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Dr. Jennings DNP, FNP-BC, IFMCP is the owner of Cardea Health Integrative in East Aurora NY, an integrative medicine practice specializing in infusion therapy.
Her clinical experience includes several years of level one trauma, neurosurgical critical care, emergency medicine, primary care and cardiothoracic surgery. In addition to her clinical experience, she was an Assistant Professor within the Graduate Department of Nursing at Georgetown University, School of Nursing and Health Studies in Washington, DC. At Georgetown, she has acted as a course coordinator and chair of the Evaluation Committee.
She was appointed Faculty inter-professional simulation representative and Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) advisor in the academic setting. In addition, she has corporate healthcare experience acting as a Corporate Manager of Clinical Education as part of the Nurse Executive team, servicing 5 hospital sites and overseeing all aspects of clinical education for the Health system with >10,000 employees.
Dr. Jennings has been appointed as “Expert Witness” in several malpractice legal cases and acted as editor for several clinical publications, and has also served on healthcare boards and volunteered her time providing care to the under-served population.
She has been appointed a podium speaker at national conferences; has peer-reviewed publications in refereed journals and was awarded a U.S. and Trademark Office Patent which was presented at the UNC Trauma Conference 2012.
Nicole has been a Registered Nurse for 10 years. She earned her Bachelors degree in Nursing from D'Youville College. After graduating, Nicole's experience includes; orthopedic rehabilitation, women's health and oral & maxillofacial surgery.
As a young girl, Nicole would help care for her father, who was battling Leukemia. She knew at the young age of 5, that she wanted to pursue a career in which she could help others. She has a passion for providing compassionate and quality care to her patients.
In her spare time, Nicole enjoys spending time with her family, hiking and reading a good book.
Diane began her nursing career over 30 years ago in Pediatrics. After working in the Intensive Care Nursery and Maternal / Child for 15 years, she became a Parenting Coach and Postpartum Doula. To further expand on her education and training, she studied Aesthetics in Southern California for 5 years where she specialized in skincare procedures and nutritional IV therapy. She has been practicing yoga for 15 years.
After moving back to Western NY, she wanted to continue her focus on wellness and living a healthy lifestyle. Diane feels her education and work history make her a perfect fit for Cardea Health Integrative and she's passionate about helping all our patients with their healthcare journey.
Debbie graduated with Honors from Bauman College in Berkeley, CA in 2019 with a Certificate in Holistic Nutrition. She has been practicing for 4 years and specializes in blood sugar regulation, hormone imbalances, thyroid dysfunction and cancer care.
Debbie truly believes you are what you eat and uses food as medicine to treat and prevent chronic medical conditions and restore optimal health. Her philosophy of holistic health encompasses diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, and human connection. Although weight loss is often the goal of many, it is her belief that by restoring health in the body weight loss will happen naturally. She will meet patients where they are and customize a personalized plan to help them reach their health and wellness goals.
When Debbie is not working she enjoys spending time with her 3 teenage sons. She loves to stay active and spend time outdoors and enjoys training for triathlons, hiking, skiing, yoga and Pilates.
Born and raised in the mountains of Colorado, Aimee has always felt a closeness to nature and wildlife. Her passion for integrative and alternative medicine came from a long journey to wellness. At the young age of 9, Aimee was hit with a plethora of life-threatening conditions. Her life as an outdoor enthusiast changed drastically when the reality of hospital stays, surgeries, and clinical trials hit. It wasn't for nearly 20 years that conventional doctors were able to determine the cause. Thankfully, Aimee had turned to alternative forms of treatment 8 years prior to her official diagnosis. Within a year of starting natural treatments, improving her diet and lifestyle, Aimee was able to stop more than a dozen prescription medications, along with two infusions, with her blood markers not only holding steady - but actually improving. Aimee was determined to help others in similar situations find hope and healing. As such, she completed her bachelors with a degree in Integrative Health Care. Through the trials and tribulations, good certainly did prevail in the end. As Aimee always says, "Challenges are what make life interesting; Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." Aimee is now healthier than ever - living for outdoor adventures, always rooting for the Buffalo Bills, and enjoying life with her husband and two wild pups.
Rayna Duncan RN, BSN is a registered nurse with a bachelors degree and immersion in holistic nursing from Xavier University. Rayna’s practice is centered around caring for the entire patient, spiritually, mentally and physically. This is one of the many factors that has driven Rayna to appreciate and dive deeper into integrative medicine.
Rayna’s clinical background is in obstetrics, gynecology and neonatology. Through her woman’s health background Rayna has been able to aid many underprivileged populations through various community health programs.
While she is not working Rayna enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and exercising.
Rayna very much looks forward to using her practice to touch the lives of the patients at Cardea Health and beyond!
Jenna a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. John Fisher College. Jenna has 7 years of nursing experience. She has worked as a medical surgical nurse with thoracic and colorectal cancer patients, as well as some burn therapy. She now works at Oishei Children’s hospital in Buffalo as a Labor and Delivery Nurse in addition to working at Cardea Health Integrative.
Jenna has felt nursing was her calling since a young age. She enjoys learning about preventive medicine and loves to grow her own food and herbs at home. She learned all of her gardening knowledge on her family farm, which has inspired her to have her own farm some day!
David has been a Registered Nurse since 2021. Since then, he has been working in various hospital settings as a travel nurse with experience in med/surg and cardiology.
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his fiancé and their dog, Sadie.
David is excited to become involved with integrative medicine and looking forward to helping people feel their best.
About Us
The Practice
The name ‘Cardea’ (CAR-DAY-UH) is attributed to a goddess of classical Roman mythology whose name is derived from the Latin root word ‘cardo’ (i.e.: cardiac, cardinal) meaning hinge or axis. She was therefore considered to be the goddess of health, of thresholds (both physical and spiritual), as well as a goddess of the center. Her power is to open that which is closed, and close to that which is open – and to promote a centeredness which will lead to improved health and well-being. It is her aspects of acceptance, grace, patience, and compassion which form the core of our principles and approach to healthcare at Cardea Health Integrative (CHI).
Cardea Health Integrative
was formerly known as Preventive Medicine and Wellness Clinic. It was founded by Dr. Robert Barnes, DO and was located in Fredonia, NY in 1994. After 26 years practicing general surgery and family medicine, he turned his attention full-time to promoting and practicing alternative medicine. Dr. Barnes has truly pioneered the integrative/preventive model of medicine in our area and we pay homage to him as we move forward and continue to aid in shifting the healthcare paradigm here in the WNY region. Many of his long time patients remain with the practice to this day. Dr. Barnes transferred ownership of the practice in 2015 to Dr. Jennifer L. Jennings, and it was subsequently rebranded as Cardea Health Integrative, or CHI. Dr. Jen had been working with the practice for years and was the logical choice to take the solid foundation given by Dr. Barnes and bring it through to its next evolution.
