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Dr. Jennings DNP, MS, APRN, FNP-BC is the owner of Cardea Health Integrative in Buffalo NY, an integrative medicine practice specializing in infusion therapy- which is one of Western New York’s premiere health and wellness destinations.
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.
She is also concurrently pursuing fellowships in functional medicine from A4M and IFM. Jen is a RYT-200 yoga instructor and is pursuing her RYT-500 certification.
Dr. Jen volunteers for various non-profit organizations, gives complimentary lectures and education to groups in need and does pro-bono work for vulnerable populations.
When not caring for her patients, Jen is passionate about continuous learning and gardening - she loves to get her hands in the earth. She also loves to care for her chickens, peacocks and bees. Jen is an avid skier (ski patrol), nature/wildlife admirer and loves to hike with her family.
Jonathan is a veteran of the service industry, in which he worked for the previous 15 years. His experience includes opening a total of 9 restaurants as a corporate trainer, including one location in Dubai, UAE. Most recently, he worked as the Kitchen Manager and Head Chef at Mangia Ristorante and Caffe in Orchard Park. Since joining the Cardea team in 2015, he has been able to connect his personal passion for health and wellness to the principles of service and efficiency he cultivated in his prior years. He enjoys yoga, meditation, is an avid chess player- and dreams of bringing a medicinal café concept to Cardea and the East Aurora area. Food IS medicine!
Alison Greenberg, MS, APRN, FNP-BC is a board certified family nurse practitioner. Having had two chronic childhood illnesses and a pediatrician father, the healthcare system has been familiar to her for as long as she can remember. In 2007, a serious bike accident fueled her motivation to heal herself and sparked a keen interest in health and wellness as well as a desire to provide humane, therapeutic healthcare.
She has always been passionate about healing modalities and nutrition, so deepening her knowledge in these areas for the past 16 years was a natural path for her. She is currently working towards functional medicine certification through The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). She is excited to join Cardea and looks forward to partnering with and supporting her clients on their path to optimal wellness.
After receiving her Master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2017, Alison worked as a primary care provider on Buffalo’s lower west side, which reinforced her commitment for empowering individuals through education, preventive medicine, and psychosocial support. Her clinical background includes critical care oncology and lead research assistant on a medical expedition in the Nepal Himalayas utilizing yogic breathing techniques to modify risk of high altitude sickness. She received her BSN from New York University in 2010.
Her approach to healthcare is largely informed by her background as an fine artist. She holds a BA in Art Practice from the University of California at Berkeley, and has been a lifelong painter and cellist. She is also an avid gardener and nature lover.
Afton is a Registered Nurse who graduated from Niagara County Community College with an Associates Of Applied Science in Nursing. Her experience in Urgent Care allowed her to develop the necessary nursing skills to compliment Cardea Health’s distinguished reputation.
Rayna Weigel RN, BSN is a registered nurse with a bachelors degree from Xavier University. With an immersion in holistic nursing, 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 continuing education, cooking, exercising, and spending time with her family. Rayna very much looks forward using her practice to touch the lives of the patients at Cardea Health and beyond.
Lil graduated from D'Youville College in Buffalo, NY in 2011. Lil has worked at both the Visiting Nursing Association and Western New York Developmental Disabilities Service Office. She also has 30+ years as a Registered Nurse.
Kate studied esthetics in Northern Virginia where she received her certification in 2005. Kate pursued her esthetics career in the DC area for several years before settling back here in WNY. She has been an esthetician for over 16 years and has been in the medical esthetics field since 2012. Kate has a passion for treating her clients with clean, safe products and procedures that bring amazing results!
Melissa graduated from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, NJ with a BA in Psychology. She began her post graduate journey as an Instructor at Summit Gymnastics.
She then joined the West Herr team and worked there several years as both the Sales Inventory Manager and the Service Department Warranty Administrator. Melissa's next role was at National Fuel Gas as a Clerk. In total, she has over 17 years of experience in the administration field.
She then joined the West Herr team and worked there several years as both the Sales Inventory Manager and the Service Department Warranty Administrator. Melissa's next role was at National Fuel Gas as a Clerk. In total, she has over 17 years of experience in the administration field.
Melissa recently made a personal decision to leave the full-time work force so she could focus on her family life. When she is not at Cardea Health Integrative, she can be found at home with her wonderful husband Chris; together they are raising their precious one year old son, Caleb. They love spending time outdoors together. When Melissa gets any alone time, she loves being in her flower and vegetable gardens.
Kyla Davis, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and resident of East Aurora, has been with CHI for two years. Kyla has a BS in Natural Resource Management which reflects her love of nature and homesteading endeavors.
Kyla spends most of her time with her two sons, Levon (4) and Weston (1.5). As a full-time Mom and part-time receptionist, Kyla also serves on the board of the Nativity Preschool and runs a weekly children's playgroup.
Ashley is a nursing major at Niagara University. She's currently in her second year and is working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with end goal to become a Nurse Practitioner.
Her experience at Cardea Health has been terrific and has helped her to gain knowledge about her major and has also helped better prepare her for her future career in healthcare.
Chuck has been working as a Licensed Massage Therapist for 26 years. He had his own practice for 11 years. He worked 4 seasons with the professional indoor soccer team Buffalo Blizzard. He was honored to have performed massage for Hospice patients. He spent the bulk of his career, 16 years, as a Team Massage Therapist for the Buffalo Sabres until 2017. He has worked over 1,000 NHL regular season games, not including playoffs. Players still use Chuck privately to get through the long, grueling season. He is also an Independent LMT Consultant for the Buffalo Bisons AAA Baseball team.
His clientele has ranged from high school athletes, weekend warriors, professional athletes, stressed parents, to the terminally ill. Over the years, he has studied various techniques, ranging from Swedish to sports massage. What works for one client doesn’t work for everyone. He has learned to combine techniques and design approaches based on client tolerances and circumstances. He is passionate about helping people achieve a healthy, balanced life free of pain and stress using massage, stretching, and exercise. He is happy to join the Cardea Health team in this everyday sport called life.
Some of his various techniques include:
- Sports Massage
- SportStretch
- NeuroKinetic Therapy
- Myofascial Release
- PNF
- Active/Passive Release
- Fascial Distortion
- Dalton’s Myoskeletal
- Hemme
- Lymphatic
- Deep Tissue
- Relaxation
To book an appt with Chuck, click the MINDBODY icon below and search for Cardea Health Integrative.
Linda’s experience includes 33 years as a hospital-based Registered Nurse, 23 years in Pediatrics- of which the last 10 were in an Emergency Room. She has also been practicing colon hydrotheraqpy since 2008 after she received certification from the International School for Colon Hydrotherapy.
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.