Natalie Geary, M.D. received her B.A. in Medical Anthropology from Harvard University, Dr. Geary’s thesis analyzed health care beliefs, the use of alternative medicine practices, and outcome variables in cancer patients, comparing patients at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan and Tata Cancer Center in Bombay (Mumbai). She began her study of Ayurvedic Medicine at this time. Her thesis was a comparative analysis of cross-cultural differences in health-seeking behavior among cancer patients.
She received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed her residency at New York University/Bellevue. After several years in a hospitalist practice in New York City, she moved to New Mexico to work in a hospital-based clinic and study public health. There she founded a non-profit called OnCall4Kids. Working within the schools provided Dr. Geary with the community endorsement needed to establish trust, and to maintain sustainable practices for the health and wellbeing of the community. Dr Geary and her team screened children for nutritional deficiencies, developmental delays and underlying diseases. Throughout her career, Dr. Geary has also worked to establish programs in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malawi focused on nutrition and health maintenance for families.
After returning to her hometown of New York, in 2001, Dr. Geary started a solo private practice. She balanced that work with trips for her non-profit organization, and consulting work on nutrition -based healing and Ayurveda. In 2009, Dr. Geary accepted a position as Director of Executive Medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and then went on to become the hospital’s Director of International Health, Director of the Wellness center, and the Chief Patient Experience Officer. After more than five years of senior hospital management, she resigned and returned to primary care, to prioritize more active one-on-one patient engagement, and refocus on her integrative medicine work.
Dr. Geary has studied and practiced integrative medicine since she completed her residency in 1996. She has studied at the California College of Ayurveda, The Kerala Ayurvedic Institute and the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque. While at U. Miami Hospital, she was brought in to supervise the Integrative medicine program and was a featured speaker as well as mentor to students interested in Integrative medicine. She has taught Medical Anthropology and Nutritional healing courses. She has also supervised wellness coaches and consulted on corporate wellness programs.
Dr. Geary has written many articles and is a frequent guest speaker. Her book, “The Food Cure for Kids: A Nutritional Approach to your Child’s Wellness,” is a guide for parents outlining the differences between allergy and intolerance. Her book with Dr. Agatston, “The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution,” provides advice on decreasing gluten intake to combat digestive concerns.
She is currently in full-time solo practice. She founded Teen Life Coalition, a program within OnCall4Kids, focused the adolescent behavioral health crisis. The TLC program establishes community-based youth advocacy groups to address some of the issues they are challenged by , namely social media, gender and sexual identity, social esteem, and addiction, to name a few. She also does health and wellness consulting work with ConsultantMDs, and enjoys teaching and leading seminars.
Dr. Geary lives in Manhattan. She has three amazing daughters.
