Jessica Pirkey
Naturopathic Doctor
Jessica Pirkey is a Naturopathic physician who earned her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Pirkey joined the Sojourns team in November 2019 and is providing Holistic Primary Care and Family Medicine services to the Sojourns patient community.
She is passionate about preventing chronic disease and helping families build sustainable lifestyle habits that maintain wellness, with a particular interest in Nutrition, plant-based medicine, and mindfulness. Dr. Pirkey strives to understand her patients, their personal goals, and values and enjoys allowing these discoveries to inspire co-created healing plans. Jessica's notable sincerity, and her obvious enthusiasm for the work she has chosen, are just two examples of what makes her such a good fit for the Sojourns team.Â
While in medical school, Dr. Pirkey completed specialty training to gain more expertise in treating mood disorders, digestive health disorders, and patient group programs for lifestyle and dietary changes. After graduation, she was selected through the competitive national Naturopathic Medical Residency Program and completed a one-year post-graduate training in Family Medicine. Her residency site was one of the first and only Naturopathic-based accredited Medical Home Primary Care Centers. She has attended and completed continuing education conferences in Women's Health, Family Medicine, and Tick-borne illness.
Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Central Florida. During her undergraduate education, she designed protocols for testing the efficacy of plant-based medicine. She traveled to John Hopkins University to present her research at the 4th International Conference on Medicinal Plants & Herbal Products and was awarded recognition for her work. She has studied medicinal botany, ethnobotany, botanical identification, and conservation and worked as an herbarium assistant at her University Herbarium. Jessica has traveled to India and South America with academic programs to study traditional medicinal use of plants and has attended additional classes and conferences on family herbalism. Jessica completed an apprenticeship program in organic farming and food production.
For fun, Jessica loves to spend time with nature, take hikes, swim, bike, snowshoe, or Nordic ski. In the summer, spring, and fall, she enjoys responsibly foraging for wild edible mushrooms, foods, and medicinal herbs. Jessica also studied Ashtanga Yoga under the guidance of Sri Dharma Mittra. She is a Certified Yoga Teacher and loves to share her knowledge of postures, breathing, meditation, and yogic philosophy. Jessica is originally from Vermont and is thrilled to be returning to and practicing Naturopathic Medicine in her home state.