a salon setting as well as in a more personal setting when she owned her own business. As a certified medical assistant and licensed Esthetician, Natalie has a confident touch and a relaxing presence.
After working through her own personal skincare journey many years ago, Natalie loves getting to play a part in helping clients feel great about themselves in their own skin. She loves customizing facials to address individual needs and educating clients on what will work best for them!
Natalie knows a well-planned at-home routine is just as important as a regular facial. She loves working with her clients to build a plan that works for them and more importantly, gets them the results they're hoping for!
VITALITY SUPPORT STAFF
Kristin Kipp, Marketing Director
Kristin joined Vitality Natural Wellness and Medspa in August of 2017 as Director of Marketing. She loves that her marketing skills can be used for a cause she believes in. Being a non-medical member of the team, she enjoys hearing the stories of lives changed for the better at Vitality Natural Wellness and Medspa. Responsible for everything from social media posts to forms and flyers, product displays, and our website you might not see her in the exam room, but she is an integral part of the team. Kristin believes in education and uses her position to provide as much information as she can to our patients and anyone interested in learning more about Vitality - in as many channels as possible. Her work is also used internally to continually train staff with our own training videos.
If you love your results and would like to be part of Vitality's Portfolio, just let the staff know and Kristin will listen to your story and even take your photo if you like. Our patients love hearing how Vitality has helped others. Your testimonial could help change someone's life.
Kristin often assists Dr. McRae at speaking engagements throughout Ohio and she sets up hosting events with other local businesses. You’re likely to see Kristin in both our Mansfield and Powell, Ohio, office - or out and about at community events.
Sheree Young, RN, BSN, MBA
Sheree joined Vitality Natural Wellness and Medspa in September 2015 as the Practice Manager. She currently manages both the Mansfield and Powell, Ohio, offices. Sheree really enjoys spending time with Corey, her husband of 27 years, and their three children.
As a graduate of Ohio University, Sheree loves using her MBA daily to manage a business that enriches so many lives. Responsible for hiring and training staff, ordering supplies, and more, Sheree gets to use her beloved spreadsheets and create streamlined processes. At other times, she gets to put on her Registered Nurse hat and help start IVs or do lab draws and weight loss visits for a patient. She is happy to have found a position that utilizes her unique skill set.
With over 20 years of healthcare experience, Sheree understands the challenges facing this industry. Sheree thinks the best part about working at Vitality is being part of the solution. "Dr. McRae created this opportunity to treat patients the way we know we should be treating them. It's a privilege to do so and to support our staff as they do so."