About Us
Jennifer Engels, MD, IFMCP
As Dr. Jennifer Engels has learned, the twists and turns of life sometimes move us in directions we never initially anticipated. After earning her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, she completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital, followed by a residency in Radiology at UT Southwestern in Dallas. Next came a one-year fellowship in women’s imaging at UTSW, and with this extensive training, she soon joined the staff at the prestigious Cooper Clinic, practicing diagnostic radiology.
While at the Cooper Clinic, unexpectedly, her medical career began to change. Engels attended a number of lectures focused on optimizing nutrition, cardiovascular fitness, and preventive medicine strategies. Quickly she developed a desire to delve more deeply into areas like nutrition, preventive medicine, supplementation, and cardiovascular performance, fields not emphasized in her earlier medical studies.
As she contemplated these new areas of interest, a colleague mentioned a field of medical specialization new to her – Functional Medicine – and she soon began studying this relatively new approach to patient treatment.
Intrigued and determined to learn more, Dr. Engels threw herself into a regimen of studies. She earned a degree in nutrition and health coaching from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and to deal with some of her own health issues, she became a patient of a Functional Medicine practitioner. “I experienced firsthand the power of Functional Medicine and how it helped me feel like my optimal self again,” she says.
After three years of intensive study, in November 2021 she earned full certification in that field from the Institute for Functional Medicine.
She opened WeCare Frisco in June of 2020 despite the pandemic. By 2021 she was continuing to grow and eventually had to move to a bigger space the beginning of 2022. Her philosophy has always been, "If we build it, they will come," and this seems to be the case. Dr. Engels believes that patients are tired of the current healthcare ("sick care") model and are in search of a different way to find answers to their health issues.
Summing up her years-long transition from radiologist to a clinician practicing Functional Medicine she says, “Sometimes I have to laugh because back when I was reading films in a dark room, I never would have imagined I would be seeing patients in my own clinic. I feel like this is my calling, I just took a roundabout way to get here.”
Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease, while devising the most effective ways to treat them. This form of treatment requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to develop personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes.
Rather than focusing on symptoms, practitioners of Functional Medicine concentrate on causation, identifying the complexity of disease, including its many possible origins and manifestations. For example, one health condition may have many different causes, and, conversely, one cause may result in many different health conditions.
Introduction to Integrative and Functional Medicine
Molly Bjurstrom, NTP, CHC, CFNIP
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Molly is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified Functional Health Coach with a background and degree in Physical Therapy from St Catherine's University in Minnesota.
Her journey to wellness began with her personal battle with Lyme Disease and Mold Illness, which taught her firsthand the challenges of navigating complex health issues. Molly experienced the frustration of unexplained symptoms, the struggle to find answers, and the determination required to advocate for your own health. It was through this personal journey that Molly discovered the transformative power of functional medicine and nutrition, which ultimately led her to her current path as a functional health practitioner.
Ashley Howell, FMCHC, NBC-HWC
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Ashley Howell is a Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach and Nutritionist with a BS in Nutrition from Purdue University. With over 20 years of experience in nutrition and wellness coaching, including 12 years as the lead health coach at Modern Medicine in Dallas, TX, she is committed to transforming lives through sustainable diet and lifestyle changes.
Her journey into health coaching began in 2000 as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Nutritional Assistant at a compounding pharmacy in Austin, TX. Ashley later earned her certification as a Holistic Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. In 2012, she joined Modern Medicine, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to deliver patient-centered care.
Ashleyās mission is to inspire lasting wellness through functional nutrition, therapeutic lifestyle change, and personalized support, empowering her clients to achieve lifelong health and vitality.
Sylvia Jeffrey
Receptionist and Phlebotomist
Sylvia has been in the medical field for 34 years and counting. She worked at Coffee Memorial Blood Donor Center in Amarillo, TX for 15 years andĀ later moved her talents to El Paso, TX to work for the government at Ft. Bliss Blood Donor Center for 13 years. Sylvia met her husband through the military and relocated to the Frisco, TX area.
She joined WeCare Frisco in July of 2021.
A new focus, a new path forward
“I was absolutely fascinated,” Engels says, “by this new style of medicine that saw the patient as a whole biological system rather focusing on only one organ system at a time, such as Cardiology. This was a complete paradigm shift from conventional medicine and how I was trained.”
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling."
- Desmond Tutu
Where Dr. Engels Has Trained
Ultimate Health
Live Longer | Be Lean | Be Strong!
Check out this book that Dr. Engels has co-authored…
Discover how to create a life of vitality, strength, and energy, with a preventive mindset that enhances longevity.
Learn why food is medicine, spirituality matters, and how a positive emotional outlook can add years to your life and life to your years.
Gain knowledge about the right habits, foods, vitamins, nutrients and exercise that will allow you to turn back the hands of time and regain a more youthful life.
Get In Touch
Give Us A Call
Phone : 972-668-2636
Fax : 972-627-4245
Send Us A Message
Hours
Monday - Thursday:Ā 9:00am to 5:00pmĀ (closed 12:00pm-1:00pm for lunch)
Friday by appointment only
Located at
9555 Lebanon Rd, Ste. 701 Frisco, TX 75035
A new focus, a new path forward
“I was absolutely fascinated,” Engels says, “by this new style of medicine that saw the patient as a whole biological system rather focusing on only one organ system at a time, such as Cardiology. This was a complete paradigm shift from conventional medicine and how I was trained.”
